Latest / Chuck Douglas / Whitehall Council Memeber Has Charges Dropped

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Whitehall Council Memeber Has Charges Dropped · Chuck Douglas

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  Speaker 1: Greetings, salutations, welcome, my friends, to another edition of the
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Power Hour on 610 WTVN. I'm Chuck Douglas. You know
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: who you are, and we take it from there. We
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  Speaker 1: get one hour together, which means I talk really fast,
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: and you must listen even faster. The number is 821-9886, 821-WTVN, 1-800-610-WTVN,
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: just up. I was reading a story here during the
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  Speaker 1: break about a guy that jumped off of a cruise ship.
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  Speaker 1: Did you see this?
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  Speaker 2: I'm guessing he didn't want to get saved or get
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  Speaker 2: back on.
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  Speaker 1: Or was he just... Well, he's missing. They're assuming he's dead. Well, yeah.
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  Speaker 1: This is... Wow. Wow. He was on an anniversary trip
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  Speaker 1: with his wife and his kids. They say no history
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  Speaker 1: of mental illness. They were getting along well. No known issues.
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  Speaker 1: One passenger apparently spoke to the media and said that
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  Speaker 1: he had a conversation with him in the bar and
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  Speaker 1: that he was talking about marital problems, which I guess
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  Speaker 1: you do on cruise ships with strangers. Right. But the
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  Speaker 1: guy's sister is pushing back against that. She said, no,
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  Speaker 1: absolutely not. They were great. This is just, this is
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  Speaker 1: a horrifying and fascinating story. I don't understand people most
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  Speaker 1: of the time. And this I don't understand either. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: even if you were despondent to the point of doing this,
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  Speaker 1: of taking your life, you do it on a cruise
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  Speaker 1: ship celebrating your anniversary with your wife and kids with you?
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  Speaker 1: That's just... That's just a little too freaky for words.
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  Speaker 1: I should never read stuff before I go on the air.
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  Speaker 1: I'm just saying. It... It... It baffles me sometimes. Beautiful
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  Speaker 1: weather as far as I'm concerned. We've got your complete
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  Speaker 1: forecast coming up from meteorologist Sarah Converse here in just
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  Speaker 1: a few minutes. At least it's beautiful for me. I
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  Speaker 1: love this time of year. I love the cooler weather.
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: I kind of like the clouds and the mistiness and
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  Speaker 1: that kind of thing. This weekend looks to be gorgeous
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  Speaker 1: so far. The forecast is holding up really, really well
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  Speaker 1: for at least Saturday. I'm not sure if Sunday is
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  Speaker 1: going to be as nice as Saturday, but It looks
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  Speaker 1: like things are going to be, so if you want
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  Speaker 1: to do something, you want to get out, you want
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  Speaker 1: to enjoy before the really cold weather shows up, this
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  Speaker 1: weekend looks like a very good time to do it.
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  Speaker 1: In fact, there is something going on that you might
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  Speaker 1: want to do. I've got Lisa Chafee or Chaffee. I'm
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  Speaker 1: not sure how she pronounces it. The skier was Chaffee,
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  Speaker 1: but I don't know how she pronounces it. Lisa, how
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  Speaker 1: do you pronounce your name?
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  Speaker 2: It's Chafee.
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  Speaker 1: You say Chafee. Okay. Lisa Chafee, secretary at the Franklin
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  Speaker 1: County GOP, and you've got an event coming up Saturday, which.
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  Speaker 1: I know Michael Loftus is going to be there again,
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  Speaker 1: and he is hilarious. But is this the second year
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  Speaker 1: you've done this or third?
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  Speaker 2: This is actually our third time. We do it every
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  Speaker 2: two years.
