Quantcast
Viewing all 550 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

Pricey TV commercials only great for campaign managers

November 2, 2014, 11:55 pm
$
0
0
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button Pricey TV commercials only great for campaign managers
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email Pricey TV commercials only great for campaign managers Email
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. MONEY 300x225 Pricey TV commercials only great for campaign managersLast-minute television commercials are living proof of what Las Vegas Tribune has been saying over and over again: they are only good to line the pockets of the campaign managers and to grease the hands of campaign bullies — and for nothing else.
Look at the television commercial for District Attorney Steve Wolfson who is running for reelection against a candidate that may not be able to be sworn in if he was going to win by mistake, because he may lose his case and end up doing time.
Raymond James “Jim” Duensing, a 32-year-old lawyer who was shot by a motorcycle police officer, is Steve Wolfson’s opposition in this 2014 race for District Attorney.
Five years ago (October 28, 2009) the 32-year-old attorney was stopped by the police for a traffic violation and soon after he was shot with a stun gun.
Duensing is scheduled for trial Oct. 28 on three felony charges resulting from the incident: unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon, and resisting a police officer.
The possibility of Duensing winning this election is about as likely as our winning the lottery, but Wolfson’s campaign team is making him spend lots of money on television commercials, acting not in Wolfson’s best interest, but their own.
It is a well known secret that campaign managers profit undisclosed amounts of money in the production of television commercials and they get a “commission” — AKA a kickback — for the airtime they buy from the television stations.
Undersheriff Joseph Lombardo, running for sheriff, is running television commercials reminding the Clark County voters that he is the most educated candidate in the race of two.
What Lombardo doesn’t say in his commercials is that none of the previous sheriffs were as officially “educated” as he is and in one way or another they did a better job at the helm of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department that we envision he could do.
Another candidate, running for a judicial race, also misled the television audience by double-talking.
Richard Scotti has a television commercial in which he starts out inflating his qualifications and the truth about his background experience, then he ends by saying, “Your vote will allow me to keep serving you as a judge,” giving the impression that he is already a judge when he is not and has never been one.
Scotti’s desperation to be a judge got him to create his own Political Action Committee (PAC), known as Citizens For an Ethical Judiciary, and the first person Scotti endorsed with his Citizens For an Ethical Judiciary was himself, Richard Scotti.
He then added a group of unsecured and frustrated candidates belonging to Dave Thomas’ stable of judges that had to pay $1,000 each to be endorsed by the PAC.
Candidates of the caliber of John Watkins, Jason Staffel, Christine Guerci-Nyhus, Carolyn Ellsworth, Ken Pollock and others do not need to mislead the voters, lying to the audience or using double-talk because their record speaks for them, and the Clark County voters should make sure that these candidates are elected on November 4 in order to begin to have real change.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button Pricey TV commercials only great for campaign managers
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email Pricey TV commercials only great for campaign managers Email
↧
Search

Prosecutors in Las Vegas, Clark County, lying to get convictions

November 3, 2014, 12:09 am
$
0
0
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button Prosecutors in Las Vegas, Clark County, lying to get convictions
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email Prosecutors in Las Vegas, Clark County, lying to get convictions Email
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Pinocchio Girl 208x300 Prosecutors in Las Vegas, Clark County, lying to get convictionsIt is already an accepted saying we hear all the time that Las Vegas is a city where people come on vacation and leave on probation — or, in some cases, they do not get to leave because they are confined to prison for a crime they may not have committed or participated in, or even known about at all.
And that happens because many people who come to Las Vegas do not realize that the city is not as friendly as it wants visitors to believe it is.
Also, when a tourist gets in trouble, that tourist is under the erroneous assumption that the laws of the United States, which are supposed to apply to all, apply to Las Vegas, Nevada as well. In reality, there is a different set of rules here because this is not the United States of America — this is the “Country of Las Vegas,” under a dictatorial regime similar to a police state.
It seems that “intent sexual assault” is the charge in style nowadays for men, and “child abuse” is the charge for females who do not bow to the system; these are the charges prosecutors use to win every case, even if it requires lying.
There is the case of a young Marine who sat in jail for a month for a sexual assault charge that he did not know he committed; there was no DNA, no evidence of any kind, not even an alleged victim — and yet he was kept in jail for four months after bail had been posted.
There is also the case of a Florida engineer who refused to agree to the prosecutor’s “benevolent” offer of pleading guilty and doing “only” a few years behind bars or else be found guilty by a jury — that in most cases is manipulated by the prosecutors; he is now facing thirty-five years in the Nevada State Prison.
Unfortunately, we cannot only blame the prosecutors for this miscarriage of justice; in some cases that would not happen if the attorneys defendants hire would properly do their job.
Most of the criminal defense attorneys in Clark County know that they are not going to give their client a fair defense, that is why they have a set amount of $10,000 for their services, and even set the client up with a payment arrangement after an initial $5,000 down payment.
There are also those daring attorneys that shoot for more money, asking for fifty or seventy-five thousand, and later “work with the client” or “help the client” by reducing the price they are not worth.
While the set amount is being paid, the local attorneys start working against their client and for the prosecutor trying to convince the client to accept a plea bargain agreement offered by the prosecutors where the defendant has to plead guilty to a lesser charge rather than go to trial for the original charges, where the possibility of a conviction is greater.
Next week Las Vegas Tribune will start a series about cases that we believe could have been treated differently, and deserved a better outcome, but the wheels of justice forced a wrong appearance at the end.
We have two well-documented cases that are still open cases and the family had asked us to hold on to the articles to see what the final outcome will be.
Unfortunately, people who come to Las Vegas are under the false idea that this city is part of the United States of America, but later on they learn that Las Vegas/Clark County, Nevada is a country of its own. They may keep thinking that justice will prevail, and that the injustices they are suffering by the system will change and that their valid innocence will come to light sooner or later, but too late they realize how wrong they were.
The newspaper series will began with the chapter about Rhiannon Gonzales, a social worker student from Long Beach, Calif. who moved to Las Vegas in March of 2013 with her 3-month-old son, on the advice of one of her professors to continue her studies at the University of Nevada. She had no family or close friends living in Las Vegas; her entire base of support was in southern California.
Las Vegas Tribune will explain how a Deputy District Attorney, in open court, lied to a judge — who may still think like the prosecutor she was for a long time, or is so naive that she assumes prosecutors go to court to enforce the law and not to win at all costs all the time — who then did not and could not apply justice to this case.
The newspaper will show that Deputy District Attorney Dena Rinetti lied to the judge in order to successfully get her way when she told the judge that the defendant was pregnant. Twenty months later, Rhiannon Gonzalez had not delivered her baby, which makes this the longest pregnancy in the history of humanity.
Rhiannon Gonzales, an inmate in the Nevada Prison System, was part of a crew of the Nevada Fire Forestry Division, which works on fires, floods and forestry projects. In order to be accepted, she had to pass a rigorous test and could not have any write-ups against her.
Apparently, based on those tests and her own word, Gonzales was not pregnant. Why, then, did the Deputy District Attorney say she was?
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button Prosecutors in Las Vegas, Clark County, lying to get convictions
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email Prosecutors in Las Vegas, Clark County, lying to get convictions Email
↧
↧

Latinos in USA tells their Idol, Harry Reid, “If you f*** with us you are f***ing with the best”

November 6, 2014, 11:53 pm
$
0
0
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button Latinos in USA tells their Idol, Harry Reid, “If you f*** with us you are f***ing with the best”
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email Latinos in USA tells their Idol, Harry Reid, “If you f*** with us you are f***ing with the best” Email
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. US Senator Harry Reid Latinos in USA tells their Idol, Harry Reid, “If you f*** with us you are f***ing with the best”

Latinos in the USA send a message like Tony Montana to their favorite idol, Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid, saying that “If you f*** with us you are f***ing with the best,”

Well, the election is over and now we may be able to enjoy a few days of tranquility, peace, and calm before everyone starts complaining again; and most likely, the complaints will come from those who did not vote in this election, or did not do their homework regarding who to vote for.
One thing we can be sure about is that the Latino community took some words from Tony Montana’s Scarface to send a message to their favorite idol, Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid, saying that “If you f*** with us you are f***ing with the best,” and replaced him as Majority Leader for lying and playing political games with them on the immigration issues.
Reid, who up to now has been the Latino’s second God, has been lying to them by promising them immigration reform, amnesty and many other promises that would lead them (Latinos) to believe they were going to be allowed to stay in the country and get citizenship; he has been playing political games with the Latinos in every election and now he gets the payoff for playing those games.
Every time I told the Latinos that Reid and Obama were playing games, they got really upset with me and thought that I said that just because I didn’t like Reid or I didn’t like Obama or because I was probably a hardcore Republican, but none of that is true.
I don’t like Harry Reid because for a very long time, in my humble opinion, he has been a hypocrite; I am not going to call him a liar because as a senator and as Majority Leader, he deserves respect, so I am going to say– because it sounds better and more polite — that he didn’t tell the truth all the time.
I cannot say that I dislike Obama; after all, the Las Vegas Tribune was the first newspaper in Clark County to endorse Obama for President, before the Culinary Union and many other organizations, but when we were presented with a picture of the Obama headquarters office in Houston, Texas showing a picture of the Cuban Flag and a picture of Argentinean mercenary Ernesto “Che” Guevara on the wall, we immediately withdrew that endorsement.
We tried to talk to the national headquarters to get some sense of why the picture of a socialist mercenary and the flag of a communist country were displayed in the headquarters of a man running for the presidency of the United States of America, and no one ever answered our question, so we withdrew that endorsement.
I am not a Republican; neither am I a Democrat. I believe that I am a journalist with a mission to clean out our government of corruption and eliminate police abuse and end the police state system that we now have; I believe that I am a journalist with a dream to have a judicial system equal to none with judges that follow the law and do not think that they above everyone and every law.
I am the kind of person that on many occasions gives the wrong impression, and I know that; but I believe that we are all entitled to have the best government there is and one we can be proud of.
I was not born in this country but I have been in Clark County more than half of my natural life and I love Clark County, Las Vegas and the United States and I want to turn the time around and make this city the way it was in the old days.
Sure, it was a time of favors; there were friendships and there may have been some “help” to someone in need; but there were no lies, no extortions, no slandering of one’s “non-friends” as there are in the present day.
I remember one time a man I used to know — who I am not going to name because he is already dead — made a terrible mistake that no one was allowed to make in the gaming world; he had a very high profile job in one of the best — if not the best — casinos of the time, and ended up driving a taxi. I went to see the sheriff, Ralph Lamb, and asked him for leniency to allow him to go back to work in what he knew.
Ralph Lamb told me, “Ask me anything but that, please.” The Sheriff did not BS me; he did not tell me that he was going to think about it; he did not tell me that he would let me know in a few days; he was straightforward, honest, kind and polite — and humble enough to see me when I was a nobody, because that is the way the people in power, the important people  in  this  community,  used to be.
I remember when Senator Floyd Lamb used to go to my office at the La Verdad newspaper; remember that Floyd Lamb was at that time one of the most powerful persons in Nevada and some of the Spanish people that happened to be there on unrelated business could not believe that the humble gray-haired man that walked into my office was the most powerful senator of the time.
Sheriff John McCarthy used to visit me in my office or at my home very frequently and people could not believe that that single man, driving his own car, was the number one law man in our county.
On my wedding night, John Moran and his wife Goldie were at my home, and as always, they did not come with empty hands; they brought us a wonderful wedding present that up to today I still have and cherish as a sweet memory.
Please understand this: I am not bragging about the people I used to know; I am just comparing how the people act nowadays even when in reality they are not that important. Notice that I am not using some of the present personalities as an example, because that is what I would call bragging.
If Reid and Obama would have kept their promises to the Latino community — in particular, the Mexican community, which for a long time and up to now have idolized the senator and today feel betrayed by both Senator Reid and President Obama — there might have been a different outcome.
I have always been a firm believer that many Latinos, when they become American citizens, register as Democrat because they may confuse Democracy with being a Democrat; but that is a big mistake.
Tuesday night was a good example of what happens when someone politically betrays or double-crosses a Latino — plain and simple, they lose control of the U.S. Senate.
Hopefully the new Republicans at the Senate and the House will not make  the same mistake of double-crossing anyone and do a good job for the country; and hopefully the new majority leader will not let his new position go to his head as happened with his predecessor.
My name is Rolando Larraz, and as always, I approved this column.
* * * * *
Rolando Larraz is Editor in Chief of the Las Vegas Tribune. His column appears weekly in this newspaper. To contact Rolando Larraz, email him at: Rlarraz@lasvegastribune.com or at (702) 868-NEWS (6397)

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button Latinos in USA tells their Idol, Harry Reid, “If you f*** with us you are f***ing with the best”
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email Latinos in USA tells their Idol, Harry Reid, “If you f*** with us you are f***ing with the best” Email
↧

