Month: October 2024

EBRP candidate for Mayor-President Nathaniel Hearn (on innuendo he would drop out and endorse an opponent): “Why the hell would I drop out?”

Republican East Baton Rouge Parish (EBRP) Mayor-President candidate Nathaniel Hearn.

On September 16, 2024, we published this feature entailing a Hayride article point-blank stating that EBRP Mayor-President candidate Nathaniel Hearn “appears to be a plant” for incumbent Sharon Weston Broome.

On the video of that feature, Hearn flatly rejected any such notion; however, that apparently did nothing to quell the speculation in that regard.

We say that because, at the debate for the candidates for EBRP Mayor-President held on Monday, October 14, 2024, at the Baton Rouge Press Club, fellow Republican candidate Steve Myers openly questioned Hearn’s motivations for being in the race.

Specifically, Myers stated that, “Word I’ve heard on the street…..,” and then proceeded to indicate (in a rather convoluted way) that Hearn would essentially, one way or another, drop out of the race and endorse an opponent (if he were to drop out prior to the primary) or his sole opponent (if he were to drop out in the runoff if he’s in it, which Myers indicated that Hearn would be).

Basically, Myers’ question was a piggy back off of The Hayride publisher Scott McKay’s “plant” innuendo.

Hearn had a pretty strong reaction to Myers’ question, and we’d like to present the posing of the question, Hearn’s response, as well as some commentary Hearn had in a one-on-one interview we conducted with him after the forum.  Here’s that video coverage:

10/14/24:  Hearn provides his response to Myers’ question and provides additional commentary on opponent Sid Edwards’ last-minute decision to decline to appear at the debate as well as his record of not voting in a SINGLE election over the last 8-1/2 years.

Look, we get the fact that Sid Edwards is the current football coach at Istrouma High School and the fact that Woody Jenkins is an Istrouma alumnus.

That fact, combined with the fact that McKay is a sports fanatic, likely has caused the two of them to form a perception that Edwards is simply the man for the job.

Heck, only yesterday, we received a Jenkins publication in the mail that was about 26 pages in length and, from beginning to end, it was one article and/or editorial after another touting Edwards (here’s the online edition if anyone’s interested).

We’ve already made our sentiments known that we’re endorsing Hearn in the race.

As for the relentless attacks on Hearn’s motivations for being in the race, we believe they are completely irresponsible, particularly when he’s already emphatically denied those accusations on September 16, 2024, and we were happy to provide him with the forum to do so (Hearn makes note of that fact in the video above).

In our firm opinion, all of this, “word on the street,” entailing Hearn is nothing more than Mickey Mouse antics that apparently may originate from a deep-seated fear that a young candidate may gain momentum and cause problems for the candidate supported by those making the insinuations.  Nevertheless, we do thank Myers for at least making the accusations very public in order to provide Hearn the forum to emphatically deny what, in our opinion, is nothing short of irresponsible innuendo.

Now, enough with the innuendo.  Consider this:  It is NOT innuendo that Sid Edwards hasn’t voted in 8-1/2 years.  That is pure and simple fact! 

In fact, let’s go ahead and again produce Hearn’s ad exposing Edwards’ MIA voting record for the last 8-1/2 years at this time:

Hearn’s TV ad attacking opponent Sid Edwards for failing to vote in the last 8-1/2 years.

The only explanation Edwards has offered for not voting for the last 8-1/2 years is revealed in this Advocate article:

“I got disgusted with the stuff that was going on. (Whether) it was the right decision or wrong decision,” Edwards said. “But at some point, you know, we can’t turn over the government to people with the wrong values … (you) have to get involved.”

Let us explain for everyone exactly what the “point” is. That “point,” or essentially his epiphany about “having to get involved,” came about from a simple phone call from Woody Jenkins wherein Jenkins stroked his ego! It’s literally that simple!

For us, that’s just not a solid enough foundation for selecting our choice for the next Mayor-President of East Baton Rouge!  Hence, if the majority of voters select Edwards as the next Mayor-President of East Baton Rouge Parish, so be it, but we can only state that it won’t be with our support!

 

EBRP Mayor-President Broome says she favors release of BRPD body cam video, so we call upon her to order the release of the BRPD body cam video of the arrest of former LSP Lt. Prentiss Bellue.

EBRP Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome seconds before being guided by her handlers (led by former WBRZ reporter Mark Armstrong) away from the Baton Rouge Press Club rather than take a follow-up question by Sound Off Louisiana’s Robert Burns on why the BRPD is steadfastly refusing to release the body cam video of the arrest of former LSP Lt. Prentiss Bellue on July 18, 2022 for alleged DWI.

On July 22, 2024, we published this feature on the BRPD effectuating the arrest of former LSP Lt. Prentiss Bellue (scroll down to the paragraph beginning with, “LSTA events are notorious for heavy drinking”).