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  Speaker 1: Okay. Well, tell us all about it. When, where, why, how,
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  Speaker 1: and all that.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so it's the Ohio Freedom Rally. It will be
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  Speaker 2: 2 o'clock this Saturday, September 26th, State Route 161 in
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  Speaker 2: Plain City on the Scheiderer Farm. You can find the
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  Speaker 2: exact address on the Franklin County Republican Party website or
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  Speaker 2: our Facebook page, the Ohio Freedom Rally. And it's basically
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  Speaker 2: a giant get-out-the-vote pep rally. Michael Loftus is our emcee
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  Speaker 2: for the day. We're going to have Frank LaRose, Keith Faber,
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  Speaker 2: Senator John Husted, Senator Michelle Reynolds, and a whole slew
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  Speaker 2: of other people just to get Republicans and conservatives fired up.
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  Speaker 2: We're also going to present the first Charlie Kirk Youth
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  Speaker 2: Leadership Award to an Ohio high school student who has
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  Speaker 2: been involved in the Turning Point Clubs in his school.
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  Speaker 2: It's going to be a lot of fun. It's a fellowship.
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  Speaker 2: Come get yard signs for Franklin County. Definitely will be
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  Speaker 2: out there. We're working on getting other county signs. It's
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  Speaker 2: going to be a great day.
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  Speaker 1: Tell me about, you know, what's the process here? It
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  Speaker 1: starts at 2. Obviously, you don't want to arrive at 2. Correct.
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  Speaker 1: What time? I mean, is it one of those things
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  Speaker 1: where you can start showing up at noon, or when
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  Speaker 1: do you have access? Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Last time we had people there at 9 o'clock in
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  Speaker 2: the morning claiming their spots because there's no seating. You've
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  Speaker 2: got a farm, so come dressed appropriately. Bring a chair.
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  Speaker 1: Like overalls? Should I wear overalls?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, sure, why not? Plano shirt, cowboy hat, your boots,
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  Speaker 2: you're good to go. It's going to be a lot
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  Speaker 2: of fun. It's family-friendly. There's going to be food trucks there,
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  Speaker 2: great music.
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  Speaker 1: Is it just a one thing after another? How long
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  Speaker 1: does it go? It starts at 2, but how long
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  Speaker 1: do you go through the day?
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  Speaker 2: It starts at 2. We have about 17 speakers, so
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  Speaker 2: we'll run probably to about 4.30. And, yeah, five minutes
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  Speaker 2: each speaker, it's going to be great.
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  Speaker 1: You're getting a minute out of there if you're done
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  Speaker 1: at 4.30.
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  Speaker 2: Well, you know, I don't want to spend all day listening.
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  Speaker 2: I don't even want to spend all day listening to
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  Speaker 2: political speeches. You know, got to watch some college football
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  Speaker 2: at some point.
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  Speaker 1: Well, yeah, you have to do that on Saturdays in September.
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  Speaker 1: That's for sure.
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  Speaker 2: That's right.
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  Speaker 1: Do you need tickets? Is there a cost?
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  Speaker 2: No, perfectly free. You don't have to register. Just show up.
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  Speaker 1: And do you eat at the food trucks or can
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  Speaker 1: you bring a picnic basket and camp out on the
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  Speaker 1: lawn with the family and do that kind of thing?
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  Speaker 2: I highly recommend that. Bring your cooler. No alcohol, but
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  Speaker 2: bring whatever food you want. Bring a cooler. Bring a blanket. Relax.
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  Speaker 2: It'll be good.
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  Speaker 1: Okay. And again, for information, you want to get the details, directions,
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  Speaker 1: anything like that, where do you get it?
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  Speaker 2: You get the Franklin County GOP website, Franklin County Republican Party,
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  Speaker 2: or the Ohio Freedom Rally on Facebook.
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  Speaker 1: All right. Lisa Chafee, thank you very much. I appreciate it,
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  Speaker 1: and I hope you have a wonderful day for it
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  Speaker 1: and a wonderful crowd to it.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you. Appreciate your support.
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  Speaker 1: We are about 14 minutes past six. I don't know
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  Speaker 1: if you heard this or not. Remember, do you remember
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  Speaker 1: Councilman Dixon? I railed about Councilman Dixon out there in Whitehall. And,
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  Speaker 1: you know, I thought the whole thing was silly. And
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  Speaker 1: apparently the court does, too, because there will be no
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  Speaker 1: charges filed. Do you remember this story? Yes, I do. Okay.
