Category: Uncategorized

Union Parish District Attorney John Belton.

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UPDATE (10/24/24 @ 3:47 p.m.):  Terms of a plea agreement will be presented and will be entered into formally terminating the York case on Monday, October 28, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. (the date the trial was scheduled to begin).  As stated at the bottom of this original feature, we expect those terms of the plea agreement to be, “so lenient that it would be almost tantamount to a dropping of the charges.”

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In today’s Sound Off Louisiana feature, founder Robert Burns provides his rationale for why he believes that Union Parish District Attorney John Belton appears poised to drop the remaining charges against former LSP Trooper Kory York.  Here’s today’s video:

 10/23/24:  Burns explains why he believes that Union Parish prosecutors are poised to drop the charges against Kory York in the matter of the LSP in-custody death of Ronald Greene (please excuse the intermittent blurriness of the video).

Documents and/or links to support Burns’ contentions made in the video above:

1.  January 11, 2024 feature outlining why DA Belton had no other option but to drop charges against former LSP Lt. John Clary.

2.  Replication of the initial report of lead investigator and then-LSP Sgt. Albert Paxton:

3.  Our inquiry of Hugo Holland about availability of prosecution expert witnesses.

4.  Returned subpoenas for Ronald Greene prosecution Expert Witnesses.

5.  Responses from direct inquiries made to prosecution expert witnesses.  Note:  Dr. Peretti did not respond to our inquiry of him.

6.  York’s Brady Motion (particularly as it relates to any toxicology report in the possession of the Union Parish District Attorney’s Office).

From an email included as an Exhibit in the preceding Brady Motion:

From: Hugo Holland ([email protected])

To: [email protected]

Date: Thursday, September 5, 2024 at 06:19 AM CDT

Mike. I have been searching for several hours and find no such report. I have requested Whitten jog her memory ….. and will advise.

I have found, however, that the coke content of Greeen’s blood was 1700 Ng/ml directly from the heart and not some ancillary pooling organ. I have also found that the seminal study by Jankins, Levine, Titus and Smialek claims that the mean concentration for cocaine intoxication deaths was 908 ng/ml.

So, as Burns indicates in the video above, he believes that prosecutors in the York matter are indeed poised to drop the charges, but two other possibilities do remain:

A.  The trial could possibly be continued even at this late date to try and find a way to somehow overcome these, in our opinion, huge impediments to a successful prosecution (and we believe that would be futile because those impediments aren’t going anywhere), or

B.  Negotiate a plea deal.  However, as Burns indicates in the waning moments of the above video, we believe that any such plea deal would be so lenient that it would be almost tantamount to a dropping of the charges.

As we have previously reported, the civil trial has been “administratively closed” pending the full and final outcomes of all criminal proceedings.  There have literally been no filings in that matter other than these attorney substitutions and enrollments, to include attorney Ben Crump.

So, it has now been 1,504 days since we first broke the Ronald Greene matter.

It truly is amazing all that has happened since that time.  In our opinion, however, it would now appear to us that, at least the criminal case as it pertains to Kory York, is essentially done.

If so, it will remain to be seen if a viable case may proceed against the other current defendant, Union Parish Sheriff Deputy Chris Harpin.

While we could certainly be wrong, we do see many of the same impediments applicable for York’s prosecution spilling over to Harpin.

The one major exception, however, is as it pertains to Dr. Stoughton’s Use of Force Report since the alleged Fifth Amendment violation was a defense available exclusive to York.

Only time will tell regarding the definitive resolution to both York and Harpin’s criminal matters but, in our opinion, both appear extremely bleak at this point in time.

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 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.