Hi all.

Long time since I was last here and even longer since I last posted anything. I've been away and the like.

That said, I'd like to know of some UM cases where fugitives were able pay off authorities to allow their crimes. I am doing a research paper on police misconduct for my English class, so I will need details like time(month and year), place,(city and state) and UM's airdate for the story(an estimate is fine), as well as names and actions of those in the story, preferably a case that hasn't been solved. I recall that Paul Stamper was bragging that he paid off the authorities in his local area, but was later captured elsewhere.

BTW, if anyone can recall, where was that truckstop cafe located where Teresa Stamper escaped her husband and called the police by leaving him and saying she was going to the restroom?

-thanks!

This may or may not fall within the scope of your paper but I have two words for ya:

Tommy Burkett

Well, there were plenty of cases on UM involving police misconduct or alleged misconduct, but not many of them included bribes. The one I can think of where that term came up was the bordello murders in Kentucky. You could probably search this forum for the specifics.

Ooh, that's a good one. I can think of plenty of corrupt cops, but it's a little harder to name negligent ones.

You may want to mention Kenneth McDuff. Awsi posted a link on here yesterday mentioning that McDuff was rumored to have bribed his way into getting paroled....

Actually the death of Tommy Burkett did fine as an example. With all the evidence that suggested anything but a suicide, there was no way that the investigating officials could have come to such a conclusion, unless there was something that led them to pre-conclude it, such as a payoff. I do have a theory, though like all the rest there is no way to actually prove it.

Tommy was getting close to exposing a group that smuggled drugs, and that led to the harrasments and death threats. Tommy later confronted an unknown person and told him/her to leave him be, and Tommy was then psysically assaulted in response. That person was involved in something, maybe what Tommy was close to exposing. This nameless group planned to kill Tommy and than maybe payed off the authorities to pre-conclude that his death was a suicide, even before he was dead.

Here's a link I found while searhing for sources. It's dated 2002

http://www.dcdave.com/article4/020704.html

I think Steve Sandlin would be a good nominee. He was the rookie cop from Mountainair, NM who was shot & killed in the police station I believe. There didn't seem to be any suspects and the police seem to indicate they thought he shot himself accidentally. His girlfriend was speaking with him soon before the shooting and said he was talking to someone that had just walked in. Then his family found a big bag of marijuana in his apartment that appeared to have been placed there. It does seem to point to murder IMO but the police don't seem very forthcoming.

Hmm, there are several here. As have already been mentioned the Massage Parlor murders in Kentucky, the FairFax County, Virginia police department and the covering up of Tommy Burkett's murder, the sheriff's department in Mississippi that covered up Norman Ladner's murder, the Mountainair, New Mexico police department that covered up Steve Sandlin's murder. Who else? The Orange County, Florida sheriff's department that railroaded Tommy Zeigler, the Fort Lauderdale, Florida police department that railroaded John Purvis. The Westerville, Ohio police that covered up Tony Lombardi's murder. The Cook County, Illinois sheriff's department that covered up the death of Mike O'Mara. The sheriff's department in Missouri that railroaded Johnny Lee Wilson, there are countless ones.

Fronterra Prison cover-ups

Oh how could I forget the Rome, New York police department and how they covered up things in Stanley Kryzeick's murder. I think the Greenwich, Connecticut Police botched things in the Martha Moxley murder. The New Hampshire State police botched things in the string of murders that went on there. I mean there is really just a long list. The Pickaway County, Ohio sheriff's department that railroaded Paul Freshour.

Get this, I just looked it up, Dwight Radcliff is still the sheriff there! Radcliffe is the longest serving sheriff in Ohio and has been sheriff of Pickaway County since 1965. Radcliff was first elected in 1964 and has been re-elected 10 times most recently in 2004 I believe. Radcliff's father was the sheriff for over 30 years before him and his son is rumored to be the next sheriff whenever Dwight retires. Dwight's wife is also a commissioned deputy with that department so it seems that family pretty much controls law enforcement in that county and it has a death grip on it.

Not sure if the police were actually paid bribes but another example of shoddy and questionable police and forensic pathological work is the case of Andre Jones. Found dead in his ail cell supposedly he hung himself by a shoelace?? All the read evidence points to him being beaten and strangled to me.

