Showing posts with label Terry Thrumston. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Terry Thrumston. Show all posts

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Curious detail from the Eldorado Success Story on Rozita.

Brooks Long floated the story that "Sarah's" visit to SCMC had been investigated.
It hadn't been.

In the page one story published in today's Eldorado Success, we are asked to believe that Rozita's computer was thoroughly searched. Since we can't believe a thing they say, was it searched? Just like the SCMC fakery, the result of the alleged search of Rozita's hard drive was "negative" for certain important terms.

Once before, as I have noted, we've been asked to believe that a search was conducted, and turned up nothing, by these same Texas Rangers. Right now, based on their track record I'd say they don't want us to look there.
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Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Eldorado Success gives a Swinton Arrest blow by blow.

The article is very dry, and concentrates on accuracy and chronology.
Among the disclosures is that Ranger Kemp thought Becky Hoerth knew more than she was saying, just like I have surmised.

Candi Shapley figures in Rozita's thinking on the fake phone calls.

She had also obtained a copy of Lynn McFadden's affidavit concerning temporary conservatorship of the over 400 children that CPS was petitioning the court so as to gain custody.

More later. There are quite a few interesting details.
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Friday, February 06, 2009

What's that all about? UPDATED

Rozita had a GUN and they let her KEEP IT? What's this all about? I don't know what to think, either we have another one of Bluesy's weird, always anonymous friends or this is a tale from the inside.
"TxBluesMan, Is the only one who gets what happen. He so has it there is no conspiracy. I will tell you that the LE in Colorado did not do things the way it should have been done. I have inside information. The arrest warrant was thrown together at the last minute so there goes a conspiracy theory. The bond was asked to be increased due to safety risk to the public and flight risk. If this was the case why didn't we confiscate her gun. CSPD isn't that smart to be involved in a conspiracy. We arrested her on a case that we had no proof that she was involved in in order to get her in so that the Rangers could question her. Along with the search warrant we were suppose to use it to gather evidence for the 'Feb call' but no it was a back door to let the Rangers in to get what they needed. So about 90% of what was taken from her apt the Rangers took back to Texas with them. Now we run into the problem of the case we charged her on. It's all circumstantial we have no proof she is connected to the 911 call. This is why the case has been delayed. If you notice the arrest warrant list a lot of circumstantial evidence, situations she has never been charged on. If you saw the discovery you would flip more than you have been. It is all circumstantial we have no proof. The reality is only one of the numbers are connected to Swinton. Is the (719)243 number. The other is connected to other Colorado calls that we have never been able to connect to her. Not only did we scew that up. Swinton asked for an atty before she even knew what she was charged with. After she asked for and atty and read her rights we continue to question her and we allowed the Rangers to enter the room after she asked for an atty. We realy screwed this one up. Finally ,I got that off my chest."
Frankly, it SOUNDS a little like one of the weird Rozita sympathizers that float around out there, but I don't have anything to say other than to offer it up for you to look at.

UPDATE - SPECULATION: This person is not literate enough to be CSPD. I too have my doubts about the relative wisdom of some of our boys in blue, but this is not well written.

BUT, on the face of it the writer would seem to have been there. So if the writer is not an outright liar:

That's CSPD.

Texas Rangers.

Rozita Swinton.

FBI? (only technically, I'm going to say writing style precludes that)

Rozita's roomie, Becky Hoerth


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Thursday, February 05, 2009

Yes Martha, Texas KNEW about Rozita before the raid was over.

The only questions of course being, how much did they know, and when did they know it. This starts to look like a full on cover up/conspiracy more and more each day.
I made these humorous points to another blogger who is a doubter and another blog. I liked them so much, I made them into a post here.
I will give you some of the various governing laws and principles that affect the flow of communications within a bureaucracy. All of these are squared as to effect when between two agencies, cubed when between three. There are three agencies involved here, that I know of, hence it took more than two days, or even three to get from the discovery of Rozita to the discovery of the Peace Officer with knowledge of her crimes. It in fact represents communications that are relative to light speed for Brooks Long to contact CSPD before the middle of the month. I personally was astounded. We must however assume that normally, the complexity of this path of communication means that the Texas Rangers, or the FBI knew about Rozita before any of them (the Rangers, the FBI and Rozita) even existed.

