Over the weekend the people of Raleigh, North Carolina saw justice work as it is suppose to work under their state and federal constitutions. A rogue prosecutor named Mike Nifong was disbarred for corruption within the Duke Lacrosse case. In hearings that lasted for almost a week, the North Carolina Bar found that Nifong committed approximately 17 ethical and legal violations of the North Carolina Code of Professional Conduct. For his actions Nifong was disbarred.
Most people have heard about the three college students at Duke University that were falsely accused by Prosecutor Nifong of raping a young African American woman. The three students begged this prosecutor to allow them to come in and show him evidence that would prove their innocence but the prosecutor refused to allow them to come show him what they had. The North Carolina Bar Association decided that Prosecutor Nifong did what he did to ensure that he "received the black vote in the May 2006 election for Raleigh district attorney."
This prosecutor, Mike Nifong, destroyed the lives of these three men and almost cost them their lives. The new Black Panthers came to Raleigh North Carolina to kill these men. Wanted posters were put up on these men to destroy their reputations. It kind of reminds me of what happened to three Portsmouth City Councilmen back in the early 1980's in Portsmouth, Ohio.
The big difference in these two cases was that a free press began to investigate the district attorney's action in North Carolina. In Portsmouth, Ohio there was no such free press to do such investigation in the 1980's. The press in Portsmouth was sold out to a gang of thugs who were party to the destruction of the councilmen.
The judge in the Duke Lacrosse case asked the North Carolina Bar to get involved in the case. Have you ever heard of something like that happening in Portsmouth, Ohio? It never has! In fact, the judges in Portsmouth and Scioto County courts have established an illegal rule to prevent anyone from seeking justice outside an illegal scheme they set up to stifle justice in this region of the country. This is called Rule 28. This rule demands that all residents take their problems to the City Prosecutor, and only the City Prosecutor, for a legal decision. Judges have removed themselves from access to the people of Portsmouth and Scioto County.
The reason for this illegal rule is that judges, prosecutors, and local attorneys all three work hand in hand to thwart justice in Portsmouth and Scioto County. No judge, prosecutor, or attorney, with the exception of Joe Hale has ever made an attempt to get outside agencies to come in and investigate such corruption in our local courts. Attorney Hale is now an Assistant Scioto County Prosecutor yet even he with his new found power continues to let corruption flow through the courts. (This is sad because I have the documents Attorney Hale sent to the United States Attorney, Ohio Attorney General, and Ohio Inspector General asking for help in uncovering corruption in Scioto County courts.)
The reason Scioto County and Portsmouth, Ohio remains in economic ruins is due in part to the fact we have corrupt judges, prosecutors, and lawyers. Men have become wealthy by selling out their official offices. One case I'm aware of involves a now deceased judge that took $10,000 to let out a rapist after 6 months in prison. The inmate stated to guards and fellow inmates that his father and attorney had been told by the judge if he received $10,000 cash that the inmate, a Donnie Tomlison, would be released from prison after serving about 6 months. Go check the court records. This man was released as he said he would be.
Look at the Adrian Rawlins case. Attorney Mike Mearan got a local judge to release his client by snookering the judge by claiming that the trial court judge didn't give a lighter sentence option to the jury when at time of the first trial, Attorney Mearan didn't want the lesser charge. If not for the State Attorney General stepping in and getting this decision overturned, Rawlins would be a free man today. Many cases involving Attorney Mike Mearan smell like rotten fish.
Attorney Mearan had a plea deal all worked out for rapist Mike Schmidt. Mearan worked secretly with Judge Howard Harcha III and had a 7:30 a.m. court time scheduled to bring in this rapist and let him go home on probation. This would have happened until the Sentinel found out about this secret deal and reported it to the public.
Look at the Adrian Rawlins case. Attorney Mike Mearan got a local judge to release his client by snookering the judge by claiming that the trial court judge didn't give a lighter sentence option to the jury when at time of the first trial, Attorney Mearan didn't want the lesser charge. If not for the State Attorney General stepping in and getting this decision overturned, Rawlins would be a free man today. Many cases involving Attorney Mike Mearan smell like rotten fish.
Attorney Mearan had a plea deal all worked out for rapist Mike Schmidt. Mearan worked secretly with Judge Howard Harcha III and had a 7:30 a.m. court time scheduled to bring in this rapist and let him go home on probation. This would have happened until the Sentinel found out about this secret deal and reported it to the public.
This is why it is so important for internet websites to rise up in Portsmouth and Scioto County. the local paper, the Portsmouth Daily Times is part of the corruption. They refuse to print the corrupt acts in our courts. Without the internet sites the public will never rise up in revolt. Over the last few years we have made improvements in getting facts out to the public but we still have lots of work to do.
We need a full investigation on our local courts. Until we end the corruption in those buildings we will never see prosperity again. Thank God for the falsely accused men at Duke. They were lucky. Their state got involved. Now it's time for the State of Ohio to start digging in Portsmouth and Scioto County Ohio. The dirt in these courts makes the Duke case look like a minor error in comparison. That is so sad for all of us.
John Welton (DD)