In September of 2000 my son Eric was killed in Pickaway County at the age of 24. A negligent driver in a large box truck crossed into Eric's lane of travel, killing him. CTL Engineering and SEA concluded Eric was never out of his lane of travel with the truck being 7 feet LOC. Eric lived in Fairfield County and graduated from the Academy in 1998. In Lancaster Ohio there were no positions available. Pickaway County interviewed him and in 1999 he was hired by Sheriff D.Radcliff. It didn't take long before Eric realized he was working in "the good ole boy" system and he resigned 9 months later. At the crash site with Eric wearing a badge being he was employed as a guard at the Orient Correctional Facility Sheriff Radcliff ordered drug and alcohol testing to be done. Eric tested negative on both. Interestingly enough the driver a laborer employed by the Cintas corporation with an extensive driving record was never tested. My letter reads it was up to the discretion of law enforcement. The truck continued south bound in the northbound lane the length of a football field before crashing into a concrete culvert. Brakes were never applied due to testimony from the driver stating he was on the lap of the passenger. He was not wearing a seat belt. To this day I have never heard from Sheriff Radcliff. Citations of any kind have never been issued. This year the Sheriff applied for and recieved 25,000.00 in the form of federal grant money for Deputies to enforce seat belts usage!! Fairfield county spoke at Eric's funeral and wrote a beautiful tribute of the life Eric lived. Three of Sheriff Radcliffs Deputies who were at the crash site under the order of supoenas refused to be questioned and when telephoned by Judge Watson in Columbus Ohio they claimed to have the "flu".

I am relentless and will never give up in my quest for justice. Cintas is one of the largest companies in America and very involved locally with Dwight Radcliff. Martin Yant a detective wrote, Americas Crooked Sheriffs: Rotten to the Core" which features Sheriff Radcliff. In 2005 I wrote a letter to the Sheriff with 5 questions and also sent a copy to the Columbus Dispatch for safety reasons. Each month I send a copy and to this date he has never responded or acknowleged my request.

Personally I believe this crash was an accident until the Sheriff arrived and turned it into a crime scene. As most know you cannot arrive at any scene with a story made up in your mind and have it match the facts. As one reader posted, he has a death grip on most in Pickaway County. FYI to readers. Personally the Sheriff has problems on the inside when it comes to having his son Robbie run for this office and take over. From Commisioners to the FBI they have shared with me it will never happen due to Robbie's inability to function as his "DAD" does! We will see.


If you are interested in the latest development in Pickaway county google the Columbus Dispatch, Feb. 5, 2008, Metro section. Read about inmate Andrew Stein who was beaten last year in the Orient correctional facility. His brain hopelessly injured with 44 staples in his shattered head, he was shackled and handcuffed to the bed with two around the clock guards 24 hrs a day. He remained handcuffed to his hospital bed the entire time. Andrew's daughters agreed to take him off life support where he died. One year later Pickaway County Prosecutor Judy Wolford has brought no charges or commented on the investigation. Cincinnati lawyer Al Gerhardstein hired by Stein's family said in his 30 years of handling litigation involving the Ohio prison system this is the longest he's waited on an investigative file which can't be provided until the Prosecutor acts. State Highway Patrol and Coroner Brad Lewis in Columbus investigated and concluded Mr. Stein died of blunt trauma to the head!!!

In Eric's case when the Law Director and Prosecutor in Pickaway County were presented facts and findings involved in the crash they responded in this manner. They agreed with CTL Engineering but in order to reverse the position they had taken it would require of them to impeach their Deputies and at that time they were unwilling to do so.

Just another "UNSOLVED MYSTERY FILE" in the "PUTAWAY PICKAWAY COUNTY DRAWER"!!!

Fronterra Prison cover-ups


Oh, definitely.

Well, I think the Tony Mitchell case would qualify here. He tried to bribe detective Hacker to be negligent. :lol:

Oh how could I forget the Rome, New York police department and how they covered up things in Stanley Kryzeick's murder.

I came into the post to bring up this case. Those cops were DIIIIRRRTTYYYY.

I also think a faction of the police in Silver Springs, Maryland were either corrupt or just out and out incompetent in the ruling and investigation of the alleged suicide of the young man who was found hanging in some woods behind his mom's home. His mom was taunted with crime scene photographs from the evidence room, no autopsy was performed, a policeman on the scene ordered the body to be sent to a funeral home where the embalming process was (in my opinion) rushed before his mother was ever alerted of his death. That whole case reeks of corruption.

Corruption was alleged in the attack on Doyle Wheeler. Huey Littleton alleges a massive corruption cover-up in the murder of his daughter and son-in-law, Pam and Eric Ellender. I doubt both of those allegations.

I wonder how many are corrupt or how many are inept (or out of practice).

Picture this: homicide in L.A. No big deal, right? Happens everyday, so the cops are used to it and have lots of experience and toys to help them investigate.

Now picture this: homicide/strange death in Smalltown, USA. BIG DEAL because they never happen.

Athletes don't do well in games if they don't practice. You need to practice or have experience to be good at what you do.

I wonder if in some of these cases in smaller towns/jurisdictions just aren't capable of doing a proper investigation. Please note that I'm not saying you can't get a good investigation in a small town. I'm sure most departments are very good, but again, without practice you can't be expected to be good especially under pressure. Then if they try to defend themselves, they look inept and/or like they are trying to cover up (think Kathy Bonderson here).

It sure seems like a lot of the cases people have mentioned in this thread are from small towns or police departments.

So whattya think... am I on something or on to something? :crazy: :lol: