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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

The indictment and the trial

Big news from the trial front. Read the entire article here:

http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/judge-indictment-sufficient-in-599313.html


"DeKalb Superior Court Judge Cynthia Becker denied requests to dismiss the charges against former superintendent Crawford Lewis, former chief operating officer Patricia Reed and two others, according to court records obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday."


"On Wednesday, Becker issued an order denying their request to drop the charges. “The indictment is sufficient as a matter of law in that the defendants have adequate notice of the nature of the offenses charged,” the judge wrote.



The judge also denied their request to have the trial moved outside DeKalb.


53 comments:

  1. For those stakeholders, like myself who are unemployed, we'll have some entertainment this fall!

    I look forward to sitting in the courtroom watching these folks sweat it out. Should be very enlightening!

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  2. I thought for sure there would be a change of venue. Now I'm planning on going to the trial on one of my furlough days.

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  3. Zepora's friends at work:

    http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/dekalb-school-board-candidate-599439.html

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  4. I am sorry, but if you look at the listings of school by board members, you can easily see that many schools are split, especially in ZR's district.

    What we need are the sharpest of the sharp, not someone who would make this kind of mistake.

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  5. Darwinism. Let him go. We need people who at least know which district they live in.

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  6. This would be one trial I wouldn't mind getting a notice in the mail for jury duty. Unfortunately, I would most likely be vetted out because of an association with them. This may be a tough one to find an impartial jury as a lot of people have kids in the system, and/or read the AJC, or watch the news; you have to have been living under a rock to not be aware of what has happened in DCSS. I can't wait for the trial to begin!!

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  7. They all need to serve jail time and take the current superintendent with them. She's a huge part of the problem as with Morcease Beasely.

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  8. I was hoping the trail would be in dekalb and i too will be there. They need to have to look into the faces of the employees , parents and tax payer. Pat Reid did so many things to hurt people and now she will pay. Lewis was stupid and she knew that and she used the hell out of him. So he should also be charge for just being stupid. Tony Pope i think he saw a woman that could put him where he wanted to be (money). Conita should also be charge for being stupid. She let the almighty dollar turn her into a theft and let pat take her down also. It would be nice if they could all be in a cell together. I sure wish they still had court tv and they could cover the trail.

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  9. You know, I think you will be surprised how easy it is to find those jurors that have been under a rock. While the AJC has done a fairly conistent job covering the ins and outs of this scandal, the same can't be said for The Champion, etc in DeKalb.

    The parent in DCSS part is actually pretty interesting. I am guessing the jury will be comprised of very young and fairly old people.

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  10. I beleave that they will be able to find some people that will not know about what's been going on. I live in a area in dekalb where a large amount of the people are in there own business or they are retired. I was talking to several of them and they know nothing about it. One told me that she is busy with her garden and her soaps. One said he had watch it on the news but never follow it up.I think many people will be able to sit on the jury and they will get a fair trail. That is more than they deserve after stealing from the children in dekalb.

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  11. Now that CLew has to go ahead with the trial, will the BOE find a way to funnel some more money to him for his legal fees? Mr.Bowen would probably be in favor. After all, CLew had many years of dedicated service "for the children".caltivis

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  12. @ 5:49, I don't know the guy but two things stand out: 1) 12 children seems like it would be a distraction and 2) using the phrase "call a spade a spade" may be offensive to some. This guy isn't laying the foundation that he's a consensus builder.

    Here's the 3 paragraph snippet: ' “We thought it was a done deal,” said Grogan, a stay-at-home father of 12. “The elections office swore my affidavit and never questioned it. They had confirmed I was in District 7. I have children in the District 7 middle and high schools

    Grogan’s voter registration records list District 5.

    “They just don’t want me to be on the board because I call a spade a spade,” said Grogan, who previously ran unsuccessfully for school board in Atlanta. '

    Hope his 12 kids fell further from the tree. C?Y!

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  13. This guy isn't laying the foundation that he's a consensus builder.

    To many people on this blog presume that simply replacing the board is going to solve all the problems. In fact, once elected, many candidates decide they like the power and prestige and will do anything to hold on to it. This isn't just about DeKalb either, it is about almost all politicians.