Law of Communications:

"The inevitable result of improved and enlarged communications between different levels in a hierarchy is a vastly increased area of misunderstanding." (What he said)

The Army Axiom:

"Any order that can be misunderstood has been misunderstood." (It was a miracle!)

Spark's 10th Rule for Project Managers:

"Give all orders verbally. Never write anything down that might go into a 'Pearl Harbor File.' " (they obeyed this law, I'm impressed)

Cornuelle's Law:

"Authority tends to assign jobs to those least able to do them." (They asked the wrong guy)

Parkinson's Third Law:

"Expansion means complexity; and complexity decay." (There were at least 9 people in the chain of communications. The message should have been destroyed once, lost once and repeated a total of three times before reaching the end.)

Parkinson's Fifth Law:

"If there is a way to delay an important decision, the good bureaucracy, public or private, will find it." (This was important, I rest my case)

Gresham's Law:

"Trivial matters are handled promptly; important matters are never solved." (this was too important to attend to quickly)

Weinberg's First Law:

"Progress is made on alternate Fridays." (Progress was made on the 4th, thus no progress was made on the weekend of the 11th. This, is absolute and utter proof, I should have led with it.)

Cheops's Law:

"Nothing ever gets built on schedule or within budget." (only the scheduling part of this law need be applied, YFZ took care of the budget.)

Katz's Law:

"Men and nations will act rationally when all other possibilities have been exhausted." (Proof? All other possibilities had been exhausted, and that takes a long time)"
I thank the website "Murphology" for providing such a long list of such laws, complete with appropriate errors, as are necessary.

I say this half (okay, I'm lying, 1/3) humorously. The points are real after the laughing is over.

We are asked to believe, in light of the new evidence I have found, that is largely being ignored, that a bureaucracy, actually at least THREE bureucracies, sprung into action on Sunday, the 13th of April, 2008, communicated effectively and efficiently on that SUNDAY to the point of ultimate resolution. The Texas Rangers called the FBI in San Angelo, on a Sunday, and then they found someone in Colorado Springs' FBI on that Sunday that had no personal connection with the Agent in Texas and no urgency was communicated to him. (Why? Agent Steve A. Smith would remember the name of that Agent in Texas if it was an emergency.)

He then calls in this non urgent state ( The Message will continue to carry with it the tone of no urgency) Sean Mandel (Third Agency) who calls Hugh Velasquez who calls Terry Thrumston and if we're KIND, Terry Thrumston immediately calls back the FIRST UNNAMED FBI Agent in Texas (who's name Agent Steve A. Smith does not recall and apparently did not pass along) and tells him to have Brooks Long "Call me."

Wrong.

The whole point of this humorous post is that information travels slowly in a bureaucracy. It travels even more slowly between them. It travels even more slowly when the message isn't marked "urgent." (See the original warning to Pearl Harbor about the ATTACK.)

The fact is, that once I uncovered this chain of communication, we have to believe it took a long time, relatively speaking. The time frame for discovery of Rozita Swinton stretches backwards towards about March 30th, 2008. It stretches forward to April 13th, 2008. Somewhere in there she was discovered.

Since I have documented a link in the bureaucratic communication that had to be at least the SECOND, not the FIRST investigation into the matter, this means that somewhere in between the 3rd of April and the 11th, they knew. The likelyhood with bureacratic non urgent communications being as they are. (SEE PEARL HARBOR AGAIN) it tood a good deal of time. That means sometime well before the 11th. Probably no later in April than the 6th.






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The Law of Unintended Consequence and Rozita's Arrest Warrant

Was Rozita's home illegally searched as well?
This is one of those "I'm not an attorney" speculations but what would be the effect of a known falsehood, told by Law Enforcement in the affidavit supporting a search warrant?

Nope, not the warrants used to get into YFZ, but the warrant used to get into Rozita's home, confiscate her things, and arrest her.

See if you can pick out the false statement.
"On April 13, 2008, I was contacted by Sergeant Hugh Velasquez (1514D) regarding information he had obtained from Sergeant Sean Mandel. Sergeant Mandel told Sergeant Velasquez he had been contacted by the Texas Rangers in regard to their investigation into the Yearning for Zion (YFZ) Ranch. Sergeant Mandel related Texas Ranger Brooks Long had advised he had two cellular telephone number listings from the Colorado Springs area (719-351-0913 and 719-243-2866). Sergeant Mandel was aware that the phone number, 719-351-0913, that was possibly related to the reporting party for the YFZ Ranch incident in Eldorado, Texas, was also identified in a prior CSPD case report."
Oh look, I did it for you. Sean Mandel says he DID NOT speak to the Texas Rangers. He specifically states he did not talk to Brooks Long.

The affidavit contains a known falsehood. Does this mean all the evidence connected to THAT raid will be disallowed? Should I call David Foley and give him a hand? Just thinking perversely here.
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Sunday, February 01, 2009

Texas Emergency Information Requests go by carrier pigeon?

Rephrasing and refreshing the FBI/Ranger/CSPD April the 13th MYTH.
It often occurs to me I have not explained it well. Look at what has to be believed for the Texas Rangers to have contacted CSPD on April the 13th, 2008 regarding Rozita Swinton.

Figure this series of contacts MUST start early in the morning, so we'll do the hypothetical this way.

Texas Ranger Brooks Long wakes up, after a grueling 10 days of YFZ nonsense and looking for "Sarah."

He gets his morning Newspaper, coffee, breakfast, and sits down to enjoy a quiet Sunday Morning and says "OH (Bleep!)"

Picks up the PHONE, and calls NOT THE CSPD (because he has Colorado Springs cell phone numbers) but the FBI, in SAN ANGELO.

But WAIT! The FBI IS THERE! Someone is working late OR, (More Likely) Brooks calls an FBI agent he KNOWS at San Angelo. Apparently this is an EMERGENCY, BECAUSE...

The unknown FBI San Angelo Agent IMMEDIATELY DROPS EVERYTHING! He calls an agent in Colorado Springs who is AVAILABLE and ANSWERS! Keep in mind that in this total burning down emergency mode that has to exist for things to move this quickly, Brooks has not called CSPD, he's called the FBI, who also in this BURNING WEEKEND EMERGENCY MODE has called another FBI agent he just happens to know and be able to contact on the weekend. REPEATING. Brooks Long calls an FBI Agent HE KNOWS and KNOWS the after hours phone number of who then turns out to know, (coincidentally) the private after hours contact number for FBI Agent Steve A. Smith of Colorado Springs who just HAPPENS to be working on a Task Force in Colorado Springs with a Sgt. Sean Mandel, who he just happens to BE with, or whom he PICKS UP THE PHONE, (again, convinced of the BURNING EMERGENCY) and calls not HEADQUARTERS, but Sgt. Sean Mandel.

Now at least a Message, traveling through back channels and still carrying with it specificity and clarity and a tone of BURNING EMERGENCY passes to Sgt. Sean Mandel, who is getting this now FOURTH HAND and he creates yet another link in the chain. Sgt. Sean Mandel who clearly cannot go into CSPD offices because of his detached status on what is probably some "undercover" investigation with the FBI task force (this is a VERY convoluted strange path) picks up the phone or goes to SEE Sgt. Hugh Velasquez IN PERSON and now the FIFTH HAND emergency back channel message has reached an active member of the CSPD on duty on Sunday, Sex Crimes Task Force Member Sgt. Hugh Velasquez who then contacts SIXTH HAND, Detective Terry Thrumston.

Sgt. Hugh Velasquez then sends another message back down the line or contacts the FBI agent in San Angelo himself (this is now 7 or 8 uninterrupted phone contacts immediately attended to, no "unknown calls" screened out on a Sunday) and in addition to that, researches the phone numbers, on a the same day, and fingers Rozita Swinton. The FBI agent in San Angelo calls Brooks Long, who then calls Sgt. Hugh Velasquez (minimum 9 calls after hours among people in Law Enforcement on a weekend not all of whom KNOW each other) and Sgt. Hugh Velasquez says "Brooks, WE HAVE YOUR GIRL! HER NAME IS ___________!"

No.

I don't believe that happened that way. Do you?

No.

I don't believe that happened all on a Sunday, DO YOU?

That means the story is a lie, the contact between the FBI and the Texas Rangers about the phone call occurred earlier, the preceding week, not the week of the 13th, and the only believable day for that is Friday, April the 11th, 2008.

It is also possible that the FBI tipped the Texas Rangers after researching it themselves. Once we realize that the story is a lie, the true story is, well, just about anything.

What I can promise you is this did NOT start on the 13th. The inquiry into the phone numbers began earlier than that and the FBI doesn't want us to know when, and does not want us to know who was involved and does not want us to know whose idea it was.

Now, KNOWING that you've been lied to about all of this, do you believe that the FBI, upon completing their own search warrant on Thursday, April 10th, 2008, gets it in gear on the phone number issue on Friday, April 11th, 2008 and also this investigation is completed on Sunday, April 13th? Remember the path that has been documented has this minimum number of links, and players.

FBI Agent in San Angelo (working at SOMEONE'S request, not his own) calls an FBI Agent in Colorado Springs who HE DOES NOT KNOW, and WHO DOES NOT KNOW HIM.

THAT FBI Agent just HAPPENS to have a CSPD Sgt. on his task force.

THAT CSPD Sgt. contacts another CSPD Sgt.

THAT CSPD Sgt. contacts another Detective at CSPD.

SOMEONE get's back to the FBI in San Angelo.

I repeat, this does not all happen on a Sunday afternoon. It doesn't even happen on a weekend. It barely has enough time to happen on Friday.

Remember also that you have to believe that the FBI and Sheriff Doran and the Texas Rangers BELIEVE there is a Sarah, so they BELIEVE that they will find the owner of the phone, and trace it back to a member of the FLDS, but instead, they find Rozita Swinton.

Also, why does the FBI inquire of CSPD? WHY would you believe that the phone numbers were involved in a CRIME?

If you believe the phone numbers were involved in a crime, doesn't that suggest a database that was accessed?

Why wasn't that done right away?

WAS that done right away?
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Friday, January 23, 2009

We Can't Tell You That, Oh No, No Can Do! Talking to Mark White of the FBI in Dallas about the YFZ raid.

I spoke with Mark White, Media Relations, FBI Dallas.
As expected, Mark appealed to the "ongoing investigation" to explain why it was that he wouldn't give out information as to who spoke with FBI Agent Steve A. Smith from the Texas end, namely, the FBI office in San Angelo. I was able to extract the following commitment from Mark though. Since Agent Smith (I get this funny Men In Black thought every time I say that) said that there was no case opened on his end at the FBI office in Colorado Springs, that there would be a case opened on the Texas side, Agent White will check and see if there was a case opened on the Texas side. If there was not, I imagine this represents a violation of some procedure, if not some sort of law or administrative rule.

I will again ask him the question of WHICH agent opened the case, and if he declines because of the "ongoing investigation" I will be asking him how many agents handled the case, WHEN it was opened, and which agency caused there to be a case opened in the first place. This will be to nail down whether or not Texas opened the case with the FBI.

Potential answers will be as follows of this sort. "Only agent X handled the request that came from the Texas Rangers," or "Local Law Enforcement (that would be Sheriff Doran) made the request." There could be multiple agents. There could be no request from the outside.

A potential answer would be that the request came during or near the beginning of the raid. That would be earth shaking. At least I think so.
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Other end of the Old Boy FLDS - Rozita Swinton Network?

Apparently, it is a Ranger Philip Kemp
with the Texas Rangers, who contacts the FBI on the 11th of April, 2008. I will research this more. It means the chain is now:

  1. Texas Ranger Philip Kemp
  2. (Unknown FBI agent working out of San Angelo)
  3. Agent Steve A. Smith - FBI Colorado Springs Office
  4. Lt. Sean Mandel (then a Sgt on detached duty from CSPD to the FBI)
  5. Sgt. Hugh Velasquez CSPD
  6. Detective Terry Thrumston CSPD
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Wednesday, January 21, 2009

First Contact About Rozita Swinton, NOT with CSPD, but actually with the FBI

I spoke to Colorado Springs Police Lieutenant Sean Mandel today. Breaking news
.

The first contact between Texas Law Enforcement and Colorado was not actually with Colorado, it was with the FBI. Someone in Texas contacted the FBI and Agent Steve A. Smith then communicated with then Sgt. Sean Mandel as he was on detached service with the FBI from CSPD. Lt. Mandel spoke with then Sgt. Brooks Long once or twice in his recollection, which seems to be that they spoke "later in the day."

