Hello world!

Welcome to BLUEGRAYGHOST! My mission is to expose the corruption that seems to be overly abundant in every municipality of the United States of America. I am well aware that my endeavor will not be very popular with certain people and frankly, I am not concerned with what is popular or politically correct. I will discuss, speculate, hypothesize and investigate each and every hint of corruption that comes to my attention and it will be done under the protection of the First Amendment!

With that said, I am requesting that we please be respectful at all times regardless of the differing opinions that may arise. Free speech of course works in both directions, so again, please respect others whether you like their opinion or not. I would also like to request that when you post a comment to stay on the topic at hand, the facts of the topic and of course your opinions on the topic with the up most respect!  Please enjoy the website and please do not be afraid to participate and if anyone would like to contact me for any reason, especially to inform me of injustices that need to be exposed, please email me at:

JOHNGRAYGHOST@GMAIL.COM

BARBOUR COUNTY…WHO’S SCREWING WHO?

So it seems that this whole situation with Sheriff Hawkins started with the accusations by Brittany Keene that he was having sex with her. The question that comes to mind is; who is screwing who?

Was Hawkins actually screwing Brittany Keene or was Keene actually screwing Hawkins or were they screwing each other? I have to ask as it seems from the accusations that they were screwing each other until it went too far and of course it became an issue of one person no longer consenting to the screwing or so the accusations allege. Maybe I should ask who screwed who the most?

Did Hawkins screw Keene the most by not only in the strictest sense of sexual relations but also by screwing her over in the proverbial sense. I mean by taking advantage of a girl who was a week away from the age of 17, did he actually screw her life up? Did he essentially screw not only her but himself by initiating the relationship with a minor that was on supervised probation at the time? These are of course the questions I have to ask as I am sure many of you are curious to know the truth as I am.

Let us go one step further without naming names and bringing forth more rumors. Are there others involved? Are there more that can say he has screwed them as well? Could there be people who may work as a housewife, janitor, cleaner, car washer, cashier, students of both high school or college, maybe even someone with in the legal system or let us reach further and say maybe even an institute of learning. Maybe there are more that we do not know about; maybe people with credibility issues that if challenged would be put at a disadvantage as compared to the respectful position of Sheriff?

I have to ask because frankly that is how Hawkins supporters have described Keene; as a girl with no credibility. That is of course the exact kind of person that a predator would seek out; someone who has a disadvantageous background that would make their statements suspect and allow a person of higher caliber to be believed. That is of course is what just happened in the Jerry Sandusky case or what Jerry Sandusky had hoped for. Yeah I know, he was convicted of sexual assault of boys but really it is apples an oranges in my book as it is still wrong no matter which way one could look at it, twist it or decipher it. There is still the fact that if there were only one boy that had accused Sandusky, he would have probably gotten off simply because all of the boys that were involved come from very questionable backgrounds.

Yet, we all know that was not the case as there were multiple boys that were accusing Sandusky which then puts into question not the accusers credibility but the defendants credibility, just as it did in the Sandusky case. So again, I have to ask, are there more girls out there that are going to claim that Hawkins had sex with them? Well I can’t name anyone by name, but I will say I know of another and yet that poor girl has refused to come forward out of fear of retribution. Is that not shameful to know there is at least one more that is too frightened to come forward with her own accord of events, her own accusations.

Again I have to ask, just who is screwing who in this county? Not only in the strictest sense of the word but the proverbial. I for one can state that it is of my opinion that Hawkins is screwing every one of the citizens of Barbour County, not just because of the accusations but because he has lied on several occasions regarding the accusations. Believe it or not, the truth goes a long way in my book, more so then even the act in question. Why? Because it shows that while the person made a mistake, they can admit and own up to the mistake. That is of course how we as humans learn; by making a mistake and realizing where we went wrong and the first step is admitting that a mistake was made. Had he simply done that, he would not be in the mess that he is in!

So again, will we ever know the truth? Will the girl I have heard from come forward or will she continue to hide in the shadows out of fear? Fear should never be a tool to be used by one individual against another, especially when the one using fear as a control mechanism is in the position of Sheriff!!!