The Rhiannon Gonzalez Story

November 7, 2014, 12:38 am
$
0
0
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button The Rhiannon Gonzalez Story
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email The Rhiannon Gonzalez Story Email
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Rhiannon Iyanna newborn Elgin 300x298 The Rhiannon Gonzalez StoryRhiannon Gonzales, a social work student in Long Beach, CA moved to Las Vegas in March of 2013 with her 3-month-old son, on the advice of one of her professors, to continue her studies at the University of Nevada. She had no family or close friends living in Las Vegas; her entire base of support was in Southern California. Her daughter,
Iyanna, remained with her father so as not to interrupt her last year of elementary school, with the intention that she would join her mother and brother in Las Vegas over summer break.
Although Gonzales was able to rent a much nicer apartment for much less than she was paying in Southern California, she was not able to return to school or get a job as quickly as she had anticipated, as she had still not found anyone that she felt comfortable leaving her baby with. So she took an online creative writing course in the
interim.
Soon after daughter Iyanna’s arrival, she met a fun-loving creative woman, Kyrene Williams, who was CPR-certified and whose mother and sister both worked for the Las Vegas School District. Gonzales felt that she then had met someone who could care for her children and she could look for a job and register for classes.
The feeling was short-lived, however. Upon her return one day, later than expected because she had had some car trouble, she learned that the baby had taken a fall at the pool and bumped his head. Williams had checked him out and he appeared to be fine. Gonzales checked his pupils again and also determined by his behavior that he was fine. She understood that accidents do happen, so although it made her uneasy, she did not lay blame for the fall on Williams. But she did notice that Williams was hanging around much more than was necessary and that ever since the day of the car trouble and money wire for her expenses, had been asking her for extra money on a consistent basis.
On July 13, 2013, baby Elgin’s father, Eugene, came to visit bringing with him a car for Rhiannon and his baby. He was not as taken with Williams as Gonzales had originally been. That same weekend Williams asked Gonzales if her boyfriend could stay with her while she watched the children. Gonzales was not comfortable with that request and
decided that she would let Williams go. The entire relationship with Williams lasted about two-and-a-half weeks.
On Monday, July 15, Rhiannon let her daughter sleep late while she worked on her laptop and baby Elgin played in his walker. When Iyanna did awake, she took her baby brother out of his walker and placed him in the corner of her lofted bed, unbeknownst to Gonzales. Gonzales noticed that a mess had been left on the floor after she had repeatedly told Iyanna to clean it up the night before, so she called her daughter out of her bedroom to pick it up. There was a knock on the door. It was Brittany Williams, Kyrene’s sister, to collect Kyrene’s things. While Gonzales and Williams were at the door, Gonzales called Iyanna away from picking up the mess to go get a purse
and pillow that Williams had left in her car. Afterward, they heard a thump and Gonzales found her baby on her daughter’s bedroom floor where he had fallen from the elevated bed.
She scooped him into her arms to comfort him and Williams left. It soon became evident that he was not right — his eyes were rolling up into his head, his toes were pointing and his back was arching — he was stiffening up. They immediately called 911. While they were waiting for help to arrive, Gonzales was outside crying for someone to
help her.
Two neighbors came to her aid: Pamela Isaacs, who brought the baby inside her apartment and laid him on her couch, and Remy Samuel who had just arrived home and was met in the parking lot by his girlfriend who told him that there was a woman crying who sounded like she needed help. Kyrene and Brittany Williams also appeared in Isaacs’ apartment in response to a phone call for help from Gonzales.
The baby was conscious by the time the paramedics arrived and was rushed to Children’s Hospital Nevada where he underwent a subdural hematoma evacuation to drain the blood that had collected internally, while Child Protective Services and the Las Vegas Police Department were summoned.
Upon Neurosurgeon Jason Garber’s allegation that the baby had been abused, Gonzales immediately turned to her daughter and asked her if anyone had touched her or her brother. Before she could get an answer she was yanked away by LVMPD Neglect and Abuse Detective Monique Bulmer, who would later go on to report that she observed Gonzales “coaching her daughter on what to say.” Gonzales and her daughter were ushered out of the hospital for questioning at her apartment, although she offered to give CPS and the Las Vegas Police the keys to the apartment so that they could go investigate on their own and she and her daughter could remain at the hospital with their baby.
That was the beginning of Rhiannon Gonzalez’ nightmare and a reality check that many parents confront in Las Vegas where Family Court judges enjoy taking children away from the parent and giving them up for adoption.
Recently, last September, Nevada Supreme Court Justice Nancy Saitta formed a Blue Ribbon Committee to look into problems with the Clark County child welfare system and courts.
On October 2 of this year Las Vegas Tribune ran an article penned exclusively for the newspaper by Parker Philpot where she stated: “The pages of this newspaper and programs on RadioTribune.com have been filled for years with articles covering the Division of Child and Family Services and exposing major problems and questionable rulings
in several cases that came before the family courts. Accounts of families and children the system not only did not protect, but who instead became targets of abuse and torment or neglect, are proof that deeper investigation into the county’s system is warranted.”
That week, the Nevada Supreme Court Justice Nancy Saitta and others have gone on record vowing to look into and correct the “shortcomings” and “deficiencies” in the agency and systems overseeing children’swelfare.
Philpot quoted Justice Saitta as stating, “These children deserve better, and I get no sense of urgency on the part of the system. This committee will identify the most serious issues in the child welfare system and work with [county] officials to make sure they are corrected quickly.”
However, the Las Vegas Tribune has heard these words too many times and nothing new ever happens and the newspaper does not hang too much hope on the words of Justice Saitta despite the fact that the Las Vegas Tribune has endorsed her in many elections.
Next week: Chapter 2, CPS workers and Las Vegas Police separated mother and daughter…
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button The Rhiannon Gonzalez Story
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email The Rhiannon Gonzalez Story Email
↧

Election results: What were they thinking?

November 7, 2014, 12:55 am
$
0
0
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button Election results: What were they thinking?
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email Election results: What were they thinking? Email
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Carolyn Ellesworth Election results: What were they thinking?

Judge Carolyn Ellesworth retained her job on District Court Department 5

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Adam Laxalt1 Election results: What were they thinking?

Adam Laxalt won the Attorney General Office despite all the lies

While the United States of America and the State of Nevada have good reason to celebrate after the big election night victory — in the U.S. Senate and Congress; in the race for Governor, Lt. Governor, the Legislature and Treasurer, in Congress 3 and 4 — but, unfortunately (depending of course from which side of the fence one is looking), not all turned out sweet and bright.
The county election came out as it was expected to, with Chris Giuchigliani, Mary Beth Scow and Susan Brager as the winners in their respective races.
The judicial races were, with a few exceptions, a complete disaster; and if anyone ever comes to the Las Vegas Tribune to complain about the family court judges, the newspaper will shut the doors on them because they will have what they deserve, if they did not pay attention to all we’ve been saying and if they did not take the time to vote with an educated vote.
Re-electing Judge Vincent Ochoa was in complete disrespect to the human race. After all the bad news and reports that were put out there about Judge Ochoa, it is either the result of voter fraud or that the people of Clark County like to be abused.
Electing Richard Scotti over John Watkins is the most inexplicable result that has ever been seen in any political race. Scotti misrepresented himself with propaganda and lies, and misled the voters all along, and his winning the race for judge over John Watkins is simply unreal and inconceivable. But the people of Clark County have spoken and now they have to accept the consequences when his campaign manager, David Thomas, starts telling him how to rule and what punishment to impose on those who appear before him.
Voters can feel more optimistic with the results of the election in District Court Departments 4 and 5 where judges Kerry Early and Carolyn Ellsworth retained their positions, as well as Judge Adriana Escobar in Department 14. However, in Department 8 of District Court, with one of the most inhumane and vindictive judges in the system, the
people of Clark County retained Judge Douglas Smith over the challenger, Deputy Attorney General Christine Guerci-Nyhus.
Department 8 is another department in District Court were justice is not the operative word, but people chose to retain the bad judge over a new ethical and fair candidate; so those who voted to retain Judge Smith should not complain when they get a bad ruling in his courtroom.
Department 19 is being taken over by Judge William Bill Kephart with 70 percent of the votes in that race.
In Department 20, the incumbent, Harry Reid’s protégée, Judge Jerry Tao, doubled the votes of his challenger, Nick Perrino, who displayed his qualifications and experience by putting up a good fight; but the voters apparently did not know how to appreciate those qualities — and won’t, until they have to come face to face with an unfair judge.
In Family Court division, the results were even more drastic and scary because the families and children that know very little of the judicial races most likely became victims of voter fraud — or at the least, voter manipulation.
As we reported in the beginning of this article, retaining Judge Ochoa is the biggest voting crime anyone could commit, re-electing a judge that steals a little girl from her mother for vindictive reasons, a judge that does not know how to control his temper, and a judge who lies. One would naturally assume he would have been ousted, but now
those who will appear before him will suffer the consequences.
Electing a woman to Department B of Family Court who had the audacity to say that she would win the election because she has the money, is now a very sad reality. Judge-elect Linda Marquis doesn’t even know where Family Court is located and has never practiced in Family Court — and yet she won, based on the most ridiculous reason to elect anyone to a judicial position.
In the race for our new sheriff, the status quo prevailed with Gillespie’s shoulder-tapped candidate emerging as the candidate chosen, by a very small margin, likely because of his claim to a lifetime of experience and dedication to the community, according to his own words.
By 2 o’clock in the morning the race was pretty much at a standstill with Joe Lombardo 2 percent ahead at 51 percent of the votes counted compared to Larry Burns with 49 percent of the votes. It was the closest race ever in Clark County; but still, as always, the establishment took over and the community loses again.
Our sincere thanks go out to all the candidates who took the time and put in the effort to serve our community with the intention of making a change for the better.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button Election results: What were they thinking?
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email Election results: What were they thinking? Email
↧
↧

I had a terrible nightmare this weekend that scared the hell out of me

November 12, 2014, 12:08 am
$
0
0
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button I had a terrible nightmare this weekend that scared the hell out of me
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email I had a terrible nightmare this weekend that scared the hell out of me Email
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Chris Collins PPA I had a terrible nightmare this weekend that scared the hell out of meI had a terrible nightmare this weekend that scared the hell out of me; in my nightmare I saw Chris Collins, the Executive Director, President, Chairman (or whatever he feels like calling himself this week) of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, a.k.a. PPA, moving all his political contacts and collecting all the favors he thinks others owe him to be named State Senator in the seat vacated by our newly elected Lt. Governor, Marc Hutchison.
Collins inherited the PPA, from his pal, corrupted cop David Kallas, who is now a licensed marijuana pusher and is, according to many close to or claiming to be close to him, dying of pain and needs the
marijuana to ease that pain, whatever it is from.
I have no idea what is with the position of PPA Director, but so far the last two people in that position grew political aspirations: Kallas ran for Henderson City Council — and thanks to a local weekly named The Las Vegas Chronicle, which allowed me to expose the criminal police career of Detective David Kallas, he lost that election.
Chris Collins wants to be a State Senator; why? He has a very well paying job with the PPA, his wife has a well-paying job as an attorney for the PPA and has the opportunity to boss former District Attorney Dave Roger, who went to work under her at PPA Headquarters, after he retired one year into his second term as Clark County District Attorney to allegedly spend more time with his judge wife, who works\ ten hours a day, and his newly born daughter, and become a partner at Patty, Sgro, Lewis and Roger.
I hope that it is only a nightmare of mine, because if it happens to be a dream that comes true for the cop-turned executive, the people from Senate District 6 are in real bad shape.
Collins not only inherits the PPA job from Kallas, but he also learns from the dying man how to be manipulative and cynical as a typical Las Vegas cop.
It is my humble opinion that the only reason the Police Protective Association backed and endorsed sheriff candidate Larry Burns was to open the doors for Sheriff Gillespie’s shoulder-tapped candidate and now Sheriff-elect Joe Lombardo; let me explain it better so everyone can see if my suspicious mind works or not.
The PPA well knew that Larry Burns was the rank and file man regardless of whatever their joint opinion was; so they endorsed Burns to please the internal masses; and knowing how the voters dislike the police union someone spread the rumor that Burns would be controlled by the union; and then Lombardo and Gillespie worked out the transfer of killer cop Bryan Yant with a promotion to Executive Director of the Union as the icing on top of the cake because how could Burns be a good sheriff if the union that supports him is housing a controversial cop that has been involved in several shootings and has lied to a judge to obtain a false search warrant?
Remember that Joe Lombardo was Bryan Yant’s supervisor in the narcotic operation that killed a young black man unarmed and practically naked; but the public, the voters, were not privy to that information because the self-proclaimed “largest newspaper in Nevada” was endorsing Lombardo and it was in their best interest to make Burns look bad and weak, and controlled by the police union.
They can claim to be the largest newspaper in Nevada but they are not the most read newspaper because, as we have spelled out many times before, they don’t even print enough newspapers to serve the entire population of Clark County.
Our population is over two million and they claim that they print 200,000, which is much less than our population and after they deliver to their few subscribers they also send newspapers to the state capital, and many cities in Nevada plus other states.
Also, as I have stated before, I know people that get the daily paper and look for the sports section and throw the rest away; others grab the Nevada section and throw the rest away–sometimes the Nevada section is full of wire service news even more than other sections in the paper.
Besides, how can they claim to be “the largest newspaper in Nevada” when the Las Vegas Sun prints the same amount of papers as they do? Or do they only insert The Sun in a few of their papers?
I remember when our city was a normal city with two daily newspapers twice a day, morning and evening editions.
But let’s go back to my nightmare; is Chris Collins the president of the police union really thinking of promoting himself to the county commissioners for the state seat left vacant by our new Lt. Governor Marc Hutchison?
Is that why the commission chairman, Steve Sisolak, endorsed Joe Lombardo? To secure a peaceful future with the new sheriff or as the peace pipe with Gillespie for making him beg for the money?
What is the mystery behind that endorsement after he personally gave Lombardo’s master, Sheriff Gillespie, such a hard time on the “more cops”\ tax issue? Who is really moving the strings here, Gillespie, Lombardo or Sisolak? Hey! Let’s blame the Republicans on this one, too.
I hope that the county commissioners have the decency to think about the voters above everything and everyone and choose the right person for that position; if they give the job to Chris Collins, the people of District 6 will be stuck with him forever because it is always very difficult to get rid of the incumbent, and an ambitious person like Collins will soon be running for Lt. Governor himself, or even Governor. God forgive us!
There is no doubt in my mind that the political machine in Clark County is the most cynical and maneuvering in the nation and they have no respect for the constituents whatsoever.
They pretend to dislike someone and then they are discovered eating at the same table with that person; they pretend to be one way and then they show their real face.
That’s why sometimes I hate my job because I’m passionate about what I do and when I like someone I am loyal to the end. I could never be a politician under any circumstances.
I like Steve Sisolak, I have say that many time when his name come up on different venues, I have said it to him in person, I have said that on the air when I interviewed him, I have confirm that early in the morning when we both coming out of the same place at the same time but I have to be honest right now I don’t like what I see.
I know that Chris Collins lives in Senate District 6, but there has to be someone else in that district that is interested in serving the community in that district, at least until an election can take place.
Then if Chris Collins want to run for State Senator in District 6 he can do that, but not as an incumbent.
My name is Rolando Larraz, and as always, I approved this column.
* * * * *
Rolando Larraz is Editor in Chief of the Las Vegas Tribune. His column appears weekly in this newspaper. To contact Rolando Larraz, email him at: Rlarraz@lasvegastribune.com or at (702) 868-6397
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button I had a terrible nightmare this weekend that scared the hell out of me
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email I had a terrible nightmare this weekend that scared the hell out of me Email
↧