    I would be hard press to think that some of the candidates might be worse than the sitting board members, but they just might be.

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  14. Actually, I'm pretty impressed with several of the candidates -- and I can say that Mr. Grogan was not one of them. It's probably good that he has been cut - it narrows the field and increases the chances of someone beating out Zepora.

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  15. There is a god!
    Thank him/her/them (the Force, whatever) that the trial is...in...DeKalb.

    That means the powerful few don't think there's much else gonna come out in this trial, but these little fish getting fried.

    Maybe some folks with some "triangulation" imagination can read between the lines and report daily for us.

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  16. All of these folks need to go down! Lewis maybe stupid but he is also cunning. He has a hateful heart for those who stand up to him. I know. He tried to do me in along with Ramsey and the others in the Personnel Department. I have all the transcripts to show the world that these folks are dogs with fleas. As they say, "Every dog has his day." I am so thankful that I am still In Georgia to witness this trial.

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  17. TO August 26, 2010 1:26 AM above ...

    Wow. This happened to you, too? I wish I knew who you were. Perhaps we could help each other. When I read your blog, I felt I was reading my own story.

    When the unthinkable happened to me, I filed a grievance. I prepared a timeline of facts. I felt sure I would be able to tell my story to someone who would investigate and discover the truth.

    None of that happened ... instead I was the one railroaded. I received no hearing. I lost my job. I lost my reputation. I was libeled and slandered. I was very literally set up and framed. Those who knew me were shocked and outraged.

    The guilty ones were protected by Lewis, Ramsey, Tucker, Callaway, two area directors, and even a "loyal" principal. Those in positions of authority at Central Office who knew the truth stayed silent even when I begged for help.

    I was a loyal, hardworking employee. I, like you, await justice. One day the whole truth will come out and that will be a fine day indeed.

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  18. Here is a link to the actual
    Lewis Indictment Ruling:

    http://www.cbsatlanta.com/download/2010/0825/24756718.pdf

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  19. What a waste of 12 sheets of perfectly good paper.

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  20. http://www.cbsatlanta.com/download/2010/0825/24756718.pdf

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  21. Wow! This has been along time coming! When one digs holes for others, you often fall in yourself!

    HA HA HA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    It's hard to be nice when you stay hungry,lights about to cut off, car note past due,and are about to be put out of place where lay your head. It also amazes me that how one can also may sure that others can't go and ask for some type of asssitance from the system to feed their family(s)!"You make 3 dollars to much". Meanwhile you vaction on others,eat on others,ride around on others!!!!! Well that OK, because you will be soon with othrs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  22. I guarantee you if this trial turns out like Governor Blagojevich from Illinois, I will lose my mind!!!
    The jury agreed on one guilty verdict out of 25 counts and the rest were all hung verdicts.
    The DA better have this nailed shut or we are in for a WORLD of hurt!
    D.A. Keyes has failed us miserably before!

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  23. the witnesses will be the key factor for the prosecutors...if BJ and the other defense attorneys can find any inconsistencies in the witnesses we will all be screwed...more tax dollars wasted trying a case that should be a slam dunk based on the indictments.
    BTW nice try BJ we all knew those charges would stick this is another attempt to delay the trial...the more pre-trial publicity the weaker the case can become and the jury pool becomes more tainted...not a lawyer but have seen this trick before.

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  24. Hey Anon 12:09, regarding the Blago trial in Illinois. There was only 1 juror who was holding out on the other 23 verdicts, that's right just 1! That is all it takes. The other jurors were furious! They spent 10 days trying to convince the 1 juror reading transcripts, showing evidence and asking the judge questions, but to no avail the one juror caused the mis-trial.

    Folks, this is going to be tough and let's hope DA Keyes and her staff are prepared! One thing for sure Clew, Pope, Reid and other will not be back in the DCSS.

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  25. Wow, I didn't know there was only one juror that didn't agree with the rest of the jurors. Where did you get your information?
    Thanks. Is anybody going to the BOE meeting in the morning?