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  Speaker 1: He was accused... of sex crimes. He was alleged to
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  Speaker 1: have had relationships with minors. Didn't they say up to eight?
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  Speaker 1: I can't remember, but it seemed like he was the
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  Speaker 1: worst person walking the planet. So they raided his home.
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  Speaker 1: They put him in handcuffs. They came out and said,
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  Speaker 1: we found gay artwork in his home. Like that was
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  Speaker 1: a crime. Everything this guy had pretty much came tumbling down.
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  Speaker 1: Here's the story from the WSYX site. The Franklin County
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  Speaker 1: Prosecutor's Office announced on Monday it will not pursue charges
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  Speaker 1: against a Whitehall councilman who was accused last year of
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  Speaker 1: sex crimes involving underage victims. The FCPO shared a statement
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  Speaker 1: with ABC6 on Monday indicating the decision was reached carefully
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  Speaker 1: and deliberately following multiple meetings in which all parties fully
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  Speaker 1: evaluated and discussed evidentiary issues. That means they had no proof.
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  Speaker 1: That's what it comes down to. Gerald Dixon was arrested
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  Speaker 1: in December on charges of gross sexual imposition and compelling
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  Speaker 1: prostitution involving underage victims dating back to the 1990s. Quote
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  Speaker 1: here is, it is important to note that while police
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  Speaker 1: need a reasonable belief that a crime occurred to make
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  Speaker 1: an arrest, prosecutors must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt,
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  Speaker 1: the highest standard in our legal system to secure conviction.
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  Speaker 1: The Gap exists today. To protect against wrongful conviction, it
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  Speaker 1: also means cases that meet the standard for arrest may
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  Speaker 1: not yet meet the standard for prosecution. I don't like
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  Speaker 1: this quote, by the way. That came from the FCPO statement.
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  Speaker 1: Dixon's attorney, a guy named Mark Collins, I've never met him,
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  Speaker 1: responded to their statement saying, We appreciate the prosecutor's professionalism
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  Speaker 1: and thorough review of the information. We agree there was
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  Speaker 1: no probable cause to bring charges. Not nearly strong enough
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  Speaker 1: if I were his attorney, honestly. Let me go back
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  Speaker 1: to the statement they issued. That gap exists, meaning the
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  Speaker 1: gap between arrest and conviction, to protect against wrongful conviction.
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  Speaker 1: But it also means that a case, it means cases
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  Speaker 1: that meet the standard for arrest may not yet meet
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  Speaker 1: the standard for prosecution. I'm very uncomfortable with that word yet.
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  Speaker 1: Just saying. Whitehall Chief of Police Mike Crispin also shared
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  Speaker 1: a statement. This guy. Sadly, when you consider research indicates
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  Speaker 1: that fewer than one in 10 child sexual abuse cases
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  Speaker 1: results in conviction or guilty pleas, the findings of the
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  Speaker 1: Franklin County Prosecutor's Office are not surprising. Confidence in whether
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  Speaker 1: you can win at jury is not the standard of law.
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  Speaker 1: Justice is. And by this standard, very few cases would
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  Speaker 1: go to grand jury. The Franklin County Prosecutor's Office has
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  Speaker 1: made its decision given the investigation and information gathered by
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  Speaker 1: police leading up to and at the time of Mr.
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  Speaker 1: Dixon's original arrest. We stand by the actions of the
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  Speaker 1: Whitehall Division of Police. Our investigation continues. So it sounds like,
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  Speaker 1: you know, we're still coming after you. How long has
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  Speaker 1: this been now? When was it, December? December last year?
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  Speaker 1: It seems like less than a year, but a long time.