The Rhiannon Gonzales Story Continues: Nightmare began in Family Court

November 13, 2014, 12:49 am
$
0
0
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button The Rhiannon Gonzales Story Continues: Nightmare began in Family Court
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email The Rhiannon Gonzales Story Continues: Nightmare began in Family Court Email
Part Two in a Series
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Elgin Iyanna Great Grandma Mary 300x225 The Rhiannon Gonzales Story Continues: Nightmare began in Family CourtCPS workers and Las Vegas Police separated mother and daughter for questioning and assigned a male officer to watch Gonzales while they searched the apartment. Gonzales voiced to the officer in charge of watching her that she feared that they were trying to take away her kids. He reassured her that that only happens when they see that the kids are not cared for, pointing out that she was well stocked with everything they needed and there was nothing dangerous or illegal there, so he didn’t think that would happen. The next thing you know, Iyanna is on her way to Child Haven and Gonzales has agreed to take drug and polygraph tests.
The above two episodes were omitted from the UNITY Case Notes, as was any reference as to WHY the CPS workers felt the need to remove the traumatized daughter from her mother’s comfort –– just when they needed each other most. One would think that the reason for removal of children from their parents would be an integral part of said case notes. As it was not documented, neither LVMPD Neglect and Abuse Sgt. K. Buist nor Det. H. Campbell can recall who the officer in charge of watching Gonzales was.
July 16: Gonzales spends the day at the hospital and is unsuccessful in reaching Violeta Menjivar, the CPS worker who removed her children.
Baby Elgin appears still groggy from the anesthesia, so she cannot determine for herself whether or not he is OK. Hospital staff was giving no medical information to Gonzales. Maternal grandmother and great grandmother arrived in Las Vegas and needed to wait for clearance to be added to visitor’s list. Jamal, father of Iyanna, after finally finding out where his daughter had been taken, arrives to retrieve her from Child Haven and take her home.
Early in the morning of July 17, Gonzales called Eugene, the baby’s father, to notify him of the accident. Grandmother went alone to the hospital. Upon arriving at the hospital, grandmother left word at the nurse’s station that she would like to speak with the hospital social worker, as she felt that a conversation would help to assuage any misgivings that the social worker may have had about the baby’s home life. She also noted that despite the coldness from hospital staff that the family had experienced prior, in contrast, many people now approached her regardless of police protocol, to reassure her about the baby’s recovery. When Gonzales arrived at the hospital on July 17 she found her son being wheeled around PICU in a wagon, while his demeanor and behavior were once again that of her baby Elgin!
The UMC Children’s Hospital Nevada social worker, Dr. Cynthia Hull, a heavy-gaited woman who does not take well to people presuming to be at her intellectual level, was not the voice of reason that the grandmother had hoped for; so mother and grandmother instead made an appointment with Dr. Hull’s supervisor, UMC Director of Social
Services, Vidya Ramanan. Ramanan would prove herself helpful time and time again in the months to come.
Shortly after they returned to Elgin’s room, Detective Monique Bulmer and two CPS workers, one of whom was CPS Senior Family Services Specialist Investigator Paula “PJ” Moore, entered the room saying that they were there to speak to Gonzales and told Gonzales’ mother to leave. While Gonzales’ mother was waiting she observed the CPS workers and detective huddled in the corner of the common area with Dr. Cynthia Hull and a very young girl also wearing a lab coat, whom they would later learn was Dr. Natalie Darro, a second-year resident who had taken it upon herself to embellish the symptom details of the fall in her intake assessment and would later add more fuel to the fire by contributing her own lethal comments (#2). Shortly afterward, the CPS workers took mother and grandmother into a small room, in the same hallway that Hull had been observed on her cell phone earlier, and
told them that they were being removed from the hospital because they did not know how to behave. The last thing they saw as they were escorted onto the elevator by the CPS workers, who were again joined
by Hull, was the gloating look on Dr. Hull’s hateful countenance. A formal complaint against Dr. Cynthia Hull has since been filed with the National Association of Social Workers and the Board of Examiners.
July 18, 2013: Gonzales appears in Family Court accompanied by her mother, her grandmother and Elgin’s father, Eugene. This was the first experience in Family Court for Gonzales, a social work student who had no prior dealings with CPS and had no history of violence. Baby Elgin’s father had chosen to be present at Family Court, instead of at
the hospital with his son, as an act of support for Gonzales. What was immediately noted was that the CPS worker who had taken it upon herself to remove the children, Child Development Specialist Violeta Menjivar, was not present. Menjivar had not returned any of the phone messages left for her by Gonzales.
CPS Investigator Paula Moore invited Gonzales and Eugene to sit in the two seats at the front of the courtroom. Hearing Moore explain the baby’s condition was the first time that the family had been privy to any medical information about their baby. It soon became apparent to this inexperienced family group that CPS was also charging the absent parent, Eugene, with child abuse. Moore stated that there were too many discrepancies involved in this case for the children to remain with their natural mother, that the rest of the family lived in
California and that it would be in the best interest of the baby to remain a ward of the State of Nevada. The family court Judge, Frank Sullivan, then assigned court appointed attorneys to Gonzales and Eugene.
At the time, the family was not aware that, in actuality, most of the discrepancies in the case were contained within the various medical evaluations, nor were they aware that the accusing doctor, Neurosurgeon Jason Garber, did not have a very good reputation among his patients or that he had previously prostituted himself off as a paid expert for a medical procedure that he had never conducted any research on. All this would be discovered much later.
After the Family Court hearing on July 18, CPS Investigator Paula Moore gave Gonzales and Eugene their respective paperwork to be drug tested. Moore also told Gonzales that she would reinstate her to visit her baby at the hospital, provided she behaves herself.
On the way to the testing facility, Gonzales called her court appointed attorney, Denise Gallagher, and placed the call on speaker, so that all could hear what the attorney had to say. Gallagher told her that she would instruct her as she does all of her clients, “NOT to take the drug or polygraph tests –– that even though CPS tells you that doing so will get you your baby back sooner, it won’t.” As Gallagher did not know Rhiannon Gonzales or her situation, she did
what she felt was the safest thing to do by instructing her not to take the tests. Eugene, however, did not contact his attorney and went straight away to take the drug test. He tested clean.
After the experiences in Family Court and the hospital, the family realized the severity of the situation. Aside from their main concern, being the condition of the baby, they had naively believed that for the sake of all children’s safety they simply needed to go through the process and that justice would prevail.
Next week: LVMPD Detective Monique Bulmer, accompanied by a male officer, Enrique Hernandez, arrived at the hospital.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button The Rhiannon Gonzales Story Continues: Nightmare began in Family Court
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email The Rhiannon Gonzales Story Continues: Nightmare began in Family Court Email
↧