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  26. I encourage everyone to rent Runaway Jury...let's hope the jury pool sin't tainted or bought by Pope/Reid and all of DCSS dollars...this could possibly happen...and the Illinois senate seat case was such as case...that one juror is sounding suspect not only to me.

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  27. "One thing for sure Clew, Pope, Reid and other will not be back in the DCSS. "

    They don't need to. All of Lewis's personnel picks are still there (with the exception of Gloria Talley who decided to move on while the moving was good)

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  28. Tony Pope just bought a new Jaguar!

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  29. "The Court was not provided with any evidence of contentn beyond blog commentary, which was clearly seething" Page 11 of Pre Trial Order.

    Wonder what blog were they talking about....

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  30. anon 3:26 yeah I read that and ROFLMBO......how funny that they are worried about tainting the jury pool...maybe BJ should remind her client that if she had taken this much care and attention to the students of DCSS she wouldn't be in this mess nor would the District be out of millions and have abrand new school (Arabia)with trailers parked outside. What happened to the going green....I guess taxpayers green meant "watch the green bucks go won the toilet"

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  31. Angry - yes - but seething? Gee, I'd better refill my prescription...

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  32. Arabia has trailers?

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  33. Is that why Arabia Mtn. doesn't want the extra AYP students - because they would lose their LEEDS status as an environmentally friendly building?

    When Arabia Mtn. was being built, it was originally supposed to serve the local community and attendance area. But many DCSS administrators lobbied hard to get it to be a magnet school. They felt the local students wouldn't get as much out of Arabia Mtn. environmental program as magnet students. The idea was that if you spend this much on a school, you want to guarantee its success, and you can't do that by serving the students in the attendance area. Obviously, that faction won out. Did they reserve a certain number of seats for the students who live in that attendance area?

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  34. They say they did. I have heard that around 500 students are 'regular'. But - they still have to wear uniforms, etc - and I'm not sure about the number. In fact, I would challenge the system to prove that ALL of Arabia's students actually live in DeKalb. They are only about 2 miles from 2 other counties. I'd also like someone to send photos proving that there are trailers at Arabia. The capacity of that building was publicized at 1600 with expansion to 2100. I truly doubt if they've surpassed that.

    Funny that Arabia is a special/magnet type - when SW DeKalb - another magnet HS - is only about 5 miles away. What would people say if we built a glorious school near Chamblee and made it a special magnet?

    Uh huh.

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  35. It wasn't administrators, it was a group of theme school parents, the same ones who got the system to open Champion Theme Schol.

    Unlike SWD, every parent has to put some effort into enrolling their child at Arabia Mt by filling out an application, volunteering, buying uniforms etc.

    This is a sweet deal for that group of parents, who work much more quietly than the magnet parents...

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  36. Why didn't they freeze the bank accounts of the (4)? How can he buy a new car? So i guess they will used the money they stole from our children to live large. I was told that they have some bank accounts out of the united states, i do remember that she went on several vacations out of the united states. I do beleave that pat and tony were smart enough to hide money. Lewis no he is too stupid, conita she would know how to hide money. I hope ms. keys has all her paper work in order i would hate to see them walk. ALso pat has friends that would help her hide money.

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  37. @ anonymous 5:33
    I know there were administrators that had no parent contact that were lobbying for Arabia Mtn. to be a magnet school. However, you're probably correct in that there was an influential group of parents who wanted that school for their kids. Parents all over DeKalb have a lot in common.

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  38. We've had people post here about off-shore accounts called "David" and "Goliath"... wonder whose those are - if they exist at all.

    Plus - how ridiculous - now you're saying that the administrators has no say so about Arabia? That the PARENTS decided what kind of school it should be (basically, a publicly-funded private school)... oh that's laughable - and scary.

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  39. @ Cerebration 5:13

    I would be interested in knowing how many Central Office employees and higher level support managers have their kids in Arabia Mountain. The Central Office personnel and higher level support managers routinely send their kids to these select schools (Note DSA). Whether they live in DeKalb does not matter.

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  40. I should not have inferred that administrators had no say in AM's ultimate design. I will say that for years the theme school parents were looking for theme secondary schools. First, Champion Middle and now Arabia Mt. No mixing with the masses for those families.