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  Speaker 1: So it's been like 10 months, 11 months since this
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  Speaker 1: guy was arrested and humiliated. They thought they had enough
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  Speaker 1: to make that arrest. They thought they had enough to
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  Speaker 1: go inside of his home and ransack it looking for
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  Speaker 1: more evidence. They've had nearly a year since arresting him.
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  Speaker 1: And they still don't have enough. And the police chief
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  Speaker 1: says our investigation continues. That, to me, sounds like vendetta time.
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  Speaker 1: It sounds like I'm going to get you one way
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  Speaker 1: or another. I'm going to find something on you one
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  Speaker 1: way or another. You haven't found anything in a year
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  Speaker 1: after searching his home and making an arrest. Now, there
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  Speaker 1: are those out there that speculate that this is indeed
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  Speaker 1: a personal issue because Mr. Dixon... was the only member
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  Speaker 1: of the Whitehall City Council that wanted an investigation into
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  Speaker 1: the police department by an independent investigator. To that end,
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: let me get you a quote here, a statement from
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  Speaker 1: FOP Lodge 9, of course, Brian Steele, president. Today, we
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  Speaker 1: learned that after reviewing the evidence submitted by the Whitehall
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  Speaker 1: Police Department against Councilman Gerald Dixon, the Franklin County Prosecutor's
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  Speaker 1: Office has determined it will not move forward with presenting
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  Speaker 1: the case to a grand jury. From the beginning, the
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  Speaker 1: FOP raised serious concerns that this was either a politically
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  Speaker 1: motivated investigation or an investigation so poorly handled by Whitehall
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  Speaker 1: Police leadership that it should have been turned over to
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  Speaker 1: an independent law enforcement agency. Let us not forget how
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  Speaker 1: this case was presented to the public. Chief Mike Crispin
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  Speaker 1: stood before television cameras declaring the evidence was overwhelming... Following
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  Speaker 1: a multi-state investigation, he displayed a presentation board containing photographs
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  Speaker 1: of young males while discussing potential juvenile sexual assault victims,
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: despite later acknowledging that he did not know whether the
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  Speaker 1: individuals pictured were victims. The display was so concerning that
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  Speaker 1: members of the media questioned Crispin about why he showed
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  Speaker 1: those photographs without first establishing that fact. At that same time,
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: Mayor Bivens publicly called for Councilman Dixon's immediate resignation and
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  Speaker 1: continued calling for his removal from office. These were extraordinarily
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  Speaker 1: serious allegations, yet Whitehall's leadership had already publicly condemned an
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  Speaker 1: elected official before the criminal justice process had run its course.
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  Speaker 1: Councilman Dixon was the lone member— of Whitehall City Council,
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  Speaker 1: who supported an independent investigation into complaints raised by Whitehall's
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  Speaker 1: police officers concerning Chief Crispin's failed leadership, unanimous vote of
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  Speaker 1: no confidence, ticket quotas, workplace conditions, and other alleged misconduct.
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  Speaker 1: The prosecutor's decision does not prove that the investigation was
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  Speaker 1: politically motivated. It does, however, raise even more serious questions
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  Speaker 1: about how this case was investigated and handled, and presented
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  Speaker 1: to the public. For more than two years, the FOP
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  Speaker 1: has called for an independent third-party investigation into the Whitehall
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  Speaker 1: Division of Police. Today, that investigation is needed more than ever.
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  Speaker 1: The officers and citizens of Whitehall deserve the truth. I
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  Speaker 1: would have to agree at this point. When you've had
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  Speaker 1: a year When you've made an arrest, when you have
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  Speaker 1: publicly humiliated, when you have served a search warrant and
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  Speaker 1: gone through this man's house so that you can inform
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  Speaker 1: the world he has gay pictures, gay artwork in his house,
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  Speaker 1: and you have not yet established to the satisfaction of
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  Speaker 1: the prosecutor's office a reason or reasons to prosecute this man,
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  Speaker 1: to confirm To tell us at the end of your statement,
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  Speaker 1: our investigation continues, tells me that Brian Steele is on
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: the right track and you need to be investigated. Or
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: maybe that's just me.