LVMPD Detective Bulmer, officer Hernandez request polygraph test

November 19, 2014, 12:17 am
$
0
0
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button LVMPD Detective Bulmer, officer Hernandez request polygraph test
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email LVMPD Detective Bulmer, officer Hernandez request polygraph test Email
The Rhiannon Gonzales Story 
On July 24 and 25, various character reference letters of support for Gonzales arrived at the CPS office via email to the attention of Chris Carrell, Moore’s Supervisor, as instructed by Moore who was on vacation. These letters were written by established members of society in Los Angeles to include an NAACP President, an LAUSD principal, a longtime employee of JPL (NASA), as well as the director of the re-entry program, A New Way of Life, where Gonzales had been volunteering while living in Long Beach.
Part Three in a Series
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Elgin mid June 2013 193x300 LVMPD Detective Bulmer, officer Hernandez request polygraph testOn the evening of July 25 LVMPD Detective Monique Bulmer, accompanied by a male officer, Enrique Hernandez, arrived at the hospital to offer Gonzales another opportunity to take the polygraph test. Too late to
reach her attorney, Gonzales wasn’t sure if she should take it or not, so she called her parents in Altadena, CA to ask what they thought she should do. They could hear Hernandez in the background saying, “We’re not telling her she has to take it. It’s entirely up to her.” Unsure themselves of what was the correct thing to do, her family advised her to do as her attorney had instructed.
Upon hanging up the phone, Rhiannon Gonzales was arrested from her son’s bedside at Children’s Hospital Nevada to face criminal charges of Child Abuse. She did not resist arrest, yet Hernandez felt the need
to use unnecessary excessive force on Gonzales shoving her to the ground. Ironically enough, after her arrest, she was never given a drug or polygraph test; obviously the general consensus of that being that the powers against her were afraid she might pass.
It would be discovered only by accident, much later, that Detective Bulmer had opened Gonzales’ juvenile record in order to be able to arrest her, despite the fact that there was no violence in her history. It would also be discovered upon reading the Unity Case Notes that Detective Bulmer had reported to CPS that ‘neurosurgeon (Garber) said that injuries were not consistent with explanation, but that another doctor, name unknown, had advised Detective Heidi Campbell that it was possible that baby could have sustained injury by falling and landing on the baby gate that was on the floor next to the bed.’
One would consider this conflict in medical evaluations to fall well within the “beyond the shadow of a doubt” parameters; however, the unnamed doctor was never referred to again, nor were the results of subsequent tests that were conducted to ascertain whether or not the baby had been the victim of abuse. One such result of the fax sent to CPS by Children’s Hospital Nevada social worker Dr. Cynthia Hull, clearly states: “There are no healing fractures or post-traumatic deformities to indicate non-accidental trauma.” This document also
escaped mention in any of the reports or court proceedings.
According to the Unity Case Notes, there are two entries, the first on July 17 and again on July 23, indicating that Detective Bulmer was not satisfied with the testing conducted at University Medical Center and had provided a prescription for a full skeletal exam at Sunrise Hospital. Yet, those were the only entries made in regard to the additional tests, as there was no documentation of any results. As of this writing, contact was made with the foster family, who verified that the tests were indeed conducted. Yet, Gonzales’ Attorney John
Piro never received any documentation regarding those results. One can only speculate that the reason for omission of the Sunrise Hospital results was because they were contrary to what Bulmer was hoping for.
On July 26 Elgin was released from University Medical Center — Children’s Hospital Nevada to the care of a foster family. His own family had no idea where their baby was. It was about this time when someone called the family’s attention to a news article about the brokering of minority children in Nevada.
Gonzales’ was not present at Family Court on July 29. Her attorney Denise Gallagher also stood in to represent Eugene, who had spoken at length behind closed doors with CPS workers Paula Moore, Elizabeth Stump and Sherrie Litman, maintaining that Gonzales would never hurt her child. It was obvious by this point that Child Development Specialist Violeta Menjivar was not going to have to account for her actions and that the burden of proof was to prove innocence, instead of guilt. Gallagher informed Family Court Hearing Master Thomas Kurtz
that Gonzales had been arrested and charged with child abuse, then asked if the baby could possibly be released to a family member in California instead of remaining in the foster system. CPS Investigator Paula Moore had no objection, but did explain that the process to transfer from one state to another took a long time. Moore also granted permission for the family to visit with Elgin at Child Haven that afternoon.
Despite the questionable removal and investigation conducted by CPS, they did do an excellent job of pairing the baby with a young family who had a 20-month-old son of their own, and were also first-time foster parents. So, at least the family’s apprehension at their baby being in foster care was laid to rest, although they were still not allowed any medical information as to the baby’s condition.
It appeared that with the arrest of Gonzales, Moore had begun to treat the family with a bit more respect, although she continued to decline all invitations extended by grandmother to come and inspect the apartment for herself, as Moore was not among the group present at the apartment the day of the accident. Moore stated that a visit by her would only be necessary once the family was reunited. Grandmother thought it strange that the investigator had no interest in seeing the scene of the accident, but by this point was already becoming
accustomed to how things were handled in Las Vegas.
Saturday, August 10, Gonzales’ mother receives a call from Gonzales’ attorney John Piro saying that he would be going to Los Angeles the following weekend and was hoping to be able to meet with Iyanna while he was there. The family was very pleased with the idea of not making her return to Las Vegas. Iyanna would tell him that there was one particular neighbor on the day of the accident (Isaacs) who tried to tell CPS workers that Gonzales was not an abusive parent, stating that she should know because they lived in such close proximity to one another that she would have heard sounds of child abuse if there had been any. This neighbor was ignored and her statements were omitted from the CPS report.
Gonzales’ bail, set originally at $20,000.00, was reduced the following day to $10,000.00 and raised again the next to $50,000.00, where it remained, despite a plea for a bail reduction by Gonzales’ attorney, Deputy Public Defender John Piro at Clark County Justice Court on August 13. Piro clarified to Justice Court Judge Diane
Sullivan that Gonzales was a former social work student with plans to continue at UNLV and pointed out that there were many false statements contained in the Police Report supplied by Detective Bulmer. Piro originally asked for Gonzales’ release on her own recognizance before requesting the bail reduction. However, Chief Deputy District Attorney Dena Rinetti, a tall young woman in a bright green blazer who shouted and flailed her arms indignantly, convinced Judge Sullivan that because Gonzales had been arrested still carrying her California driver’s license, it was evident that she had no intention of ever becoming a contributing member to the Las Vegas community. Rinetti added that in her opinion $50,000.00 bail was not high enough, then stormed out of the courtroom just as quickly and loudly as she had stormed in.
Gonzales had sent off for a copy of her birth certificate so that she could get a Nevada license on July 9, but the State of New Mexico, where she was born, had been slow in responding to that request. There was a copy of said request, but it was not present in the courtroom at the time of the assumption. The birth certificate did not arrive until weeks later.
So Gonzales remained incarcerated, while her family continued to pay rent on an empty apartment. Apparently the CPS and LVMPD “angels of mercy” do not extend their consideration to the well-being of family pets, as Gonzales’ Shih Tzu, Oreo, was left in the apartment alone for several days following her arrest.
Next week: Gonzales’ mother and Family Court Attorney Denise Gallagher
 
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button LVMPD Detective Bulmer, officer Hernandez request polygraph test
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email LVMPD Detective Bulmer, officer Hernandez request polygraph test Email
↧
Search

Attorney General-elect Adam Laxalt names transition team

November 19, 2014, 10:16 pm
$
0
0
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button Attorney General elect Adam Laxalt names transition team
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email Attorney General elect Adam Laxalt names transition team Email
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Adam Laxalt2 Attorney General elect Adam Laxalt names transition teamImage may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. robertlist 201x300 Attorney General elect Adam Laxalt names transition teamOn November 12, Nevada Attorney General-elect Adam Laxalt named a transition team to assist him as he prepares to take office in January.
“I am proud to name these distinguished Nevadans to my transition team,” stated Adam Laxalt. “These men and women possess the collective wisdom and experiences to advise me and my team on successfully transitioning into the Attorney General’s office.”
“Our transition team is already hard at work assisting Adam Laxalt in this transition,” stated former Nevada Governor Robert List. “Our goal is to make sure that the transition is successful so that Adam can begin serving all Nevadans the day he is sworn into office.”
Laxalt Transition Team:
Chairman: Robert List — Former Nevada Attorney General and Governor Members: Patty Cafferata — Former District Attorney, Former Nevada State Treasurer, Former Executive Director of the Nevada Ethics Commission; Joshua Hicks — Former Deputy Attorney General, Former General Counsel and Chief of Staff to Governor Jim Gibbons; Amy Ayoub — Member of the National Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities, Former Chair for the National Conference for Community and Justice; Richard Gammick  Washoe County District Attorney, Two-time President of the Nevada District Attorney’s Association; Jeffrey Barr — Former North Las Vegas City Attorney; Ron Pierini — Douglas County Sheriff, Chairman of the Nevada Peace Officer Standard and Training Commission, Past President of Nevada Sheriff’s and Chief’s Association; Robert Uithoven — Political and Public Affairs Consultant, Board Member of Keystone Corp of Nevada; Gerald Gardner — Former Chief of Staff to Governor Brian Sandoval, Former Carson City Assistant District Attorney.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button Attorney General elect Adam Laxalt names transition team
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email Attorney General elect Adam Laxalt names transition team Email
↧
↧

Our editorial ignored or skipped the financial part of those who won reelection

November 19, 2014, 10:57 pm
$
0
0
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button Our editorial ignored or skipped the financial part of those who won reelection
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email Our editorial ignored or skipped the financial part of those who won reelection Email
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Judge Susan Johnson1 Our editorial ignored or skipped the financial part of those who won reelection Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Jerry Tao Our editorial ignored or skipped the financial part of those who won reelection After reading and analyzing this week’s Las Vegas Tribune editorial, I wonder if the newspaper is getting too soft or if I am too stubborn to see both sides of the issue.
I believe that the editorial ignored or skipped the financial part of those who won reelection and now are trying to advance their political career even before they are sworn in on January 2nd of next year.
What about those campaign contributions they have taken from people who believe in them or who were too afraid not to contribute to each of their campaigns because of the possibility of retaliation?
Judge Susan Johnson ran for reelection in Department 22 of the District Court and only ten days after winning reelection, she wants an appointed position with the newly created Nevada Appellate Court, one step closer to the Nevada Supreme Court.
Judge Johnson raised $217,000.00 in contributions between attorneys and friends and I have to wonder what is going to happen to that money. Is she going to give that money back to her supporters if she gets to be appointed to the Appellate Court?
The same happened with Jerome Tao, a.k.a. Jerry Tao; he was reelected to District Court Department 20 after raising $135,000.00 in contributions, but now he wants to advance to a higher position and throw his name in the hat for the newly created Appellate Court, disregarding all those in his circle of supporters and those friends
that pitched in for the television and radio commercials that helped him to get reelected.
Is the honorable Judge Tao going to give that money back if appointed to the Appellate Court? That would be the honorable thing to do.
I have never been able to understand candidates that pretend to care for their constituents but in reality are looking out only for themselves and no one else.
They want to “give back to the community” at the same time they build a very nice portfolio for the future in case they get bit on any election, besides building a retirement with almost 90 percent of their regular pay. The Commission on Judicial Selection should not be impressed with the names of those candidates who have already been elected to the bench; those people need to finish their terms and later look for another government position.
The Commission should look at others that also want to “give back to the community,” others that also want to improve their portfolios.
Call me crazy or anything you want, but I believe that if the office of the president is time-limited, every other office should also be time-limited.
Judges should not be treated differently from any other government official; judges should realize that they are not above the law, especially as many of them are ethically questioned.
The same should apply to members of the House and the Senate and stop those two and tree decades worth of “service” that many of them are doing.
It is not fair to have a human being sitting in the Senate or the House for that long of a time. We have to realize that those “good dedicated public servants” are not our slaves; they need to rest and go into private life to earn a living as we all do.
An example of tireless public officials that keep getting reelected and work hard for themselves is seen in the game such officials play while in office is the Clark County Commission.
Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak was the number one member of the commission who opposed and works hard to oppose the More Cops Tax that outgoing Sheriff Doug Gillespie begged for all last year; and now, after he finalized a pact with the newly elected sheriff by endorsing him in the last election, the More Cops Tax is back on the commissioners’ table.
What is it that the old sheriff and the new sheriff do not understand about the word NO? We cannot even offer to say no in any other language, but if we have to, in Italian it’s NO, in French it’s No and in Spanish it’s NO.
Whatever was offered to Chairman Sisolak for the endorsement given to the new sheriff cannot be fulfilled because the people of Clark County do not want to give any more money to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the people of Clark County should have the last word.
Elected officials need to learn that they are not better than the public, they are not above the law either, and they cannot ignore the constituents, the residents, and the voters’ wishes.
No matter how many times they try to ignore the voters demands, sooner or later they will have to understand that the voters voice is the more important voice in the community and no matter how many times they limit their voices to two minutes on the microphone while they let the sheriff talk for ten times longer (21 minutes) at the end,
their votes will speak louder and more clear.
Look at the series that the Las Vegas Tribune has been running for the last three weeks as to how the prosecutors lie and do up to the impossible to win the cases with or without basis, without evidence
and without any merit whatsoever.
You may be surprised how many people have been coming forward with cases since we started the series of the Rhiannon Gonzales Story. Even I am surprised to see how many are coming forward while others mention
their cases but do not want to come forward.
However, one way or another I have to believe that I was right when I wrote before the November election that changes are becoming a reality because the people of this community are waking up and are more aware of the government’s erroneous behavior.
It is time that you let these elected officials know that they are working for you and that you are the boss; but if you don’t have the courage to speak up don’t come running to us in tears crying for help.
You have the last say so it is up to you, the voters, and no one else to put an end to injustice, abuse and corruption.
My name is Rolando Larraz, and as always, I approved this column.
* * * * *
Rolando Larraz is Editor in Chief of the Las Vegas Tribune. His column appears weekly in this newspaper. To contact Rolando Larraz, email him at: Rlarraz@lasvegastribune.com or at (702) 699-8111.
 
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button Our editorial ignored or skipped the financial part of those who won reelection
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email Our editorial ignored or skipped the financial part of those who won reelection Email
↧

