Fogbow

Republican representative sued after deadly hit-and-run, called high-powered buddy instead of cops

As someone who cycles in Georgia regularly, my biggest fear is that I’ll be hit by a car while out biking. My next fear is that the culprit will drive away as I lay dying in a ditch. This was exactly the scene that played out in 2019 when Eric Keais, 38, was fatally hit by Ralph “Ryan” Dover III in Polk County, Georgia on Sept. 11. The most egregious part is that Dover didn’t call 911 after striking Keais; instead, he called his high-powered Republican friend, State Rep. Trey Kelley, to help save his guilty ass. Kelley, in turn, called a friend in power, and so it goes.

Dover, who left the scene of the accident, was indicted by the grand jury on charges of hit-and-run and reckless conduct. And Kelly was indicted on one misdemeanor charge of reckless conduct. Kelley is now being sued in federal court by Keais’ father for wrongful death. The case is alleging Kelley tried to use his political power for a friend instead of doing the right thing and saving a man’s life.

According to court documents, Kelley didn’t just arrive on the scene, check it out, and call 911. He called his own high-powered buddy, Cedartown Police Chief James Newsome, 46 minutes after the accident. Newsome then called a sergeant, but not 911. When the sergeant arrived, Keais was found still alive, lying bloodied in a ditch. The sergeant called an ambulance, but Keais died later at the hospital.

“Defendants Dover, Kelley, and Newsome conspired to cover up the seriousness of the hit-and-run by manipulating the police investigation,” according to the lawsuit. “These defendants acted in concert to put Mr. Keais’ life in further jeopardy by recklessly and intentionally delaying and depriving him of lifesaving medical treatment.”

poplove wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 3:13 am Are Your Republican Neighbors Planning On Killing You?

https://livingbluetx.com/2021/09/domest ... -door/amp/

poplove wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 3:13 am Are Your Republican Neighbors Planning On Killing You?

https://livingbluetx.com/2021/09/domest ... -door/amp/

öSomerset County district attorney arrested on rape, assault charges

SEP 23, 2021 4:09 AM

The Somerset County district attorney was arrested Wednesday and charged with raping and physically assaulting a female acquaintance, Pennsylvania State Police said.

DA Jeffrey Lynn Thomas faces rape, strangulation, criminal trespass and other charges following the incident in Windber on Saturday night, according to state police.

Mr. Thomas was arraigned Wednesday night. He is being held on $5,000 bail in the Cambria County Prison.

The arrest came a day after state police began investigating the alleged attack.

Police said Mr. Thomas entered the home of a female acquaintance and refused to leave after being told to get out of the house. The district attorney is then said to have sexually and physically assaulted the woman.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro called the charges against Mr. Thomas “deeply disturbing.”

“Mr. Thomas is entrusted by the public to uphold the law and serve as a voice for victims,” Mr. Shapiro said in a statement. “I commend the bravery of the victim that has come forward — that is never an easy thing to do, especially when your abuser is a powerful elected official. Today is a reminder that no one is above the law.”



https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime ... 2109220179

Former state Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger has been arrested in Georgia more than two weeks after Ada County issued a warrant for rape and sexual assault charges.

Von Ehlinger was arrested and booked into the Clayton County jail Saturday night and labeled as a “fugitive from justice.” Clayton County is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area and is where Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is located.

A judge on Monday considered setting bond, but it was denied, according to Clayton County court records.

The booking information lists his residence as Julliaetta (sic), Iowa, but an Ada County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson confirmed him to be the former state representative from Lewiston.

The extradition process from Georgia to Idaho is not immediately clear.

Von Ehlinger resigned in May after a blistering ethics hearing over accusations he had raped a 19-year-old legislative staffer.

Boise State Public Radio doesn’t identify alleged victims of sexual assault.

The woman, who is known by the pseudonym Jane Doe, said she went to dinner with von Ehlinger in March. Afterwards, they went back to his apartment where she said he forced her into oral sex.

Von Ehlinger has repeatedly said the encounter was consensual.

In House ethics committee investigation transcripts and at the hearing, three other women who work, or at the time worked, at the Idaho Capitol reported he made them feel “uncomfortable.”

One of the women, a security guard, testified she had sex with von Ehlinger after a couple of dates. When asked whether it was consensual, she said, “Uncomfortably, I guess.”

His defense during the ethics inquiry rested on the fact that no House rule existed preventing him from dating members of staff.

Von Ehlinger’s case became a rallying cry for many far-right lawmakers who believed he was targeted because of his conservative beliefs.

That campaign sparked its own ethics hearing after Rep. Priscilla Giddings (R-White Bird) posted a link to a far-right blog post on her Facebook page that revealed Jane Doe’s identity and photo.

Giddings called von Ehlinger “Idaho’s own [Supreme Court Justice Brett] Kavanaugh,” urging people to “Follow the money!”

The House ethics committee recommended censuring Giddings and stripping her of a committee assignment in August. The full House has yet to act on those recommendations.

Von Ehlinger was first elected as a state representative in 2020 after challenging former Rep. Thyra Stevenson (R-Nezperce). Stevenson died just weeks before the Republican primary and von Ehlinger went unchallenged in the general election.

Raised in Orofino, von Ehlinger later served in the U.S. Army Airborne Division in Afghanistan in 2001 and 2002.

Earlier this year, the Lewiston Tribune reported the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Paroles pardoned von Ehlinger for several misdemeanor crimes, including reckless driving, careless driving, possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to use and driving an unregistered motorcycle.

poplove wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 3:13 am Are Your Republican Neighbors Planning On Killing You?

https://livingbluetx.com/2021/09/domest ... -door/amp/

Von Ehlinger has repeatedly said the encounter was consensual.

Von Ehlinger’s case became a rallying cry for many far-right lawmakers who believed he was targeted because of his conservative beliefs.

RTH10260 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 3:32 am

poplove wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 3:13 am Are Your Republican Neighbors Planning On Killing You?

https://livingbluetx.com/2021/09/domest ... -door/amp/

The Chinese will like to keep this corner growing for sure.

bill_g wrote: ↑Tue Sep 28, 2021 9:11 am

RTH10260 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 3:32 am

poplove wrote: ↑Mon Sep 27, 2021 3:13 am Are Your Republican Neighbors Planning On Killing You?

https://livingbluetx.com/2021/09/domest ... -door/amp/

The Chinese will like to keep this corner growing for sure.

My thoughts as well.

northland10 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 28, 2021 8:46 am Their platform has morphed into, nobody can tell me what to do but I can tell everybody else what to do or if they can live here.

northland10 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 28, 2021 8:46 am

Von Ehlinger has repeatedly said the encounter was consensual.

Von Ehlinger’s case became a rallying cry for many far-right lawmakers who believed he was targeted because of his conservative beliefs.

Once upon a time, the publically stated rule for conservatives was that sex outside of marriage was a no no. It was part of that whole family values thing. They impeached a President for it.

Today's "conservatives" have definitely decided to drop that veneer of "family values." Many out west are apparently also thinking their libertarian views are conservative views (the west has always been more on the libertarian side). While the Republican party contains both they are not the same. I remember the contortions some of the right-wing folks I knew who claimed themselves as conservatives yet also claimed to be libertarian.

Their platform has morphed into, nobody can tell me what to do but I can tell everybody else what to do or if they can live here.

The drug possession thing is also libertarian, not conservative.