BARBOUR COUNTY PROSECUTOR SPEAKS OUT!

The recent newspaper article by The Intermountain in which the Barbour County Prosecutor speaks out reminds me of the time or multiple times where I was asked if I had been in the cookie jar, to which I replied “no but my brother had been”. Of course I always neglected to tell my mother that though my brother had indeed been the first to open the jar, I did of course help him in eating the cookies. So in essence I had told the truth that I did not open the jar but I did leave out the important information of my participation in the theft of the cookies. Yes, I may have not initiated the theft but I definitely helped consume the cookies and when confronted I tried to distance myself from the situation.

This is of course is what the prosecutor seems to be doing by her statement. She is in effect attempting to absolve herself and her office from the entire situation. This action by her brings up some serious questions regarding her conduct in the matter as well as the timing of her statement. Not to mention, the validity of her statements are definitely in question simply because we know that Miss Poling has on at least one occasion stated to the press that nothing was going on. Let me refresh everyone’s memory.

Miss Poling issued a statement in May, which is almost a year after Miss Poling said that Brittany Keene had contacted her regarding allegations. So in essence, the Barbour County Prosecutor lied to the public. She did know that there were accusations made against the Barbour County Sheriff John Hawkins and she also knew that there could be a pending investigation by either the FBI or the WV State Police. I mean even we the public could surmise that there might be an ongoing investigation since the FBI and the State Police were both contacted not by Brittany Keene but by the Prosecutor herself.

So if we are to believe that Miss Poling is telling the truth; that she did indeed contact outside agencies and her account of the events that took place between her and Brittany Keene were accurate then why did she come out and lie to the citizens of Barbour County in her press release to several media outlets?

That is a question that keeps coming back to mind every time Miss Poling issues a statement. I mean what am I to believe? Here is the Prosecutor of Barbour County issuing a statement that for all intense purposes we as the public should believe wholeheartedly. She is after all elected into a position that is supposed to stand for the truth! It is her job to get to the truth for the sake of the citizens of Barbour County, yet, this very same person has been caught in a lie. This lie is far beyond what we all would consider a little white lie, kind of like the one I told as a child.

Though this time it is not about a simple act of taking a cookie as a child, but rather the act of lying by an adult in a position of great power, where the truth is essential to the job that she performs on an everyday basis. Are we to now believe everything that the Prosecutor states is fact without a question in the back of our mind that she might be either lying to us or telling us half-truths. How are we the public going to have faith in not only any statement she might release but any prosecution she might be involved in?

So with that said, I would like to know, does anyone feel that the Prosecutor is digging herself a hole that she might not be able to climb out? Is she distancing herself from not only the situation at hand but the Sheriff john Hawkins?

These are of course just a couple of questions out of many that I could ask but I would like to hear from everyone else. Speak up, post a question or simply reply to my post; let me know what you think!

I’M BACK…I AM SORRY FOR MY ABSENCE!

I do wish to apologize for my absence as the state of emergency has kept me quite busy as well as isolated from the internet. You have to love mother nature, power companies and the internet providers! I do hope everyone has fared the storm with as much resolve as one could muster in given the current situation!

Anyways, I will be playing catch up over the next few days and will address all that has come out as of recent including Mrs Poling’s statement to the press. I will warn you that my commentary regarding her version of the events will not be lighter side of nice! As you have all read in The Intermountain, she is only digging herself a deeper hole from which to climb out of! I will of course cover this in tomorrow’s post, of which I hope to have up by noon! Hope you all come back then!

THE OATH OF AN OFFICER OF THE LAW!

I……………………DO SWEAR,, THAT – I WILL WELL AND TRULY SERVE – OUR SOVEREIGN COUNTRY AND STATE – AS A POLICE OFFICER WITHOUT FAVOR OR AFFECTION – MALICE OR ILL-WILL – UNTIL I AM LEGALLY DISCHARGED, THAT I WILL SEE AND CAUSE ­ OUR COMMUNITY’S PEACE TO BE KEPT AND
PRESERVED – AND THAT – I WILL PREVENT TO THE BEST OF MY POWER – ALL OFFENSES AGAINST THAT PEACE – AND THAT – WHILE I CONTINUE TO BE A POLICE OFFICER – I WILL – TO THE BEST OF MY SKILL AND KNOWLEDGE – DISCHARGE ALL THE DUTIES THEREOF – FAITHFULLY – ACCORDING TO LAW.
SO HELP ME GOD.