On September 17, 2024, we published this feature of the incredibly bizarre proceedings in Baton Rouge City Court entailing Bellue’s arraignment the prior day.

As fate would have it, Bellue somehow deemed it unnecessary to show up for his arraignment; furthermore, Baton Rouge City Prosecutors managed “not to have his file,” even though they seemed to have little difficulty placing their hands on the files of approximately 40 other folk who were scheduled for arraignment that same day.

After a very lengthy proceeding wherein the Judge adjourned court, only to come back minutes later and reconvene court solely and exclusively for the Bellue matter, a bench warrant was issued for Bellue’s arrest for his failure to show up for court.  Two days later, however, that bench warrant was recalled.

Bellue’s arraignment has been rescheduled for Thursday, October 24, 2024 at 8:30 a.m. in Courtroom 128.  We certainly plan to be there for that arraignment as well.

In the meantime, BRPD is well aware of our desire to obtain the body cam video of Bellue’s arrest; however, we have been stonewalled by BRPD entailing that body cam video.  We have published the Department’s response to our public records request for the video, and we are reproducing that July 22, 2024 response at this time:

Good afternoon,

This case is still pending prosecution, therefore all records except the initial report are not subject to release under LSA-R.S. 44:3 at this time. 

Sincerely,

Deelee Morris

So, on Monday, October 14, 2024 Belinda Parker Brown posed the question to all candidates for East Baton Rouge Parish (EBRP) Mayor-President of whether they believed the public benefitted from the release of the Ronald Greene video.  Upon the candidates supplying their responses, Sound Off Louisiana founder Robert Burns followed up Parker Brown’s question by asking, “then do you feel the public would also benefit from the release of the BRPD’s body cam video for the arrest of Prentiss Bellue?”

We want to first focus on incumbent Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome’s response to both questions, and here’s video of those responses:

 Broome responds to the Parker Brown’s question and Burns’ follow-up question.

Given Broome’s emphatic response that, “Our process is to release body camera footage, and I would be in agreement with that,” we call upon her to issue a direct order to the BRPD to immediately release the body cam video(s) of Bellue’s arrest to the public!

The only other comment we’ll make is that we expressed appreciation to debate moderator Jim Engster, who went out of his way to ask Burns during the forum if he desired to pose a question, and then he called upon Burns to pose the question as the very next one.

We will, however, make the following statement regarding Engster’s commentary of, “we don’t need any editorial comment about the video:”

Unless a goodly number of some of our most reliable LSP sources have led us astray about the content of that video (and we seriously doubt that’s the case), Burns’ statements about the contents of the video(s) are not “editorial” in nature but rather statements of fact.

Furthermore, as Burns stated in the video associated with the arraignment video on the feature linked above, we have been told that, “the content of that body cam video is far worse than even what you’ve been told!”

Now, we wanted to confront Broome after the meeting with our camera rolling and call upon her to issue an order directing the release of the video; however, as evidenced by the following brief video, her handlers, led by former WBRZ reporter Mark Armstrong, immediately ushered her out of the facility without Burns being able to call upon Broome to issue an order directing the BRPD to release the video(s).  Here’s that video:

 After Armstrong instructs Broome of the need to leave, another of her handlers states:  “Yeah, we ‘gotta go!”  Thereafter, off they went!

At this time, let’s now present the other candidates’ responses to the tandem of questions:

 Response to Parker Brown and Burns by candidate Nathaniel Hearn.

Response to Parker Brown and Burns by candidate Ted James.

 Response to Parker Brown and Burns by candidate Steve Meyers.

 

So, how about we get to see just what’s on the video, folks!!

CLICK HERE for the forum in its entirety.

Belinda Parker Brown serves LSPC with discovery material demonstrating “they have been derelict in their duties as have many of the troopers whom they oversee.”

Belinda Parker Brown, at the September 19, 2024 meeting of the Louisiana State Police Commission (LSPC), after first having served attorney Lenore Feeney with discovery materials pertaining to an alleged Open Meetings Violation, indicates she’s, “serving Sound Off Louisiana and Robert Burns for publication (of the discovery requests).”

On March 18, 2024, Belinda Parker Brown, along with six (6) fellow St. Tammany residents, sued the individual Members of the LSPC for an alleged Open Meetings Violation.  They had to be sued individually because violations of Louisiana’s Open Meetings Laws entail personal liabilities and Board or Commission Members must therefore be sued individually.

On June 17, 2024, the LSPC failed in its efforts to toss the suit via a Peremptory Exception of No Cause of Action.

Thirty-nine (39) days before that, at the May 9, 2024 LSPC meeting (the last one held until the most-recent meeting of September 19, 2024), Parker Brown called upon Gov. Landry to seek the resignations of those Members engaging in the alleged violation.

At the most recent meeting of the LSPC on September 19, 2024, Parker Brown personally served discovery materials to the LSPC.  Let’s take a look at her perfecting service upon those individual LSPC Members through hand delivery to their attorney of record, Lenore Feeney:

 September 19, 2024:  Parker Brown serves individual LSPC Members with discovery material.