I tell the truth always; even when I “lie,” I tell the truth

November 27, 2014, 3:53 pm
$
0
0
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button I tell the truth always; even when I “lie,” I tell the truth
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email I tell the truth always; even when I “lie,” I tell the truth Email
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. al p I tell the truth always; even when I “lie,” I tell the truthLeave it to me to be right sometimes, and when it comes to telling it like it is, no one can do it better than me because I tell the truth always; even when I “lie,” I tell the truth.
I have said many times that the daily newspaper may be the largest newspaper in the area, but not the most read newspaper.
Even their circulation is not the largest because the Las Vegas Sun publishes the same amount of newspapers, unless the daily does not insert the Las Vegas Sun in all their newspapers.
Now Federal prosecutors confirm our opinion on the readership of “the largest newspaper” in the area when they propose that the HOA trial be moved out of the Las Vegas jurisdiction because of the bad publicity the trial has received from the media in Las Vegas.
To begin with, it was not bad publicity; it was a real account of the events that took place by a group of greedy and ill-intentioned individuals guided by that piece of trash Puerto Rican mob wannabe who likes to play the Godfather role, something that he will never actually be.
The federal prosecutors told the court that the change of venue was not necessary because “The Review-Journal’s circulation covers only a small portion of the more than 2 million residents in the Las Vegas Valley and the majority of its stories will have been published long before the trial, the prosecutors wrote.”
We have been saying that for years and people think that it’s jealousy or envy but nothing is further from the truth; we are very realistic in our organization and are very well aware that we are only a weekly with a small circulation — but lots and lots of readers. Why? Because we are independent and we are not owned by anyone; as much as we appreciate and respect the few advertisers that we have, we are proud to say that our advertisers do not control our news department or our small team of investigators.
What makes our newspaper different than any other one is that we do not lie and we defend the people’s rights at any cost.
Not too long ago during a visit to one of our judges’ chambers, a young lady that we respect and admire very much was upset with me first, and then with the newspaper because we wrote something that she considered in bad taste.
I explained to her that what we wrote was in part our feelings for her because she was being used by a group looking to benefit their own friend, not her.
That young lady told me that she was under the impression that I am friends with one of the attorneys and I was very proud to remind her in front of everyone in that chamber that my friends are the people of Las Vegas, the truth, and the constitutional rights of all. “Just because I am friends with him [the attorney], does not give him the right to use you because you do not deserve it; you are a very good young lady, and hard-working, and a good attorney [like him] you do not need, if he’s out to use you,” I told her. And the only reason that I do not mention her name is because I did not ask her for permission to mention her.
Just because I may be friends with someone doesn’t mean that I am going to hide when they do something that hurts the community, and promoting a bad candidate is not serving the community right.
I have been of the opinion that the HOA trial is not going to go anywhere because the sleaze manipulator of the whole charade, Leon Benzer, will be able to work out a deal with the government and walk out of the federal courthouse a free man; con men have the ability to make others believe “their good intentions” and always have “something to offer” that only benefits them.
That is the way the system works; and never forget the trial of Steve Cino and Bobby Panaro: nineteen people were arrested, a few went to trial and only three ended up doing time in a federal penitentiary because all the others — or most of them — made deals with the feds.
In the justice system, in Las Vegas anyways, the more one talks the less time, if any, one does, and that is what is going to happen with the HOA trial: very few will do time and Leon Benzer will be walking out of the courthouse all by himself a free man because that is how justice works in Nevada.
*****
Why was I not surprised to see a discrepancy in the reelection campaign of Judge Doug Smith? We warned our readers why they ought not reelect Judge Smith, but the dubious electoral system in our jurisdiction won the fight.
On the night of November 4, I was stunned to learn that Judge Smith had won the reelection bid over his challenger, Christine Guerci-Nyhus, who is well qualified, honest, fair and does not discriminate.
That is a good example of why the Las Vegas Tribune does not endorse candidates anymore; we write good articles about candidates whom we believe will do good on the job; we try to ignore the candidates that we know are not good for the position they are running for because the less we mention their names, the less publicity we give to those bad candidates, the better off the voters will be.
Who would ever have thought that a judicial candidate that has almost one hundred cases in the Supreme Court, including thirty-five that have already been reversed, and others that have been given to other judges to handle because of an obvious display of discrimination in open court, could possibly win another term on the bench?
* * * * *
Marion Barry, former mayor of Washington, DC and a member of the city council, died last week and the notice appeared in the news on Sunday.
His name will pass into history, reminding everyone he was a four-term mayor who could have added on another term if he would have wanted to.
Mayor Barry was loved by the majority of the citizens in DC; to many he was like a hero, their idol, because he was a man that put the people first, before anything.
Barry was 78 years old and leaves behind a wife and a son.
My name is Rolando Larraz, and as always, I approved this column. Rolando Larraz is Editor in Chief of the Las Vegas Tribune. His column
appears weekly in this newspaper. To contact Rolando Larraz, email him at: Rlarraz@lasvegastribune.com or at 702-868-NEWS (6397)
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button I tell the truth always; even when I “lie,” I tell the truth
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email I tell the truth always; even when I “lie,” I tell the truth Email
↧

The Gonzales Story Continues: Gonzales’ mother and Attorney Denise Gallagher

November 27, 2014, 4:35 pm
$
0
0
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button The Gonzales Story Continues: Gonzales’ mother and Attorney Denise Gallagher
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email The Gonzales Story Continues: Gonzales’ mother and Attorney Denise Gallagher Email
Part Four in a Series
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Dep of Radiology 231x300 The Gonzales Story Continues: Gonzales’ mother and Attorney Denise GallagherImage may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Check Birth Certificate 1 231x300 The Gonzales Story Continues: Gonzales’ mother and Attorney Denise GallagherGonzales had sent off for a copy of her birth certificate so that she could get a Nevada license on July 9, but the State of New Mexico, where she was born, had been slow in responding to that request.
There was a copy of said request, but it was not present in the courtroom at the time of the assumption. The birth certificate did not arrive until weeks later.
So Gonzales remained incarcerated, while her family continued to pay rent on an empty apartment. Apparently the CPS and LVMPD “angels of mercy” do not extend their consideration to the well-being of family pets, as Gonzales’ Shih Tzu, Oreo, was left in the apartment alone for several days following her arrest.
August 19, Gonzales’ mother and Family Court Attorney Denise Gallagher have a phone conversation in which Gallagher states that no one really believed that Rhiannon hurt her baby on purpose. She went on to say that she and Family Court District Attorney Maria Cleveland had agreed to change the charge language to read neglect, instead of abuse.
Gonzales was to plead no contest, agree to parenting classes and when completed she would get her baby back. This was initiated under the assumption that the outcome of family court would have an impact on the criminal case. As Gallagher explained it, abuse was a felony but neglect could have been a misdemeanor.
Gallagher also mentioned that CPS thought that Gonzales had been “turning tricks” to support herself because she didn’t have a job or public benefits. Mother commented that they should have just asked how she was supporting herself and she would have told them she was getting help from family and the children’s fathers. She added that they would be happy to provide documentation if anyone wished to see it.
Denise Gallagher was not able to make family court on August 22 due to a death in the family. No one from CPS showed up either. But Eugene’s attorney, Christopher Tilman, was there to inform everyone elsepresent that Eugene had passed his polygraph test. Family Court District  Attorney Maria Cleveland stated that as soon as she got the official paperwork saying as such, she would dismiss his case. It was agreed that he would participate in the next court date scheduled for September 5 by phone, so he wouldn’t have to make another trip to Las Vegas.
August 27, preliminary hearing, criminal court, both Piro and Rinetti ask for continuances. John Piro tells Gonzales’ mother that he is having difficulty getting ahold of Williams. Only Williams could place Gonzales in the front doorway of the apartment, obstructed from view of the bedroom, at the time that the accident occurred. Gonzales’ mother then texts Williams and gets a response. The response states that she means no disrespect but they have been instructed not to speak with anyone regarding the case. Later, Gonzales’ mother runs into Brittany while walking their dogs. Williams clarifies that the instructions came from Paula Moore. Moore told them to be prepared, as they may be called in to testify against Gonzales. Williams added that she was employed by the School District and could not afford to get involved in these types of situations.
Strangely enough, CPS was not interested in the statements of Pamela Isaacs or Remy Samuel because they did not incriminate Gonzales. Moore
did try to contact the accusing doctor, Jason Garber, who told her that he was busy and that she should just do her job — bottom line, this kid was abused!” Paula Moore’s job had been made exponentially easier with the plethora of defamations she was provided by Kyrene Williams, the disgruntled babysitter; and augmented by Dr Natalie Darro’s askew corroborations, which included her jubilant conveying of a new allegation of “shaken baby syndrome.” Darro had been suffering from a bruised ego ever since a phone conversation with Gonzales’mother, who was inquiring about their baby’s condition, the night of the accident. With such over-enthusiastic cohorts, one might understand why Moore would not bother to read all of the medical reports or visit the scene of the accident for herself.
One such hearsay was repeated by CPS Investigator Paula Moore to Gonzales’ attorney John Piro, alleging that, per Kyrene Williams, Gonzales and Williams had smoked crack together. It was obviously hearsay because Moore never included it in her own CPS reports against Gonzales. She simply passed the gossip along. Gonzales’ mother questioned Gonzales about the allegation. Gonzales admitted that she did know that Williams smoked pot and had instructed her not to while babysitting, but that if she had any idea that Williams was doing other drugs, she would never have let her watch her children. Iyanna further substantiated that Williams and Gonzales were never alone together, without her being present.
September 12, Family Court, presided by Honorable Judge Robert Teuton. Eugene’s charges were dismissed completely. The language on Gonzales’ charges were changed from “abuse” to “while in her care, this accident occurred,” stipulated that she implement a plan of action together with Child Protective Services and that Elgin was to be placed with family. Everything as promised by family court attorney Denise Gallagher. Gonzales’ criminal court attorney, John Piro, was also present at family court on September 12, 2013.
September 13, Criminal Court, Gonzales’ Attorney John Piro arrives with co-counsel, Ryan Bashor. Present are Gonzales’ mother, daughter Iyanna, Iyanna’s father Jamal and Grandmother Karla. Piro has prepared another motion to appeal to the judge, one more time, to release Gonzales — either on her own recognizance or house arrest or to lower her bail. In this motion he included the 10 character reference letters that had been sent to CPS in July, plus a letter to Judge Sullivan from Gonzales’ mother which included a cancelled check to the NM Dept of Vital Statistics requesting Gonzales’ birth certificate, as exhibits.
Next week:  DA Dena Rinetti describes Elgin’s medical condition.
 
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button The Gonzales Story Continues: Gonzales’ mother and Attorney Denise Gallagher
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email The Gonzales Story Continues: Gonzales’ mother and Attorney Denise Gallagher Email
↧

Ferguson Grand Jury

December 4, 2014, 1:14 am
$
0
0
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button Ferguson Grand Jury
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email Ferguson Grand Jury Email

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. A Ferguson riot Ferguson Grand JuryOnce again the Las Vegas Tribune has been proven to be right and the newspaper credibility goes up writing true stories that no other publication publishes.
Last week the newspaper pointed out that federal prosecutors, without knowing it, proved Las Vegas Tribune right when it said that the daily newspaper, Las Vegas Review-Journal, is not as well read as it tries to make people believe.
Federal prosecutors in their efforts to convince a federal judge not to grant the motion to move the HOA trial out of the Las Vegas jurisdiction because of the bad publicity by the media, especially by the Review-Journal, may jeopardize a fair trial for the defendants.
“The Review-Journal’s circulation covers only a small portion of the more than 2 million residents in the Las Vegas Valley and the majority of its stories will have been published long before the trial,” the prosecutors wrote.
We have been saying that for years and some people may think that it’s jealousy or envy but nothing is farther from the truth; we are very realistic in our organization and are very well aware that we are only a weekly with a small circulation — but lots and lots of readers.
And now the Ferguson, Missouri Grand Jury also proves us to be right when a representative of the Las Vegas Tribune spoke at a Clark County Commissioners meeting and told the commissioners how lucky they are for living in Clark County because the Black community does not have any leaders and they will never protest any of the injustices the black residents receive from law enforcements, elected officials and judicial officials. As expected, there were protesters everywhere after a grand jury in Missouri did not indict a police officer in the death of a black man that had just robbed a family grocery store in Ferguson, and was about to be arrested.
There were protesters in Atlanta, Georgia; Boston, Massachusetts; in New York City, Oakland and Los Angeles, California; but again, no demonstration and no protests in Las Vegas, Nevada.
While other cities had one to two thousand people parade in their major streets Las Vegas had fewer than thirty people watching the results on their cell phones in front of Dr. Martin Luther King’s statue at the corner of Martin Luther King and Cary Boulevard.
Another eleven people were at Fremont Street, but no noise was made and the NAACP of Nevada was absent at both events as it was only the Urban League, the Urban Chamber of Commerce and some pastor or representative of a black community church.
There may not be any merit in protesting or demonstrating the results of the grand jury’s finding in the shooting of a man that just robbed a family grocery store and was caught doing so on the store surveillance camera.
However, the point is that what we have been saying for a very long time is being proven again, one more time, because those self-proclaimed black leaders are too busy fraternizing with public officials of any race, playing the role of a “well connected” member of the black community.
On that day at the County Commissioners meeting the head of the NAACP in Nevada and former City Council, Frank Hawkins Jr, was sitting in the audience accompanied by the head of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association (LVPPA), Chris Collins.
Ironically, the LVPPA, the police union that represents the rank and file of the department, later hired Detective Bryan Yant, who had killed a young black man that was naked in the bathroom of the apartment he shared with his pregnant girlfriend, and no black leader or any member of the community protested or demonstrated that horrible assassination of Trevon Cole.
Hawkins took offense to our statement of the black community having no leader and told us to mind our own business; we had to remind the
NAACP “leader” that we did not hear him complaining when we defended him when he was about to be entrapped for having a “private dance” by an underage stripper.
The history of black unarmed people being abused by local law enforcement doesn’t apply only to the present administration; there was also the Charles Bush murder by two police detectives.
Bush, a casino floor supervisor, was home sleeping when two police detectives illegally forced their way into his home and shocked him; no outrage from the community, no punishment to the badge-carrying, gun-holding culprits, and everything was just “business as usual” with no complaints filed and no apologies by the administration and most definitely no grand jury investigation — but the murder cost Clark
County residents over one million dollars in a settlement.
It is a well kept secret — only to those who are blindfolded and refuse to accept the fact — that Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department ranked third, behind Houston and Chicago, in officer-involved shootings per capita and is out of control.
Google and other media organizations’ reports show that during the period 1990 to 2011, the department reported 310 shooting incidents,
115 of them fatal; but Las Vegas will never be another Ferguson, Missouri. Although the local population is less than ten percent Black, about a third of those shot by the police are Black.
Maybe the national news is not publicizing the murders of young Black people in Clark County because the community as a whole is not making enough noise to attract the interest of the networks and the national press corps.
In less than a decade several Blacks were killed by police and few of them were minors or about the same age as Michael Brown, the teen
killed by police in Ferguson, who has been in the news for weeks now due to the publicity created by riots in that small city protesting
Brown’s shooting.
On 12 December 2011, Officer Jesus Arevalo shot and killed Stanley Gibson in a standoff at an apartment complex after misinterpreting the
orders of a superior that had just arrived at the scene.
Arevalo, a minority police officer, ended up being fired while the supervisor that gave the confusing order is still in the department and Detective Bryan Yant, after murdering an unarmed Black man was promoted to Executive Director of the police union as a favor to the
newly elected sheriff, Joe Lombardo, who was Yant’s boss when the murder occurred.
Under no circumstances do we want to instigate protests from the Black community of Clark County. We just wonder where the help is from Black figures in the nation, figures such as President Obama, Jessie Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton, and the Justice Department — especially
when Veteran Stanley Gibson was killed under the Obama administration.
The Black community of Clark County also deserves recognition from those supposed leaders, because the NAACP will just not give what they need.
My name is Rolando Larraz, and as always, I approved this column.
* * * * *
Rolando Larraz is Editor in Chief of the Las Vegas Tribune. His column appears weekly in this newspaper. To contact Rolando Larraz, email himat: Rlarraz@lasvegastribune.com or at 702-868-NEWS (6397)