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  41. Yep. Exactly. No mixing... and they will spend all day saying it's all due to the 12 white people still in north DeKalb.

    Greed knows no color.

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  42. Ok, Anon 6:22. Start naming names. What top level people have their kids at DSA.

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  43. Arabia's out-of-county count...that would be part of a Title I investigation. Pump up the seat count.
    Doesn't matter whether they are Title I students or not-just by investigating on the basis of Title I, you get the count documented.
    You can also figure out which comes first--a new school or the extra kids to fill it.
    We could actually be building schools for non-taxpayers, nearly exclusively.
    Why would we do that? Contracts and Title I funds.
    Rackets.

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  44. Back on topic....I am looking forward to this trial and the completion of it so that we can get back to the business of school. I think that the current super is still in close contact with CLew. She is great at creating a diversion such as overcrowding certain schools to change the focus. I don't understand why the Board continues to believe that she is the best fill in candidate based on the recommendation of Clew! She should be right there along with them.

    I will enjoy hearing that Reid Pope and Lewis are headed to jail. Also, Cointa Moody who calls herself a minister (ha) knew she was stealing from children and to top it off didn't do a good job. She was certainly overpaid and under qualified!

    This quartet spent the last few years screwing our kids. Once they get to prison...they will learn the true meaning of "an eye for an eye". Who will be screwed then. LOL

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  45. Remember the arrogant Dr. Lewis who taunted all system staff who would not get a raise but actually be furloughed? Remember flip statements like 15K was a drop in the bucket and I deserve this? Remember the untouchable master of double talk?

    Karma is a B**** and it is good to see the arrogant self important two faced crook get exactly what he deserves. Instead of getting 15K maybe he will get 15 years. Wouldn't that be ironic?

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  46. I too will be glad to see them go to jail. You are correct about conita saying she is a minister (ha) i have been in company and she has a side to her that her church does not know about. She was just as low down as pat and if she didn't like you she got pat on her side. I saw some people loose there jobs because of her. I sure hope that file suit against the county for the unfair that was done to them. Pat and conita ran the sam moss center like a prison and got rid of some very good employees and that county car was used for all kinds of personal trips. Maybe she and conita can share a cell.

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  47. @ Anonymous 6:36
    Would you really ask for children's names on a blog?

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  48. see judge...there's nooooo seething on this blog..just a few bruised, abused, and misused taxpaying/working/RIF citizens ready for our jury duty summons..pick me please....ROFLMBO..I have to laugh to keep from crying because this is really sad for the entire County..Corrupt local government and school system...what's next

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  49. If you are RIF'd and you get picked for jury duty do you have to take the jury pay off of your unemployment?

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  50. Go to any news website located in Chicago. Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, you'll see the stories about the one juror. I bet if you BINGED, one juror and Blago trial you'd find the stories regarding the one juror.

    Like a former BOE member told us 4 years ago, follow the money!

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  51. Hope for the best, but expect the worst. You know that expression. Some of you need to start doing this.

    RICO charges are very hard to proof.

    It wasn't just one juror on many of the Blago charges, just on some of them.

    From the Chicago Tribune:

    But in the end, he said, the "lack of a smoking gun" was too much of a hurdle for jurors to reach more than the one unanimous decision.

    "We deliberated logically and with respect for each other's opinions," Matsumoto said. Still, he added, "it was very frustrating."

    Erik Sarnello, 21, of Itasca, said a female juror who was the lone holdout on convicting Blagojevich of attempting to sell the Senate seat "wanted clear-cut evidence, and not everything was clear-cut."

    Sarnello, a sophomore at College of DuPage studying criminal justice, said the main problem with the prosecution's case was that it was all over the place.

    "It confused people," he said. "They didn't follow a timeline. They jumped around."

    The foreman said jurors came close to convictions on a number of the 24 counts -- as close as 11-1 -- but remained far apart on others.

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  52. There are no classroom trailers at Arabia or there any needed.

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  53. Looks like things are heating up again in CLew's trial!

    http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/local_news/State-Moves-to-Disqualify-Lewis-Counsel-20100930-am-sd

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