I emphasize that FIRST CONTACT as presented in Exhibit 3, attachment A, p.5 is not with Sean Mandel and Brooks Long. It is SOMEBODY from Texas, and SOMEBODY with the FBI. It filters through Agent Steve Smith to Sean Mandel and then a conversation occurs with Brooks Long.

The rest of the affidavit attached to the warrant is accurate in the successive events. Then Sgt. Sean Mandel communicated with Sgt. Hugh Velasquez who was on active duty with CSPD, who then communicated with Terry Thrumston, who then gave the affidavit to Amy Mullaney for the warrant. Sean Mandel did not go on the arrest, and says "Texas flew up" to go with the arresting officers.
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Sunday, January 18, 2009

Exhibit 3, attachment A, p.5 Something Fishy Going On?

In Warren's motion for an evidentiary hearing, a reference is made to "Exhibit 3, attachment A, p.5." Poster "kbp" correctly identifies the document as
This one.

I have been reviewing the document and found this fascinatingly vague presentation, that on first blush, pins the time for investigating Rozita Swinton's hoax "Sarah" call as April 13th, 2008, but actually, it does not.

"On April 13, 2008, I was contacted by Sergeant Hugh Velasquez (1514D) regarding information he had obtained from Sergeant Sean Mandel. Sergeant Mandel told Sergeant Velasquez he had been contacted by the Texas Rangers in regard to their investigation into the Yearning for Zion (YFZ) Ranch. Sergeant Mandel related Texas Ranger Brooks Long had advised he had two cellular telephone number listings from the Colorado Springs area (719-351-0913 and 719-243-2866). Sergeant Mandel was aware that the phone number, 719-351-0913, that was possibly related to the reporting party for the YFZ Ranch incident in Eldorado, Texas, was also identified in a prior CSPD case report."


Note that the writers are Terry E. Thrumston and Amy Mullaney, Assistant District Attorney, for El Paso County (Colorado Springs) Colorado. The speaker is Terry E. Thrumston, This is found on pages 11 & 12 of the Adobe Acrobat facsimile of the document, Thrumston's report ends on page 11, or on the 8th page of the original.

So this is what happens here. Terry Thrumston is relating a story told to him by Hugh Velasquez, which was told to him by Sean Mandel. This occurs on April the 13th. Let's be real clear what this means. On April the 16th, Amy Mullany swears out a warrant based on internal (and probably reliable) hearsay within CSPD (Colorado Springs Police Department).

She takes the statement of Statement of Detective Terry E. Thrumston (Badge #984D) (one degree of separation) and attaches it to an arrest warrant on the 16th. Thrumston in turn has taken this from Sgt. Hugh Velasquez (two degrees) who receives it from Sgt. Sean Mandel (three degrees), who is apparently, no longer with the department. It should be noted that at two degrees of separation, a date is attached. Detective Thrumston says he got the report from Velasquez on the 13th.

It does not say when it was that Sgt. Brooks Long contacted CSPD, or Sgt. Mandel who apparently has moved on to another cushier job in State Government, and is no longer with CSPD. So no date of contact is established. And the warrant is promptly sealed by Amy Mullaney. It is unsealed later and mentioned in the motion posted to the High Profile case of Warren Jeffs at the Mohave County site. The motion is made on and redacted, and posted to that site 01/16/2009 though it is dated for the 13th. I checked Mohave County's site early Friday afternoon. There was no such posting. I went home, it was there. It was dated for the 16th at that time. It now shows up as being posted by it's filing date, Tuesday, and the document is dated for a week prior to it's actual posting date, a week earlier, on the 9th.

Mainly what I am trying to point out is that a degree of sensitivity exists about what's in this motion, and in what is contained in the formerly sealed "Exhibit 3, attachment A. p5. As of yet, I don't know what all of Exhibit 3 is, unless it is the motion itself. In attachment A. is the basis for the claim that Texas contacted Colorado on the 13th. Reading attachment A though, there is no such claim. The first official record is said to be the 13th, on the 16th, when Detective Terry Thrumston makes his statement, that is by now third hand information. I had previously thought that Sean Mandel may have been promoted out of the department but I have received an email reply from another Sean Mandel, and they are not one in the same.
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