Former candidate rebutts Jeff's "vindication"

Rebuttal of the following:

(The initial statement is in italics, my rebuttal is not.)

 

For Immediate Release: Statement from Quartzsite
Chief of Police Jeff Gilbert on DPS Report #2011-027462

Quartzsite, Arizona - On August 13, 2012, I received a completed copy of the criminal investigation conducted by the AZ Department of Public Safety (DPS) against myself and Sgt. Xavier Frausto. This report included the "Turndown" notice declining the case by the AZ Attorney General's Office, dated July 12/13, 2012. The allegations and complaint was initiated by then Quartzsite Mayor Ed Foster.

 

Mr. Gilbert,  we too, have received the DPS Report to which you speak.  We have reviewed several of the summaries and the actual interviews themselves, and are concerned, both with your vindication letter you had published last August, and with the results of the investigation itself.  We are so concerned in fact, that we are posting both the summary and the interview of those interviewed during the investigation so that anyone can compare the summary to the actual interview.  Anyone interested can find this material at http://www.aview.info/OhYaOhYa-Quartzsite-00.html or if that’s to long a link, just type in www.aview.info, and select What’s Happening in Quartzsite for both the summaries and the interviews themselves.

 

We are concerned because the summaries signed by Detective Peter M. White, badge number 4932, are so misleading as to fall into a clear pattern of deception, failure to investigate, and in fact, when the truth is finally actually told, perhaps even obstruction of justice charges being levied against Detective White for his clear failure to adequately investigate the charges against you.  It leaves one wondering if you have something on Detective White.   Do you?

 

We challenge one and all to go to the above web site, read a summary, any of them, and then listen to the actual interview.  Pick anyone who was fired – for being truthful.  Detective White clearly needs to justify his deceptive summaries, as well as his failure to investigate the charges against you!  Maybe one day, he will get the chance to do so – in a court of law.

The case was declined for the following reasons stated by the turndown report as: "Victim/Witness Credibility Problems"; "Inadequate Evidence of Intent"; "Inadequate Evidence of Corroboration"; and "No Reasonable Likelihood of Conviction".

 

Actually, we disagree with all of the reasons given for the failure to charge you with several felonies.  Having actually listened to the actual interviews themselves, we believe the reason you were not charged should result in at least a dereliction of duty and termination against Detective White.  Again, we ask, what do you have on Detective White to cause him to risk his career in such a flagrant manner?  His summaries blatantly mislead anyone who relies on his summaries instead of taking the time to actually listen to the interviews.

 

We also feel that when nine (that’s how many interviews we have gotten posted so far) all say essentially the same things, when several of them have since taken polygraphs to hold a new job in law enforcement AND PASSED their polygraphs in order to hold that new job; we find it very difficult to believe your statement about witness credibility issues.  In regard to inadequate evidence, there is not a shred of doubt about your extensive political involvement, and utilization of your position of power as police chief to harass and intimidate some and not others – which should not even exist!  Do you remember telling your officers to ignore the warrants outstanding in regard to Deena Blythe, while at the same time, you were harassing Mike Roth about a silly out-of-state license plate on the front of his car – which was legally licensed (and properly displayed) in AZ?  Have you forgotten your trespassing invasions into Crawford’s RV Park to harass some who had signed recall petitions against some of your buddies in Town Hall?  Sir, misuse of your office in these manners is clearly illegal.

 

Do you understand that running NCIC checks without a reason is a felony?  Several of the interviews refer to your requests to do so.  This information is in the interviews that Detective White blew off with his incomplete and misleading summaries.  Again, I ask, what do you have on Detective White?

This is the third criminal investigation I have been subjected to along with members of my department from false allegations and complaints made by then Mayor Ed Foster. I have been exonerated, along with the other members of the department each time. Sergeant Xavier Frausto has served this community for nearly twenty years with his complete dedication to the community.

 

We sincerely hope that it will not be your last!  Some of us understand that the criminal investigations to which you refer were conducted “in house” for which you have claimed exoneration before – and under very suspicious circumstances for those investigations as well.

I have documented evidence that Ed Foster participated with another party and submitted a fabricated and forged letter to DPS in 2010 in an attempt to lend credibility to the first of his false allegations and complaints. While I brought this matter to the attention of DPS, to my knowledge they declined any further investigation of the incident.

 

Sir, had you not illegally involved yourself in the political events of the past few years to support your “friends” in Town Hall, Mr. Foster likely would never have filed anything against you, for you would not have been misusing your office in violation of the law.

Ed Foster, along with others, continues to this day in his attempt to discredit, and have me criminally charged, as the Chief of Police for the Quartzsite Police Department. His latest false allegations and complaints created an investigation and finding period that lasted nearly fourteen months resulting in an unknown loss and waste of the tax payer's dollar, not to mention the undue hardship that was created to the community, the Town, the Department, Sgt. Frausto, myself and our families.

 

You intentionally mislead.  You state that Mr. Foster’s allegations and complaints are false.  EVEN IF the result of the DPS investigation was done properly (it clearly was not!) a more careful reading does not exonerate you.  It only says inadequate evidence, and no reasonable expectation of conviction.  I submit that had Detective White not perjured himself with the summaries he wrote, and had adequately investigated, the investigation would have taken a very bad turn for you.

On behalf of the Quartzsite Police Department, myself and all those affected, I wish to thank the Town and community members of Quartzsite that have provided their continued support and stood behind us over the course of these false allegations and complaints.

 

Please.  Stop with the “false allegation” claim.  Perhaps one day, we will accomplish getting those that made these poor decisions and followed Detective White’s deceptive summaries, to actually sit down and listen to the nine interviews themselves.  Should that happen, we feel that you may have a lot fewer “false allegations” to deal with.

I will continue with my dedication to the Town of Quartzsite as Chief of Police, to serve and protect and to provide the best possible police services to the community. Again, I wish to thank everyone for their support.

 

Please!  The only people you are serving and protecting is the thugs who manage to delay the proper election of those who oppose them.

 

I would again plead with all to go to www.aview.info and select What’s Happening in Quartzsite, and listen to some of the interviews posted there.  Don’t listen to me; don’t take my word for any of this.  Listen to Chief Gilbert’s own clerks and officers who finally got fed up with being told to break the law so that Chief Gilbert could be actively involved in political matters in our town.  They signed a letter of complaint against Chief Gilbert, for which they got fired.  After you listen to a couple of the interviews, ask yourself the same question I have:  What does Chief Gilbert have on Detective White to cause him to whitewash this investigation in the manner that he has done.

 

Russell Sias