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button Ferguson Grand Jury
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email Ferguson Grand Jury Email
↧
↧

The Rhiannon Gonzales Story: DA Dena Rinetti describes Elgin’s medical condition

December 4, 2014, 1:34 am
$
0
0
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button The Rhiannon Gonzales Story: DA Dena Rinetti describes Elgin’s medical condition
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email The Rhiannon Gonzales Story: DA Dena Rinetti describes Elgin’s medical condition Email
Part Five in a Series
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Rhiannon Gonzales 2011 201x300 The Rhiannon Gonzales Story: DA Dena Rinetti describes Elgin’s medical conditionCriminal Court on Tuesday, May 13, was not the triumph that it was originally scheduled to be. Instead of Willis reporting that he had released Gonzales from House Arrest and restitution had been made, he was reciting a list of the parole violations committed by Gonzales.
Willis stated that Gonzales was in violation for failure to report, as well as violations regarding controlled substances, directives and conduct.
May 15, two women from the Parole and Probation Department, one of whom was Parole and Probation Specialist Terra Kolpak, went to see Gonzales at Clark County Detention Center and informed her of the options available to her if she admitted to having a drug problem.
They clarified that many who have opted for the “Drug Court” after having violated probation were able to get their probation reinstated.
On May 15, Gonzales waived her rights to a preliminary hearing, requesting her case go directly to court.
June 3, 2014, Criminal Court, presided over once again by Honorable District Court Judge Valerie Adair. Chief Deputy District Attorney Dena Rinetti, wearing stiletto heels and towering over the diminutive Probation Officer R. Willis, swears Willis in. Willis reports that on May 7 Gonzales refused to submit to a drug test, on May 8 she failed to report and on May 9 she was administered a drug test which showed positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine. Invoking the search clause Gonzales’ phone was discovered in her car. In the phone text messages were discovered that indicated that Ms Gonzales was selling controlled substances. Willis did admit that up to that point she had always tested clean and that he was just about to allow visits with her daughter.
In addition, Willis stated, “there was a video on Gonzales’ phone of a baby, who has just been identified as her son, and her daughter, with
Gonzales’ voice in the background, which showed that she had not adhered to her stipulation of ‘no contact’.” In actuality, the video
had been sent to Gonzales by her daughter, taken at her grandmother’s house, and it was Gonzales’ mother’s voice that was heard in the
background.
Willis never spoke again as Rinetti took over, ultimately demanding a prison sentence for Gonzales. Gonzales admitted to having done drugs, but not to selling them. John Piro pointed out that Gonzales had been under an enormous amount of stress, including financial. He told of her inability to complete a 40-hour work week due to her probation commitments, thus disqualifying her from being paid any of her earned commissions. He told of her recent car trouble, shutting off of utilities, not being able to see the doctor because the facility
required payment at time of service, concluding that this entire ordeal must have been extremely difficult to handle, and she finally
broke. Piro asked that she be placed into a drug rehabilitation program.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Judge Adear 300x165 The Rhiannon Gonzales Story: DA Dena Rinetti describes Elgin’s medical condition

Rinetti dropped the bombshell, “And she’s pregnant!” There was complete silence for a split second. Then Judge Valerie Adair
pronounced “Probation Revoked” and stood up and left the courtroom

But then Rinetti dropped the bombshell, “And she’s pregnant!” There was complete silence for a split second. Then Judge Valerie Adair
pronounced “Probation Revoked” and stood up and left the courtroom in disgust, as did Gonzales’ family, who were dumbfounded at the
revelation.
Afterward, when Gonzales was visited by her family, she reported that she was not pregnant, saying that she too was just as surprised to
hear that as anyone else. She pointed out that if she were pregnant she would not be able to get accepted to the Fire Camp that she had
learned about and had already planned to request.
Today Rhiannon Gonzales, an inmate of the Nevada Prison System, is part of a crew of the Nevada Fire Forestry Division, working on fires, floods and forestry projects. In order to be accepted she had a rigorous test to pass and could not have any write-ups against her.
Apparently Gonzales was not pregnant. She earns $1.00 an hour when they are working on a project, and $1.00 a day when they are not. She sees a therapist and attends church services regularly. She has still not been approved any visitors since her arrival at the Florence
McClure Women’s Facility on June 17, prior to being reassigned to the facility that staffs the Forestry Division. On September 26, 2014, her mother spoke to Rhonda Larsen of Family Services for Nevada Department of Corrections, to inquire about getting permission for the children to visit. Ms Larsen found that there were visitation restrictions with Gonzales’ children placed by the Nevada Department of Corrections. She then told Gonzales’ mother which form to instruct Gonzales to request so that she can appeal the restrictions.
The children are both healthy and as happy as can be expected, living in Southern California. Iyanna is currently on the volleyball and
drill teams at school and, like both her parents, writes lyrics/poetry, and she studies ballet. She also plays basketball and is the star of her softball team. Thankfully, Elgin is in perfect health. He is an extremely bright boy, who already shows signs of excelling at basketball and soccer, he attends a weekly story time at the library, a child development class with his caregiver once a week and will soon be joining a sports league for toddlers. They are being raised by their fathers, grandparents and an excellent caregiver for Elgin. They love each other very much; but Iyanna still misses her mother tremendously and Elgin does not even know his.
One wonders how this situation ever escalated to the point that it did. Could it be possible that the powers that be in Las Vegas, Nevada
employ such inept humans that they cannot even interpret a medical report correctly? Is it that they have too much of a case load to
actually pay attention? Or is this simply a case of female bullying, a group of women taking a dislike to another woman? — although it is
appalling to think that anyone, especially in a professional capacity, could be so malicious.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Dena Rinetti, who will apparently stop at nothing to build her career stats, is the epitome of the proverbial
saying “If she had brains she would be dangerous.” Rinetti has been awarded enormous power with no accountability. She has demonstrated how much disregard she has for the state’s resources by all that was wasted on this case. But let’s face it: the judicial and prison systems are big money-making businesses.
Because the CPS workers involved in this case were not licensed, the family was not able to file any formal complaints against them. One
wonders what exactly was going on in the mind of Child Development Specialist Violeta Menjivar, as there were no previous calls made
against Gonzales, and her children displayed none of the behavior signs usually associated with abused children. Quite the contrary; in
fact, could it be as simple as the fact that even though Gonzales is Latina, she does not speak Spanish? Or the fact that her children are
half Black?
Several attempts were made to contact Lisa Ruiz-Lee, Department of Family Services Director, for comment, but all were ignored. It should
be noted that Lisa Ruiz-Lee, an advocate for the department’s use of psychotropic medications, was instrumental in bringing about the
implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning System between the Clark County Judicial System, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police
Department, Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada and University Medical Center — which includes Children’s Hospital Nevada.
This seemingly logical implementation of resources would be the impetus that created the police state that brought the burden to bear for Gonzales and her two children.
If there is one thing to be learned from this, it is this: Never believe that something like this cannot happen to you. This was the last thing that this family would have ever imagined having to live through. Gonzales’ life plans were that of her protecting needy children, not of serving time in prison for child abuse.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button The Rhiannon Gonzales Story: DA Dena Rinetti describes Elgin’s medical condition
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email The Rhiannon Gonzales Story: DA Dena Rinetti describes Elgin’s medical condition Email
↧

In last Monday’s inquest, I counted only five people and no police officers.

December 10, 2014, 10:58 pm
$
0
0
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button In last Monday’s inquest, I counted only five people and no police officers.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email In last Monday’s inquest, I counted only five people and no police officers. Email
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. CCCI In last Monday’s inquest, I counted only five people and no police officers.Attorney Mace Yampolsky starts his column in the Las Vegas Tribune this week by explaining that “Everyone has been asking me why the grand jury didn’t indict the cop that killed an unarmed man in Ferguson.” And I wonder again and again how long we are going to keep talking about other cities while our own victims of police and judicial abuse keep being ignored.
It makes it look like everything is fine and dandy in our beautiful Las Vegas — the “country” where people come on vacation and leave on probation — when nothing is further from the truth. In fact, if you think I’m a person with a “conspiracy theory mentally,” like your outgoing sheriff likes to refer to me, read From the Desk of Gordon Martines on the front page of this week’s edition of the Las Vegas Tribune.
At least Martines is on the same page that I am; he talks on his radio show every Tuesday and Thursday at eleven in the morning at our studio (radiotribune.com, and this is not a commercial for his radio show), and every week he writes about the victims of our present police system and the problems and concerns of our local residents.
One would think that as a successful local attorney appearing in local courts on a daily basis, Mace would have many interesting local stories to write about, but why doesn’t he? Well, I can tell you why.
Take a look at the infamous coroner’s inquest that for years has been the laughing stock of the district attorneys office and police administration to the point where they had to change its designation to some very long tiresome name that no one can remember and many do not even pay any attention to any more.
Just last Monday, at the County Commission Chamber, there was one of  those “shows” (with that new, big long name that’s replaced the one we all know) going on. I was watching it in my office, but about an hour into the show I decided to go there and ask some questions of some of the people involved in the charade. Unfortunately, by the time I had driven the five minutes from my office to the County building, the whole thing had ended.
While watching the inquest in my office, I noticed the lack of attendees; not even police officers were there; no one representing police administrators that I could recognize, and at the back of the room sitting all by himself, there was the newly re-elected district attorney, Steve Wolfson.
I remember a few years back when the room was full of police officers, some in plainclothes but displaying their guns and their badges above their huge bellies — courtesy of Blueberry Hill restaurants — to intimidate the witnesses and the family of the person they murdered.
In last Monday’s inquest, I counted only five people and no police officers.
At my arrival to the “show,” I was told by a county spokesperson that the event was over, and I was surprised to learn that there is no longer a (however false) ruling. I asked what the ruling was, and was told that there are no longer rulings; “they just hear the facts and that is it,” the county spokesperson told me, and continued hosting the crew of a local television station that I interrupted with my question.
If there is no ruling, why waste the money on creating such a spectacle? Why insult the people’s intelligence making a few of them believe that something different will come of it?
This coroner’s inquest, police fatality review process, or whatever they want to call it, is nothing but a sham and needs to be eliminated; we can then give that money to help the homeless get off the streets. The new name alone is a complete disrespect for the community; they call it a “public review panel,” but there is no public input or questions, only an ombudsman representing the public and probably asking only the questions the district attorney’s office allows him to ask.
There is the case of the woman with a medical marijuana card that lost custody of her children because a deputy district attorney showed up at the woman’s doctor’s office and prohibited her from testifying in court on behalf of her patient. Do you think that the doctor will stick to her original statement? Think again!
There is also the case of a doctor who received a visit from a police officer who told him that he had to change his statement because with
the doctor’s statement the way it was they (the police) would not have a case and the parolee would walk.
There is also the case where the police wanted people to “create,” “fabricate,” or “whatever you want to call it” information about a target they wanted to crucify.
Can you imagine a local attorney fighting for the client’s rights in court? Of course not! It never happens, not even with those attorneys that are considered high profile attorneys — expensive attorneys that charge a good chunk of money and as soon as the check clears (if there is a check; sometimes they require cash only) they give the “good news” to the client that they were “able to convince the prosecutor to accept a deal for a lesser charge” and they can walk.
Attorneys do not tell their clients that it is THE PROSECUTOR who offers the deal because they want the client to think they are working on the client’s behalf for a better outcome. Attorneys in Las Vegas DO NOT believe that their client is innocent; they assume that everyone is guilty and the police do not lie so the prosecutors are humble enough to offer a deal.
It’s been my humble opinion that attorneys in Las Vegas do not know how to walk into a courtroom and fight for the clients; in fact, sometimes they do not even know the client until they show up in court and start paging their client, paid up or not.
One time I was sitting in a restaurant with my dear friend, the late Bucky Buchanan, and a man approached me asking me if I knew a good local attorney. I told the man that it all depends on what he needs a lawyer for. I told him if it is for anything from a parking ticket to a traffic violation, any attorney in Las Vegas will do. But for criminal or felony charges, not so, unless he wanted to plead guilty to whatever the prosecutor decides for the client.
What the attorney does not tell the client is that what he is paying for is a legal band-aid, for getting him out of his present trouble, guilty or not, but he will still have a criminal record and then he’ll have to pay extra to the attorney to clean up his record which was created by the attorney’s bad advice in the first place. Wait… let me back up a little: it is not to clean up the record; it is ONLY to seal the record to fulfill the ego of society and to blindfold the client’s concern for his/her reputation because the police keep the client’s record for future reference, just in case they need to “blackmail” that client if they need certain information or a door-opener in some other case.
What really bothers me is when people tell me that I may have a point in what I am saying, but our system is still the best system in world.
Really???
My name is Rolando Larraz, and as always, I approved this column.
* * * * *
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button In last Monday’s inquest, I counted only five people and no police officers.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email In last Monday’s inquest, I counted only five people and no police officers. Email
↧
Search

Rhiannon Gonzales Story Continues: DA Rinetti describes Elgin’s medical condition

December 10, 2014, 11:46 pm
$
0
0
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button Rhiannon Gonzales Story Continues: DA Rinetti describes Elgin’s medical condition
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email Rhiannon Gonzales Story Continues: DA Rinetti describes Elgin’s medical condition Email
Part Six in a Series
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Baby and mom 300x225 Rhiannon Gonzales Story Continues: DA Rinetti describes Elgin’s medical conditionTo hear DA Dena Rinetti describe Elgin’s medical condition, one could only imagine the poor baby is still at Death’s doorstep. The saving grace for the family was that by this time they had become quite friendly with the Dalton’s, Elgin’s foster family, so they had been privy to his recovery. It had just been learned that the ophthalmologist had found his eyesight to be perfect, which was in direct contrast to Rinetti’s contentions that he would be permanently blind resulting from the alleged “shaken baby” incident.
Paula Moore had relaxed restrictions to the point where she allowed the families to contact each other freely and to meet elsewhere than at Child Haven. Gonzales was also able to call and speak to her baby and foster family from Clark County Detention Center. If not for those facts, for Gonzales and her family to hear the vicious accusations that were hurled at Gonzales, compounded with exaggerations of the baby’s medical condition described in Rinetti’s outrageous performance, it would have been devastating. Rinetti stressed that the baby suffered a midline shift, indicating that she never read the final report from the hospital dated 7/16/2013, which clearly stated: “Previously noted midline shift has resolved.” Rinetti’s vehemence went so far as to say that Gonzales was just lucky she wasn’t being tried for murder.
Judge Sullivan would never see the motion prepared by John Piro, as Rinetti had an Alford Plea to present to Gonzales and her attorneys.
In addition, it was quite obvious that Rinetti and Judge Sullivan were friends, laughing together during the “off” periods; and it was obvious the honorable judge was annoyed at the defense side for taking so long after having been presented with said plea. It had to be decided whether or not to even consider, as taking a plea would be seen as an admission of guilt — although it would equally admit to being very, very scared for your life and that of your family.
The circumstances leading to the Alford Plea were as follows: If Gonzales chose to go to trial and were to lose, she could get anywhere from a two- to 20-year prison sentence, with absolutely no chance whatsoever of probation, plus no lowering of bail. Her jury trial date might not come up for another year and she would remain incarcerated until then. It was also pointed out to her that jurors may not have any sympathy for a person with a charge of child abuse. If she chose to accept the Alford Plea, her bail would go back down to $10,000.00, so she would instead be under house arrest for the next four months until her sentencing date. During four months on house arrest she would be able to look for a job, work, and take her CPS classes; plus, there existed the possibility of being granted probation; or, worst case scenario, one to six years in prison. Her attorneys believed that with her lack of a past record, provided she did everything that she was supposed to do, she stood a good chance of getting probation.
Gonzales was given six days to decide. John Piro then asked Judge Diane Sullivan about visitation with her children during the four months of house arrest. Sullivan answered that Gonzales could have visits with her daughter through CPS, but was to have no contact at all with her baby, per Rinetti’s petition. This was also the day that Gonzales would share that unexpected shackled hug in the courtroom, with her daughter, Iyanna, after Judge Sullivan had left the courtroom. Earlier, 11-year-old Iyanna had been interrogated by Rinetti completely alone in the DA’s office until Piro learned what was going on and intervened on behalf of the child. John Piro, who had expressed to Gonzales’ mother at their first meeting that Gonzales could very well be the first innocent person that he ever had to defend, had tears streaming down his face as he exited the courtroom that day.
Also on September 13, Dena Rinetti amended the original charge of child abuse to now read: Child Abuse, Neglect or Endangerment, all classified as felonies. Gonzales, faced with the unjust choice of taking a plea bargain for a crime that she did not commit, or going to prison for several years, after already having been incarcerated for 57 days, agreed to accept the plea. Humiliating, yes, but somehow the better option when presented with no valid choice at all. The ultimate goal being to reunite with her children in the least amount of time. Bail was posted on September 20, but she was still not released from custody until Friday, September 27, 2013. Her sentencing date was set for January 23, 2014, two days after her 33rd birthday. It was obvious that the baby would have to be present in criminal court on sentencing day.
On Monday, September 30, Gonzales reported to LVMPD House Arrest Division to get her ankle monitor put on and be oriented on the parameters of her new situation. She learned that she will pay $360.00 a month for the privilege of being on house arrest. Her family agreed to cover her rent through sentencing date so that she can work to pay her house arrest and other associated fees that she will be facing.
Gonzales’ mother sends an email to Megan Dalton, Elgin’s foster mother, via Sherrie Litman, their new CPS caseworker, letting her know that Rhiannon was not allowed to have any contact with either her baby, or with them, for the next four months. The email was sent through Litman to reciprocate the respect that Litman had already shown the family by providing updates about Elgin. The wheels had already been set in motion to reunite Elgin with his family; and Litman and Gonzales had developed a case plan for his reunification with Gonzales on September 23, 2013.
In early October Gonzales began a job in telemarketing with Quality Blend, a company that distributes HGH Extreme, earning only commission. On November 11 she began another full-time telemarketing job at AGR Group, soliciting options of energy providers, which paid $9.00 an hour plus commission. Her work hours were perfect: 6:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., allowing her time to make all her classes and scheduled appointments. She continued to work for Quality Blend on the weekends.
She began her Nurturing Parents and Families class, which was required by CPS, and also took a class focused on raising teenagers. She kept
very busy and actually made a few work friends.
October 2013 — Gonzales appears at Family Court with the above update. Presiding Family Court Judge Robert Teuton, upon hearing the visitation stipulations placed on Gonzales in criminal court, suggests drafting a motion to present to criminal court that might allow Gonzales to have visitations with her baby, who was then 10 months old and healthy. It was agreed by Family Court Deputy District Attorney Maria Cleveland. Cleveland would later come back to advise that perhaps it was not in Gonzales’ best interest to pursue the visitation matter any further. Although it was not stated as such, the message this sent was that Chief Deputy District Attorney Dena Rinetti was not a human being to be reasoned with. John Piro had also tried to reason with Rinetti, via email, before the initial hearing ever took place, and which said email she acknowledged having read.
Next week: Gonzales meets with court affiliated Psychologist
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button Rhiannon Gonzales Story Continues: DA Rinetti describes Elgin’s medical condition
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email Rhiannon Gonzales Story Continues: DA Rinetti describes Elgin’s medical condition Email
↧

LVMPD investigates court

December 10, 2014, 11:59 pm
$
0
0
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button LVMPD investigates court
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email LVMPD investigates court Email
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Family Court Building 2 LVMPD investigates courtNovember 2011, LVMPD conducted an investigation into the Eighth Judicial District (Clark County) Courts. The three-year-old LVMPD report was court-ordered released.
The report details that LVMPD initiated the investigation by contacting the staff attorney for the Clark County courts, attorney Jillian Prieto. Attorney Prieto advised LVMPD that Eighth Judicial District Court Family Division takes pictures of victims’ batteries for documentation in Temporary Protection Order case files. Attorney Prieto also advised those pictures were destroyed by Wendy Wilkinson, a clerk of the court.
After learning of Clerk Wilkinson’s destruction of evidence of abuse victims, LVMPD contacted Wendy Wilkinson. Ms. Wilkinson conceded to the destruction, detailing how she destroyed the victim’s evidence.
Ms. Wilkinson’s shredding the evidence did not explain why she shred the evidence. When asked, Ms. Wilkinson volunteered she shred the evidence because the evidence is “the property of the family courts.”
A review of the victims’ files shows no photographs of batteries to the victims. Inserted into the cases’ files, in lieu of the photographs, was one of two documents. They read: “This Document Has Illegible Copies” and “This File Has Pages That Are Illegible Upon Receipt Of The Filing Of The Document. Pages are Scanned/Filmed At The Best Quality Achieved At This Time.”
The Clark County Justice Courts, under the legal counsel of staff attorney Joseph Tommasino, proceed differently than District Courts. Justice Court files do not contain the inserts in lieu of photographs because Temporary Protection Order case files are destroyed under State of Nevada Supreme Court Minimum Records Retention Schedule for Justice Courts. Rule 31 of the Schedule establishes the file only be kept for two years.
Why destroy criminal evidence at all?
June 3, 2010, then Nevada Supreme Court Chief Justice Hardesty and Justice Cherry met with Clark County courts’ attorneys Joseph Tommasino and Jillian Prieto in a public forum.
The public expressed their concerns over the District and Justice courts destroying evidence of abuse to victims. The evidence destroyed included pictures of batteries to children. Without the picture evidence of the battered children, children were court-ordered to their abusers by both the District and Justice courts.
The meeting resulted in attorneys Tommasino and Prieto named to a subcommittee. Both, however, gave no testimony to either the destruction of child abuse case files or the destruction of photographs of batteries to the children.
State of Nevada Attorney General Steps In
In 2013, Attorney General Catherine Cortez-Masto sponsored SB (Senate Bill) 27. In that same year the Nevada Administrative Offices of the Courts sponsored SB 57. The two bills merged and were passed into law effective July 2013.
The amended law provides for the Attorney General to provide defense counsel for the numerous government persons who know of Clerk
Wilkinson’s destruction of evidence.
Prior to the signing of merged SB 27 and 57 into law, attorneys Prieto and Tommasino qualified to provide defense counsel to the government employees. Either way, attorney Prieto will not be serving as counsel and she has left the employ of the Clark County courts.employees
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button LVMPD investigates court
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email LVMPD investigates court Email
↧
↧

I was welcomed at the door by two Capos of the Sardelli clan

December 18, 2014, 2:37 pm
$
0
0
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button I was welcomed at the door by two Capos of the Sardelli clan
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email I was welcomed at the door by two Capos of the Sardelli clan Email

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Nelson Sardelli I was welcomed at the door by two Capos of the Sardelli clan Last week I was summed to the Italian American Club by the Godfather of the FIORE Social Club, Don Vito Nelson Sardelli, and I was too worried to ask too many questions, but I was told that I was to participate in a “sit-down meeting” with the Italians and non-Italian members of the non club FIORE Club.
I was pleasantly surprised when I was welcomed at the door by two Capos of the Sardelli clan that I knew from before and I felt safe around them; I assumed that the “incident” I had been thinking about could not be too drastic because I could see Godfather Sardelli on the stage having a good time as always; he seemed happy and relaxed.
There were at least three hundred people in the room, which made me more at ease because nothing could happen to me in front of three hundred witnesses, right?
I sat quietly at a table with a beautiful young lady and her no less beautiful and elegant mother, hoping that I would be safe among them in case anything were to happen. Godfather Sardelli approached the table I was sitting at, dressed all in black with a white tie and no fedora hat, and warned me that he would be calling me soon.
Finally, the moment came when I heard my name called over the microphone to approach the stage where Don Nelson was with one of his trusted lieutenants, comedian Peter Anthony.
I was at ease because I figured that if they were to harm me in any way, they would not do it in the open, on a stage with so many witnesses.
Nelson spoke for about five minutes and I heard my name mentioned a few times; Peter Anthony tapped me on the shoulder (like Sheriff  Gillespie did to newly elected Sheriff Joe Lombardo; no relation I was told to Joey Lombardo from New York) and I then saw this beautiful plaque with the FIORE logo and my name in big letters.
FIORE was honoring me for the second time for something that all of us at Las Vegas Tribune have done throughout the years, promoting and supporting their organization for all the good they do for the community, for getting involved and helping, in any way they can, those who already have given plenty to the community and to the nation as a whole, like the veterans.
This honor is taken very humbly by me and all the people that form the Las Vegas Tribune, yet is very proudly displayed on the walls of our office.
This recognition is as much for Donald H. Snook, our Production Manager who takes special care to make the FIORE page perfect every month, and the reporter that covers all the meetings of the FIORE Club, as it is for me.
I am honored to be the first person to be recognized by the FIORE Club, and this second recognition came as a surprise, but was well-received. In all fairness to the FIORE club, I need to point out that those more than three hundred people that were present at the FIORE monthly meeting were not there for my plaque presentation; they were there because that was their annual Christmas party; I was just an added treat for that event.
To the entire clan of FIORE, to the Patriarch of the Club, my friend of many years, Nelson Sardelli, thank you from the bottom of my heart… and Merry Christmas.
The FIORE event last Thursday reminded me of another event in 2004 when the first Italian Restaurant in the Entertainment District opened its doors.
Then-Councilman Larry Weekly was on hand to cut the ribbon of the new place and then-Mayor Oscar Goodman was present for officially opening the Entertainment District that Mayor Goodman worked so hard to implement.
Mayor Oscar Goodman had made the transition from so-called mob lawyer to public figure after winning the election as mayor of Las Vegas.
Right after the ribbon-cutting ceremony and after many handshakes with the people that love him, Mayor Goodman approached me and asked what my plans were for the night and that he’d like to take me for a ride to show me something. I told him that it was okay, and I noticed that he signaled Councilman Weekly, but I did not think much of it and we started walking to the front door.
The mayor’s car was parked at the front door and he got in on one side and I got in through the other door; the driver was already at the wheel and his assistant was next to him.
I was just getting comfortable when my door opened and a voice told me, “move in.” I had to move over, and then I was sandwiched in between the mob lawyer and a member of the Black community with two guys in the front seat that were double my size and probably wider than a refrigerator; and we were going to an unknown location without a chance to let anyone know that I was in the car with the mayor and a councilman from the city of Las Vegas; I thought I did not even have a chance to call my family and say good by.
It turned out that was the second First Friday event and Oscar wanted me to experience the happiness of the attendees; he told me that the First Friday will become part of downtown Las Vegas. As always, he was right — a decade later First Fridays have become like the once-a-year Mardi Gras in New Orleans, only in Las Vegas, it’s in monthly installments.
My name is Rolando Larraz, and as always, I approved this column.
* * * * *
Rolando Larraz is Editor in Chief of the Las Vegas Tribune. His column appears weekly in this newspaper. To contact Rolando Larraz, email him at: Rlarraz@lasvegastribune.com or at 702-868-NEWS (6397)

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button I was welcomed at the door by two Capos of the Sardelli clan
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email I was welcomed at the door by two Capos of the Sardelli clan Email
↧

Rhiannon Gonzales Story Continues: she meets with court affiliated psychologist

December 18, 2014, 8:55 pm
$
0
0
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button Rhiannon Gonzales Story Continues: she meets with court affiliated psychologist
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email Rhiannon Gonzales Story Continues: she meets with court affiliated psychologist Email
Part Seven of a Series
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Iyannas Elementary Graduat 1 300x225 Rhiannon Gonzales Story Continues: she meets with court affiliated psychologistOctober 22, Gonzales meets with court-affiliated psychologist Greg Harder for an evaluation to determine how likely she would be to re-offend. The term itself already implies that she is guilty of the offense, although having taken the plea, this assumption was to be expected. This interview, “based upon a currently accepted standard of assessment,” arrived at the conclusion that her risk for re-offending was “increased by the following factors: She had been arrested before for a minor crime. She did not take any responsibility for her criminal charges. She had minimal education.” Her risk was “decreased by the following factors: She has never been arrested for child abuse. She does not use drugs or alcohol. She is employed. She denied any history of domestic violence. Had never been on psychiatric medications or in a psychiatric hospital. Had no history of behavior problems in school. She denied ever being the victim of abuse or in foster care.” And yet, Harder’s recommendation was: “Based on the risk factors, she is a moderate risk for re-offending.” November 6, the family receives an email from caseworker Sherrie- Litman with photos of Elgin, courtesy of his foster family, and asks when they will be able to come to Las Vegas to pick him up. Glorious news for the family, but first they had to prepare their homes for a baby. November 14, Eugene goes through a final background check followed by a meeting between Eugene, Gonzales and Gonzales’ mother with Family Services Specialist Sherrie Litman to sign the final paperwork for his release. Elgin was officially released to the custody of his father on November 15 by Family Court Judge Robert Teuton. The Termination Order stated that visitation between baby Elgin and Gonzales was at the sole discretion of Eugene. However, because of the stipulation on visitation mandated by criminal court, the family felt it was in Gonzales’ long-term best interest not to run the risk of stopping by, even for a moment, so that she could see her baby. November 21, 2013, Attorney John Piro is concerned about Gonzales having to spend the holidays alone, so he put Gonzales back on court calendar to request permission for her to travel to Los Angeles to be with family. This time the matter is brought before Honorable Justice Court Judge Valerie Adair, a far superior human being than Diane Sullivan. Adair did not grant Gonzales permission to travel, but her reasoning behind the decision was logical. In addition, Dena Rinetti was not present in the courtroom that day; in her stead was Elissa Luzaich. Luzaich read the case notes stating that Gonzales had an extensive record in California; as this was not her case she could only assume that this statement was true. Gonzales continued to check in regularly and make payments at house arrest. Her apartment was randomly checked for contraband, as she was randomly drug-tested. Home searches and drug tests were always negative. She completed her parenting classes and received a certificate on December 2. December 19, Gonzales meets with Nevada Dept of Public Safety Parole and Probation Specialist, Frank Pontier Jr, for a pre-sentence investigation report. It was Pontier who casually pointed out that Detective Bulmer had opened up her juvenile record. His own findings brought forth one arrest in Altadena, California in 2008 for controlled substance (marijuana) with paraphernalia, receipt of stolen property, false insurance information and driving on a suspended license. The stolen property was her vehicle, which had been reported stolen by a previous owner; Gonzales showed proof that she had purchased it legitimately. The false insurance was thrown out of court. In 2009 she received three years of probation and in 2011 she got an early dismissal from probation and her sentence was reduced to a misdemeanor. Pontier’s contact with CPS established that no restitution was being requested. He then contacted University Medical Center, who reported an outstanding balance of $90,450.05. This was the amount that he recommended as restitution. His final recommendation was a minimum prison sentence of 12 months and a maximum of 48 months, with no recommendation of probation. His report concluded that the state retains the right to argue at rendition of sentence. The 2013 holidays pass with Gonzales spending them alone, participating via Face Chat to watch her babies, Elgin and Iyanna, open their birthday and Christmas gifts. When she had originally been granted house arrest, her family had intended to spend the holidays together in Las Vegas. However, with the criminal court provision of no visitation with the baby, the original plan was abandoned. During the holiday season Gonzales also worked minimal hours at Ross. January 20-22, 2014, approximately 30 letters arrive at John Piro’s office asking the Judge for leniency in the sentencing of Gonzales, to be submitted with his motion for probation. This time they were to include from as far away as New York City and Santa Fe, New Mexico and as near as her supervisors at both jobs, plus a glowing letter from House Arrest, attesting that she was in full compliance with the program. There was a letter from both children’s fathers, one from the Dalton’s — Elgin’s former foster family, and one from Iyanna. January 23, 2014, Sentencing day. Present in the courtroom in support of Gonzales are her mother, her grandmother, and her daughter Iyanna; with the baby’s father Eugene and baby Elgin outside waiting to be summoned. Dena Rinetti requests the opportunity to argue the case and proceeded to regurgitate the aforementioned performance. But this time, Honorable Judge Valerie Adair asked what the current condition of the baby was. Grandmother blurts out “He’s right here, Your Honor, and he’s perfect!” Instead of charging with contempt of court, Adair addresses grandmother and baby Elgin’s father and listens to what they have to say. During Gonzales’ statement, she finds herself unable to speak after uttering the words “Your Honor, I am guilty…” leaving the entire courtroom speechless, but Judge Adair halts Rinetti from comment and urges Gonzales to continue, “of allowing myself to be distracted and not protect my baby.” Deputy Public Defender John Piro reported that the CPS case had been closed since November 15, that Gonzales was employed full time, had a Nevada driver’s license with an established Clark County residence, zero failures to appear, and was working on reunification with her baby, as she had completed all of her CPS requirements. Piro further contended that although Gonzales accepted the Alford Plea, that she had never conceded, and will never, because it did not occur — that she intentionally harmed her child. He conceded that Gonzales did take responsibility for the inadvertent harm that came upon her baby. He addressed every medical point argued ad nauseum by Rinetti by elaborating a plethora of rebuttals disproving the methods by which Gonzales’ accusers had arrived at their alleged diagnoses. He then presented Judge Adair with the packet of letters, remarking “even one from House Arrest — they don’t do that for anyone!” Rinetti’s statement to the news of a closed CPS case was “CPS is always doing that to me, Your Honor.”
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button Rhiannon Gonzales Story Continues: she meets with court affiliated psychologist
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email Rhiannon Gonzales Story Continues: she meets with court affiliated psychologist Email
↧

New Blue Ribbon Committee: Hope for child welfare system and court reform

December 18, 2014, 9:24 pm
$
0
0
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button New Blue Ribbon Committee: Hope for child welfare system and court reform
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email New Blue Ribbon Committee: Hope for child welfare system and court reform Email

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. NancySaitta New Blue Ribbon Committee: Hope for child welfare system and court reformLast Monday a second meeting of the newly created Blue Ribbon Committee took place at the Regional Justice Center. The Committee was formed with the hope to fix the child welfare system that has been broken for a very long time.
Nevada Supreme Court Justice Nancy Saitta, a perennial fighter against abused children and one who has been directly involved in adoptions of children, chaired the committee and picked the members of the Blue Ribbon.
Saitta has asked a group of Nevada leaders to serve on a blue ribbon committee to look into deficiencies in the Clark County child welfare system and courts.
“The panel, which will meet over the next four months, will make recommendations for county action and/or legislation to be passed in the 2015 state legislative session,” she wrote in an email to all members of the media, said Michael Sommemeyer, as a Public Information Officer for the Nevada Supreme Court.
What appears to be unknown to Sommemeyer and Justice Saitta, however, is that some of the selected members of the Blue Ribbon have little experience with children, Family Court, Divorce Court and abuse of the courts against litigants in Family Court.
Among those chosen for the committee are Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman; County Commissioner Susan Brager; former Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley currently the executive director of Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada; Nevada Health and Services Director Amber Howell, along with Second Judicial District Judge Deborah Schumacher.
“These children deserve better, and I get no sense of urgency on the part of the system. This committee will identify the most serious issues in the child welfare system and work with [county] officials to make sure they are corrected quickly,” Saitta further stated.
“Action needs to be taken immediately to address these issues and shortcomings that are jeopardizing the well-being of the children in Clark County,” said Saitta.
However, the action that is obvious is in the words of some of the speakers that have addressed the committee. Family Court Judge Frank Sullivan, for example, raised his hands as a prophet asking the children be returned immediately to their legit parents, and minutes after that speech he went back to his courtroom and took a child from her legit parents and gave it to an adoptive family.
DeShaun Jackson is a product of the foster care system and has been for more than four years. He told the Blue Ribbon that it’s hard for him to escape the stigma.
The Blue Ribbon panel has one more meeting before members come up with their final list of recommendations for changes to the Department of Family Services. The recommendations could be submitted to the Legislature in February.
The committee may need more time to accomplish that. By the time Nevada lawmakers convene for the 2015 session, the panel will have met just three times.
Cases like the Jones family, whose newborn baby was taken from the mother at the hospital because she tested positive for Marihuana, need to be addressed.
Karen Ross-Glaser, a local medical marijuana activist, has been fighting to have her children returned from local CPS authorities since January. After the theft of her identity, she was mistakenly arrested for crimes the identity thief had committed. During this less than 24-hour improper detainment, Karen’s children were placed in state care. One year later, the identity thief is still free while Karen and her children are still separated and suffering.
The reason CPS currently cited for keeping the children in foster care has turned this case into a First Amendment and civil rights issue.
They are stating that both Karen’s use and promotion of medicinal cannabis have the potential to cause harm to the children and are more than adequate reasons for holding the children (ages 16 and 17) in their custody.
After an August CPS hearing, Karen’s son and a CPS worker came to her home for a visit. In the following days, Karen was informed that her visits with the children were being suspended. Allegedly, the CPS worker who was in her home went to the hospital later in the day complaining of THC intoxication.
There was no presence of cannabis smoke in Karen’s home at the time. No evidence has been produced to substantiate those claims.
Marijuana is now in many states legal, and in Las Vegas license to peddle the marijuana has been granted to prominent figures of the community.
Brian Greenspun, publisher of the daily Las Vegas Sun newspaper, District Court Judge Jim Bixler and a former detective with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s narcotic unit, David Kallas, are among those holding marijuana licenses.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. pin it button New Blue Ribbon Committee: Hope for child welfare system and court reform
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. email New Blue Ribbon Committee: Hope for child welfare system and court reform Email
↧
Viewing all 550 articles
Browse latest View live
Search