That was a sample of an oath that an Officer of the Law takes upon accepting the position and the responsibilities that come with serving the public. The question I have is; how many officers not only remember their oath but continue to uphold the oath with integrity, honor and conviction?

I only ask because as of late there seems to be many officers that have made headlines in the news regarding activities that are deemed lees than honorable. These activities have made the front page news in Pocahontas County where a former Deputy Bradley C. Totten is alleged to have taken his position of authority to coerce sexual relations from people that were in his custody, which included underage girls and adult women. This has indeed cast a shadow over Pocahontas County and of course brings the question; what other counties have corruption hidden from view, just waiting to be exposed?

I think we know the answer to that as Barbour County has also been cast beneath the dark clouds of accusations with the recent allegations leveled against Barbour County Sheriff John Hawkins and while the Pocahontas Deputy is now in the midst of criminal proceedings against him, the Barbour County Sheriff has for the moment been spared any proceedings that might lead to his day in court.

So I must ask, why has he been spared? Well part of the answer is that Brittany Keene did in fact drop the DVP against him and for the moment, the allegations of threats, rape and other possible criminal activities have for all in tense purposes, basically fell to the wayside!

That of course brings up some very interesting questions and they can’t simply be ignored.

Is there a pending investigation by any law enforcement agency that we the public are not aware of? Will there ever be charges filed so that Brittany Keene and John Hawkins may both receive their day in court? Will there be any kind of resolution to the matter at hand? Of course, the next big question; are there more issues that should come out but have not for whatever reason?

These are of course questions that many have asked and I am sure that there are even more questions that I could pose. With that said, I would like the public that has taken the time to read my posts to please think about the questions, to ponder what has already taken place and maybe post a question of your own. I would also like everyone to please stay tuned over the next few days, not only to this site but your local newspapers or other media sources because frankly, the answers I am seeking may just be around the corner or at the very least, a piece of the puzzle that may eventually bring the big picture into focus for us all!

RUMORS AMONG US!

It seems that there every day, we the public hear the phrases; did you hear, have you heard or guess what I found out?” Those of course are just a few of the opening lines that tells us we are about to hear the scuttlebutt on someone, something or an event that for some reason has escaped our immediate attention, but never fear, someone will be sure to inform us of the newest rumor in town.

So what is a rumor? For all practical purposes I should define a rumor as talk or opinion widely disseminated with no discernible source, a statement or report current without known authority for its truth or talk or report of a notable person or event.

With that said, a rumor can in fact be fictional, factual or a combination thereof. There is of course no way to know for sure until the said rumor is investigated. Kind of like what an officer of the law may do upon hearing a rumor or in my case where I try to expose any truths that are buried deep within a rumor. Of course it is never quite as simple as it sounds, though I attempt to in every rumor.

As a matter of fact, since I have taken on the task of exposing the corruption within Barbour County, I have had emails upon emails that have given me countless rumors to investigate. Some have elicited gestures of amusement from me that of course brought immediate stares from those around me, while others have intrigued me so much so that I of course have no alternative but to investigate!

Take a gander of the few I have received lately, they are of course quite interesting. I will warn you that while most rumors contain names, I will leave those out for the time being. Remember, I am still investigating each and every one of them, so I think it would be best if I keep the alleged unwilling participants of the rumor in anonymity.

Have you heard…was how this one started and it actually came from several different people. The rumor revolved around a person that is in a position of some authority that seems to have defrauded an insurance company by burning their own home down for insurance money. It was of course a substantial sum and I am sure the State Fire Marshall would be interested as well as the insurance company. I of course am investigating the rumor to see if it falls under the fictional or the fact category.

The next one in my mail server came from multiple people as well and warrants plenty of investigation. The rumor told of how another person in a position of authority was harassing people simply because the person felt the people were in opposition of them. I will say that is quite interesting as I was not aware that just opposing someone could essentially bring a reign of Hell down upon them. I will of course be looking into this rumor as well.

Did you hear about…was how this next one started and it went on to tell me of how many people were having sexual relations with not only much younger girls but certain women whose profession includes taking their clothes off. Of course the email even mentioned the venues where some of these women worked. I of course will have to investigate this one personally but I think I had better take plenty of cash with me. I wonder if I can write off the money spent as business expenditures?

The last one I wish to cover had me rolling with laughter. The writer stated with full conviction that Aliens had landed in the field of the Barbour County Fairground. The person swore up and down that there were shaking lights, strange sounds of howling in the distance and crop circles. I of course dismissed it as nothing more than one of the campers up there moving with the screeching winds. Also, I am certain that if there were indeed a disturbance at the fairgrounds that our reputable Sheriff’s Department would have investigated as they seem to be up there quite a bit.

So as you can see, the rumors that I have heard lately come in all shapes and sizes with no real discernible source as of yet. Though I will have to contact the Sheriff’s department about the possibility of aliens that may be among us or is that actually RUMORS AMONG US!

BARBOUR COUNTY CORRUPTION…SEE NO EVIL, HEAR NO EVIL, SPEAK NO EVIL!

The recent allegations made against Barbour County Sheriff John Hawkins raises many more questions than simply the accusations that of course are at the moment just accusations that have yet to be proven. I should however point out that while a court may not have heard the issues at hand, we the public are now fully aware of the allegations that were all but rumors only weeks before.

The entire situation that is enveloping Barbour County poses many questions. One of which can’t be simply ignored; how much more is going on that we do not know?

There is an old saying that might just be the answer as to why we the public may never know how much corruption is buried beneath the beautiful landscape of Barbour County and that is: “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”.

It is a proverb that has been around as long as I can remember and upon further investigation I found that the origins of the modern version more than likely came from another phrase that exists in the Analects of Confucius of the 2^nd and 4^th century B.C.: “Look not at what is contrary to propriety; listen not to what is contrary to propriety; speak not what is contrary to propriety; make no movement which is contrary to propriety”.

Though the exact origin means little, the meaning behind the phrase is of great importance and there are many meanings. The one I would use is the one we are most familiar with: those who deal with impropriety by looking the other way, refusing to acknowledge it, or feigning ignorance.

This definition is one of the main reasons why the true extent of corruption may never be revealed. It is one of the reasons why corruption on any level remains hidden from public view, because frankly, people turn their heads the other way. They do not wish to know what is going on and if they do have information, they choose to remain silent. This action or inaction actually enables corruption to flourish, to succeed and grow well beyond the scope of realization.

So why does the populace adhere to the practice of silence? The answer might just lie within the very allegations that have been leveled against the Barbour County Sheriff John Hawkins and that is a four letter word; fear!

People are in general afraid to speak out against those that are in positions of power. They fear acts of retribution that may be leveled against them for exposing the very people that have the power to raise the level of retribution from simple words of contempt to acts that could for all intense purposes ruin a life or actually end a life! It is with threats of violence that not only creates a web of fear but a circle of silence, essentially keeping others from stepping forward so that justice may be served!

So is this the case in Barbour County? Are people afraid to come forward because of allegations of threats against the accuser Brittany Keene? I think it is more than fair to say that the answer is as simple as three letters; yes!

I can with all honesty state that fear is now filling the air within Barbour County and it is the true reason behind the silence. The evidence that supports my statement lies within the numerous emails that I have received. Each of which has in fact referred to fear as being the main motive for not coming forward. It is the reason why many potential witnesses do not cross that line of silence and step into the public spotlight to expose information that may only be known to them, ultimately breaking the chain of evidence and allowing allegations to simply fade away into obscurity!

So where does that leave us in regards to the current situation at hand? Will we know the answers behind the allegations? Will there be any resolution? Can there be justice for any of the sides involved?