At this time, let’s take a look at a few highlights of the requested discovery materials propounded upon the LSPC Members by Parker Brown via hand delivery on September 19, 2024.

(Production of Documents)

Please produce all email correspondences entailing the letter which the LSPC Members mailed to the campaign of Collin Sims dated on or around January 20, 2024.

This production should include, but not be limited to, all emails distributed among LSPC Members irrespective of how few or many may have received the email(s), emails to/from LSPC Executive Director Jason Hannaman to/from LSPC Members, emails concerning the letter sent to or received from any members of the public, and any emails concerning the letter sent to or received from any LSP trooper.

Should any of these emails contain drafts of the proposed letter, please provide those drafts of the letter.

You may exclude any correspondence, be it email or otherwise, transpiring between LSPC Members and their legal counsel.

 

(Admission of Facts)

 

Please admit that past and/or present Commissioners, including two Defendants in this subject litigation, have been the subjects of one or more media reports  entailing alleged impermissible campaign contributions to various political campaigns. {Note:  Other media report:  WWL 1/11/19.}

Please admit that Defendant Simien gave false testimony on November 3, 2022 when he testified that his law firm had not made any political contributions during his tenure as an LSPC Commissioner.

Please admit that, contrary to Defendant Simien’s testimony in Request for Admission Number Seventeen, Simien’s law firm made contributions to the campaign of then-Governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards, of $4,917 on March 10, 2017; to the campaign of 19th JDC District Judge Wilson Fields of $500 on November 28, 2018; and to the campaign of EBRP Metro Councilwoman candidate Erika Green of $250 on February 9, 2017.

Please admit that Defendant Simien drafted a  letter dated November 9, 2022 to the Judge overseeing the matter being litigated on November 3, 2022 wherein Simien apologized for his false testimony {See PAGE THREE (3) of above link}

Please admit that former LSPC Executive Director Cathy Derbonne sued the LSPC.

Please admit that Derbonne stated in her lawsuit that she was “constructively discharged” over reporting allegedly illegal campaign contributions to the State Board of Ethics.

Please admit that Defendants Simien and Riecke were LSPC members who accepted a hurriedly-drafted resignation letter from Derbonne composed during an Executive Session at the LSPC meeting in January of 2017.

Please admit that the LSPC ultimately settled the Derbonne litigation for $130,000.

Please admit that, beyond the $130,000 settlement referenced in Request for Admission Number Twenty-Five that the LSPC also incurred approximately $80,805 in legal fees defending the Derbonne litigation.

Please admit that former LSPC Commissioners T. J. Doss and Monica Manzella resigned mere days after they were videotaped checking into the Watermark Hotel mere hours after an LSPC meeting.

Please admit that Defendant Riecke had a feature role in a reality television show featuring teams of race cars speeding across the nation’s highways at speeds exceeding 100 MPH.

Please admit that, pertaining to Request for Admission Number Six, Defendant Riecke is on video making a $50,000 bet on one such racing team.

Please admit that, pertaining to Request for Admission Number Six, a race car team is on video opening the trunk of a car to expose approximately 10 or more license plates for swap out, “in the event our license plate is called out over our inboard police radar scanner.”

Please admit that, pertaining to Request for Admission Number Six, Defendant Riecke is on video bragging about concealed radar-detection equipment in the right dashboard of his vehicle.

Please admit that, pertaining to Request for Admission Number Six, Defendant Riecke, after exposing his inboard radar detection and police scanner capabilities, then replaced the in-board façade dashboard utilized to conceal that equipment and also stating on video that, “police tend to frown on this sort of thing, so….”

Please admit that former LSPC Commissioner Sabrina Richardson has been the subject of one or more payroll fraud investigations while serving as a New Orleans Police Officer.

Please admit that former LSPC Commissioner Sabrina Richardson received a suspension from the NOPD as a result of the most-recent payroll fraud investigation involving her.

Please admit that former LSPC Commissioner Sabrian Richardson resigned from the LSPC after media reports of her alleged payroll fraud were aired.

We guess anybody could say that current and past LSPC Membership comprises a group of fine, upstanding citizens!

We sought comment from one long-term LSPC observer with extensive knowledge of LSPC operations who spoke with us on condition of anonymity.  His observation:  “What this shows is that the LSPC Members are derelict in their duties, and the troopers they oversee are equally if not more derelict in the performance of their duties.”

Based on our own eight-year history of observing LSPC meetings, we find it very difficult to argue against that observer’s assessment of the agency.

The only other update to the suit that we have at this time is this September 20, 2024 answer to the suit filed by the individual LSPC members along with this October 2, 2024 Motion to Enroll additional Counsel of Record in the person of Harry J. Phillips, Jr.

We will keep our site visitors updated with future developments in this litigation as they unfold.