Those of course are just a few of the questions that have arisen and will plague everyone’s mind that is of course concerned with the situation. The answers will depend upon the actions of not only the public but the individuals that may have information that is vital to a resolution.

We the people can only hope that the individuals involved can let some of their fear fall to the wayside as it usually does when stepping forward with information; essentially securing at the least, their personal safety under the very eyes of the public. For only a fool would enact revenge under the close scrutiny of so many, essentially putting all eyes upon them as the perpetrator of any acts of retribution. Now, please keep in mind that while coming forward does protect a person against many acts of violence it does not however prevent some acts of reprisal. A good example is that of Brittany Keene who in her perception and in the eyes of many was immediately assaulted with acts of retribution by the officials in their indictment.

Now of course please keep in mind that while neither I nor anyone at this time can prove that her indictment was an act of revenge, it does have the appearance that it was of course out of retribution. With that said, I do not wish to give the impression that speaking out is free from hardship because frankly it is not a path so easily maintained, for there are many obstacles to contend with that such as ridicule, harassment and of course intimidation. With that said, is any road to honesty, truth or freedom an easy task? I think we all know the answer to that is no!

So which shall it be; truth, justice and freedom or “SEE NO EVIL, HEAR NO EVIL, SPEAK NO EVIL?”

INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY…ARE WE SURE?

I hope that everyone will take the time to read this in its entirety, giving the article a chance to hopefully convey my underlying meaning. 😉

We always hear that in this country, that the accused are innocent until proven guilty, but does the presumption of innocence still hold true in the modern world? I think before I or anyone may answer that question, that we should first investigate the origins of the phrase and yes, for the moment I have said a phrase and not a right under the US Constitution.

The phrase itself “innocent until proven guilty” is actually derived from presumption of innocence that is the most basic in our system of justice. However, the words themselves are not codified in the text of the Constitution. This basic right comes to us like so many other things, from English jurisprudence and has been part of the system for so long that it is considered common law. With that said, the concept of “innocent until proven guilty” is embodied in several provisions of the amendments of the Constitution, specifically the 5^th, 6^th and 14^th amendments. So in essence, the constitution does not specify that it is a right but rather implies.

So you may be asking yourselves, where is all of this leading? Well I think I have made it clear that while it may not be specified as a right, it is implied and is founded deep within common law. So essentially the presumption of innocence should of course be the standard to which we should follow when someone is accused. However, I have found that not everyone follows that law, not the entire populace nor the very people elected to investigate and prosecute alleged crimes.

Take for example the recent allegations made against the Barbour County Sheriff, John Hawkins. There were of course several allegations made against him by a local woman as reported by several media outlets. With that said, there are many of us that have already formed an opinion; some of us have presumed guilt, while others have presumed innocence and some have remained neutral. So the question remains, why are we already forming defined perceptions with just an allegation? I think I may be able to answer that, so please bear with me.

In the past, there were multiple forms of communication; word of mouth, letters, newspapers, televisions, telephones and of course radios. Those were the basic forms of communication prior to the advent of cell phones, the internet and social networking sites. Of course there was a time when there was nothing but word of mouth and letters. I will thank the Lord that it was a time I did not have to live in, I for one would be lost without the constant reminders of what my friends are doing on Facebook. There is nothing better then waking up, drinking a nice hot cup of coffee while checking emails and updates, only to see that a friend had posted on Facebook that he had just passed the biggest bowel movement of his life. Yep, you have to love the information that we now have at our disposal.

I should of course get back to the point at hand; which is that we as a society are now linked together in ways that could never have been thought of before. Which does create problems in the sense that we no longer meet down at the local barber shop or beauty salon and gossip about today’s news, we can simply get on our cell phones or online and with a few keystrokes, tell the whole world. That is what is happening with respect to the allegations with the Sheriff and it is quite clear that he does not like that everything has been made public. Or rather he might not actually like the fact that many of us are anonymous, especially me! With that said, I think that it would be more than fair to say that he himself is being a hypocrite.

So why do I say that? The reality is that the Sheriff and Prosecutor inform the news media when an allegation has been made against an individual. They also release not only the names and allegations but they post a picture of the accused. Yes, that person is then on display for the entire world to see so that each citizen may then make their own perception of guilt or innocence. So why should it be any different when the accused is in a position of power?

I think it is more than fair to say that there is no difference and it should not matter if one is an elected official or not, but in this case it does make a difference, simply because the official himself truly knows that part of the public’s perception is formed when the initial release of information is made public.

That is not just a self-conceived notion on my part but rather something that is taught by every law school in America. I am sure that as an officer of the law, he himself is aware of that tactic and I can honestly say that we as the public fall for it; hook, line and sinker.

We ourselves have at one time or another simply read that someone has been accused and have then made up our minds at least in part to innocence or guilt. I should remind everyone that first impressions are everlasting and of course I can assume that Sheriff Hawkins is aware of the old adage and that is why I think he is truly upset; not just because of the allegations but because they are now public and out of his hands. He can no longer simply hide anything that may or may not result from these allegations as everything from this point forward will of course find its way to the press. Though that has been the normal course for the private citizen, so again, why should it not be the same standard for Sheriff Hawkins? Should he be spared of the very practice he himself preaches? It is a question among many that I am constantly trying to answer. There is of course another question that I will leave you to ponder over.

Is anyone truly innocent until proven guilty or is everyone truly guilty until innocence can be proven?

THE SHERIFF OF BARBOUR COUNTY, A LOCAL WOMAN AND MULTIPLE ALLEGATIONS.

Since this is my first post on the new site, I thought it would be prudent at the very least to revisit the allegations in my own words for anyone that may not be aware of the current situation. I am of course using the original article for a reference; simply to be factual and to set a timeline. I will include links to the original articles as well as my own thoughts posted after the links.

On June 9, 2012 a Barbour County woman made multiple allegations against the Barbour County Sheriff John Hawkins, these claims were first reported publicly in a Randolph County newspaper and has since been covered in multiple media outlets.

In the original article it was stated that a Barbour County woman, Brittany Keene, 18, filed a domestic violence protection order petition (DVP) against Sheriff Hawkins on May 11, 2012 in Randolph County.

It was stated that the reason Brittany filed the order was because Sheriff Hawkins had threatened her with not only an indictment but threats against her life if she were to speak publicly about a sexual relationship between the two.  Brittany Keene further stated in her DVP that an allegation of rape by Sheriff Hawkins had taken place in July 2011. Brittany went on to say that even more threats of harm were made by Sheriff Hawkins in an attempt to keep her silent, even going as far to say that  her body would be the next one found at Arden river.

On May 29, 2012 Brittany Keene was indicted by a Barbour County Grand Jury in a sealed indictment for a felony of receiving stolen goods and two misdemeanors for transferring stolen goods in connection with another case where a church had been broken into and two guitars were removed from that church on March 22, 2012 or around that date. I should note that Brittany Keene was alleged to have sold one of the guitars and gave one away.  It is also important to mention that the indictment came 18 days after she had filed the DVP. She was arrested for those charges later in the day.

On May 31, 2012, Brittany Keene did state that she was not guilty at her arraignment and was released on a $1000 PR bond with special conditions.

On June 5, 2012, the day of the hearing on the DVP, Brittany Keene at the advice of her attorney decided to drop the DVP. She stated that she did not wish too and had she known that she could have had the hearing continued, she would have pursued that avenue instead. She has also said she is going to try to have the original DVP reinstated.

It is because of her arrest that she contacted the Randolph County newspaper, she wished for her story to be made public, further stating that the sole reason for her indictment and arrest was to keep her silent. Which she stated only added coal to the fire.

On May 21, 2012 the Barbour County Prosecuting Attorney Leckta Poling issued a public statement; no officers have been arrested and that there are no charges pending against them. The following are her quotes; “To continue to foster rumors and innuendoes is only hurting law enforcement and preventing them from serving the public”, and “Various reports of arrests to social networking sites and media sources are untrue.” Please take note that this statement was issued 10 days after the DVP had been filed by Miss Keene and 8 days before the indictment.

On June 13, 2012, the Barbour County Prosecutor Leckta Poling and Circuit Judge Alan D. Moats removed themselves from the case in where Brittany Keene is alleged to have received stolen goods and transferred the stolen goods.  Leckta Poling stated the following reason for her recusal; “to maintain the integrity of the court system and confidence of the public in these matters due to a perceived appearance of impropriety raised publicly in the Elkins Inter-Mountain by the defendant, Brittany Mae Keene.”

On June 16, 2012, Sheriff John Hawkins responded to the allegations on his own public Facebook page by addressing his post to those who “hide behind fake names” on Facebook and other social media sites to “slander and bash” him.

Sheriff Hawkins did in fact mention several names directly and of course my name was included. He went on to further state; “I deny the allegations as set forth in the petition you helped the young lady file and later, on advice of her own counsel, dropped because she couldn’t prove,” the post stated. “I have committed none of the crimes you blatantly accuse me of! I have not coerced or manipulated the court system in this or any case,” the post continued. “I had no involvement in the case in which my accuser was arrested. On the contrary, I purposely removed myself, as the judge and prosecutor now have, to avoid any possible conflict. …”

This of course concludes my revisit of the allegations at hand as well as a timeline that outlines the events. I hope that I have been as complete as I can without plagiarizing the original authors of the articles involved. If anyone would like to read the articles in their entirety, please visit the links as provided below, if you have already read the articles or are completely familiar with the issues at hand, then please, by all means read my commentary following the links.

Here are the original articles in their entirety;

http://theintermountain.com/page/content.detail/id/553067/Claims-made-against-Barbour-sheriff.html?nav=5014

http://www.wboy.com/story/18770640/barbour-county-officials-recuse-themselves-from-stolen-guitar-case

http://www.wvfx.com/wdtv.cfm?func=view&section=Fox-10&item=Barbour-County-Prosecuting-Attorney-Voluntarily-Recuses-Herself-from-Case-Involving-Local-Sheriff3436

http://theintermountain.com/page/content.detail/id/553172/Prosecutor–judge-recuse-themselves.html?nav=5014

http://theintermountain.com/page/content.detail/id/553228/Barbour-sheriff-responds-to-allegations.html?nav=5014

My Thoughts & Opinions;

So maybe I should start with why I am now posting here on my own site instead of posting on Topix as I have in the past. Well I think for many that have followed me, that answer is simple but for the ones that do not know I should explain.

It was during the last few days that my own posts on Topix that were not only objected too by certain people; I of course can deal with objections. As in any issue, not everyone agrees with another’s opinion, but in this case, my posts were being removed by certain people under the guise of abuse.

They were stating that my comments were abusive in nature, while in fact, many of my recent posts were void of defamatory comments or allegations. Quite a number of them were in fact informative or about the topic of free speech. One that had been removed was as simple as providing an answer to a person who was requesting the proper procedure to file a complaint against the Barbour County Prosecutor. I of course responded with the website of the West Virginia Office of Disciplinary Counsel; the very organization that receives and investigates complaints made against attorneys and prosecutors.

So after many posts being removed in what I perceive as a way to silence me and after much thought on the matter, I brought attention to this site and the fact that I would be posting my thoughts and opinions here. Where I can practice my 1^st amendment without others interfering with what I perceive to be one of the most valued amendments that we as a nation have at our disposal. With that said, let’s get to how I feel about the whole issue.

I wish to first and foremost state that on this website, I have to go with the premise that we are in fact dealing with allegations that have not been proven in a court of law.  It is only fair that the people involved have are presumed innocent until proven guilty, if found guilty in a court of law.

I know that I will be perceived as now being soft, backing off on what I actually feel. That is actually not true. Just because I am reminding everyone that we are in fact dealing with allegations, does not mean that we as citizens of Barbour County or any other citizen may not discuss the situation at hand.  To be able to give our thoughts and opinions in a free manner is the reason I have this site, but we still need to post each of our thoughts, our opinions and speculations as such.  Now that I have went over what I feel I am legally obligated to do, let us discuss the current situation.

I have of course included not only the allegations but a timeline that has dates for all to see. So that anyone who wishes to refer to dates may do so; but more importantly to be able to see the entire story in full context of time; which of course is quite important to me, because it strengthens my perceptions of the entire case.

So what are my perceptions regarding this case? Well for one I am going to be the first to state that while an allegation of rape has been made by Brittany Keene, I am not so sure that she would be able to prove such a claim. With that said, I should further clarify that I do believe that during a consenting sexual incident that something occurred that Miss Keene did not wish to happen and as such is actually a form of rape but one that may not be able to be proven. Again, we are dealing with an allegation and to me, an atrocious one to say the least.

Now back to the allegation of him wishing to silence her, for her to remain quiet about the relationship, the sex and any other things that he did not wish to be made public. We should focus only on the facts and the dates that surround the entire case, not the rumors nor the evidence that has either been discussed or not discussed.

Right now for the moment, we can all safely say that it was more than obvious that Sheriff Hawkins did indeed not wish for the DVP to be made public. Now let me say, we do not know the reason why he did not wish for it to be made public, but never the less, it is now public. Let me remind everyone that on May 21, 2012 the prosecutor did indeed release a statement that essentially nothing was going on. That again leads to the perception that they the officials did not wish anything to be made public. Although I do not understand how they intended to go back and correct that statement when the news of the DVP were finally released, unless of course they never intended for it to find its way to the public. Again, I am simply hypothesizing, discussing the issues at hand.

So based on what we can all presume of our own accord, we can say with all fairness that there is definitely a perception that many of these issues were never meant to be made public, at least not the DVP which brings up the credibility of both the Sheriff and maybe even the prosecutor. Let us assume for the moment that the prosecutor released the statement based on the information the sheriff had given her. Well we are now aware that there was indeed a DVP that had been filed against Sheriff Hawkins. So did he in fact lie to the prosecutor? I can’t answer that question, nor can anyone else but Leckta Poling and Sheriff Hawkins, though if he had and I were her, I would be more than angered simply because it did cast her in the very shadow that covers Barbour County at the moment.

So all assumptions aside, it does indeed look like there was an effort to hide certain aspects if not all of them. Which makes me wonder, what else is there that could be hidden? I mean I am sure I am not the only one that has thought that very question. Just the issues that have arisen outside of the allegations have created the very perception of a shroud of secrecy and in my mind, a shroud that should never be placed between the people and their elected officials. I am certain that it is one perception that lends credence to some of the allegations. It will be quite interesting of course how this plays out, though I wish to remind everyone that while critics are saying that we are judging and condemning the man too guilt is actually not so. We are merely discussing the issue at hand just like everyone does when the very prosecutor and sheriff disclose that they have arrested someone for an alleged crime and publicized that arrest, indictment and charges. It is no different here! We as citizens have the right to express our freedom of speech regardless of the attempts to silence many of us, especially me. So it is for that reason I speak out, for truth, justice and freedom. I do hope that the people who read this takes a moment to post their thoughts, their opinions and please do so in a respectful manner for the accused, the accuser and your fellow posters. If you chose to be derogatory, defamatory or just plain mean, than please direct your posts towards to me and leave others free of that discourse.

I would however like to leave everyone with one question.

What would your opinions, thoughts and perceptions be if there were more women to make claims against Sheriff Hawkins? Just a question, nothing more or less!

WV CORRUPTION HOTLINE

It appears that I am not the only one that is interested in the corruption in West Virginia. In a recent announcement, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II stated that he will be taking a more aggressive approach into the investigation of public corruption in West Virginia and is appealing to the citizens of West Virginia to join into the fight and expose the truth! In conjunction with the West Virginia State Police, the F.B.I and the I.R.S, Ihlenfeld announced that his office would identify, investigate and prosecute public corruption throughout the State of West Virginia.

I for one am excited to hear this news and request that all citizens get involved, report what you know or have heard. You can do so by calling 1-855-WVA-FEDS (855-982-3337) or by sending an email to wvafeds@usdoj.gov.