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10:27 pm
June 10, 2011
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QuoteHey everybody!
This isn't really internet marketing related, but I think we're all friends here and I want to share something with all of you. I haven't been very active in the insiders circle for a couple weeks and wanted to let you know why.......
On December 24, Christmas eve, my son was arrested. About two weeks earlier he had been shopping in a Wal Mart store, and somebody claimed that they lost their black leather wallet containing credit cards. My son also has a black leather wallet, and as he was going throught the checkout line, the store security cameras filmed him picking up his own black leather wallet from the counter. I have seen him do this many times....he takes his wallet out of his pocket, takes cash out of it to pay the cashier, and then set's his wallet down on the counter. When the transaction is finished, he picks his wallet back up and puts it back in his pocket.
The police spotted him in town on Christmas eve, and asked him if he would come to the police station to answer a few questions. He drove his car to the police station, and when he went inside he was interogated for about two hours as the police demanded that he sign a statement admitting that he "stole" the wallet. He kept asking them to back up the video, so they could clearly see him taking his own wallet out of his pocket and place it on the counter, but they refused. He was instead arrested on suspicion of 2nd degree theft, which is a very serious charge. Since the next day was Sunday, and also Christmas, no bail could be arranged. And since Monday was the day everybody took off for Christmas, we couldn't arrange bail then earlier. We were not able to get him out until late Tuesday, when the judge came back to work.
My son was just starting a new, very promising job, and it appears now that he has lost his job over this. We live in a rural, small town area, and news travels fast. My son's arrest was reported in the local paper, so now everybody thinks he is a thief. We have been dealing with lawyers these past few days, and our lawyer just discovered that the prosecuting attorney has decided to "not press charges at this time". When I asked the prosecuting attorney what that meant, I was told that there isn't any real evidence to support any charges. Good news??? Hell no. Instead of admitting that Wal Mart had submitted false and misleading evidence, and the police really had no grounds to make an arrest, the prosecuting attorney has told the police to "come up with more evidence" so they can make a charge. They have absolutly no proof that my son "stole" a wallet, and they have no proof that anybody really lost a wallet either! A very interesting coincidence(?) is that my son recently went on a date with a girl that is also involved with a person who just happens to be employed by Wal Mart as a manager. A lawyer also informed me that Wal Mart takes a "very tough stance" on shoplifters, and is not above suspicion of altering video's submitted as evidence.
My son is a very honest, clean cut, hard working, respectable young man and I have absolutly no doubt that he is innocent. His reputation and spirit have been seriously harmed, and of course our Christmas was totally destroyed. I have no idea how much attorney fees are going to add up to by the time this is over, but we have estimates of of 5-10 thousand dollars if the prosecuting attorney does decide to file charges, and they can string this out for up to 10 years if they want to. If you want to know more about Wal Mart, just do a google search about complaints against the company. They currently have over 200 cases of false imprisonment pending, among many other charges and complaints.
I hope I haven't broken any forum rules or offended anyone by this post, but I just thought you might want to be informed in case you are thinking about shopping at Wal Mart. I sure as hell won't be!
What would a jam session with Gordon Lightfoot, Collective Soul, and Damien Rice sound like?
Check out Greg Parke and you’ll have a pretty good idea!
11:21 pm
June 7, 2011
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Hey Greg, not at all. You're free to discuss anything you like here. That sounds absolutely terrible. You can absolutely sue them for damages. Lost job, reputation, Christmas (hardships), etc. Just need to find a lawyer who would take it on commission as Wal Mart will certainly drag it out. Sorry you and your son had to go through that.
Having trouble with your marketing? Wish you could have an experienced direct-to-fan marketing expert look over your actual campaigns, music, or content and offer feedback? Or perhaps you’re just looking for a little one-on-one assistance so you can ask questions that pertain to your specific goals and get a second, more experienced, perspective? Click here to book a session with me now.
11:37 pm
October 27, 2011
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Wow Greg! That really upsets me to hear what your son and family are going through. I never liked WalMart and I won't be shopping there!
2:13 am
August 27, 2011
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Hey Greg,
It's good to hear that you're okay and all is well - been wondering where you've been the last little while. That's terrible about Walmart. Hopefully the prosecuting attorney has some other case cross his lap that is more appealing and is actually legit instead of trying to pin something on someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Good luck, and hopefully this will soon be nothing but a distant memory for you and your family.
6:20 am
June 10, 2011
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Thanks for the nice comments, your support is really appreciated!
Maybe the dust is starting to settle a bit. Today I actually spent several hours working on booking gigs, and even put in about two hours of studio time. Getting back to the insiders circle is theraputic too!
BTW....yesterday my wife, son and I met my Mom at a local cafe for lunch, since we hadn't been able to get together for Christmas. My wife and son both had the same thing, and they mentioned that the food tasted a bit funny. Today they are both sick with food poisoning! Jeeze....enough already!
What would a jam session with Gordon Lightfoot, Collective Soul, and Damien Rice sound like?
Check out Greg Parke and you’ll have a pretty good idea!
3:35 am
June 7, 2011
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Oh man, when it rains it pours.
Having trouble with your marketing? Wish you could have an experienced direct-to-fan marketing expert look over your actual campaigns, music, or content and offer feedback? Or perhaps you’re just looking for a little one-on-one assistance so you can ask questions that pertain to your specific goals and get a second, more experienced, perspective? Click here to book a session with me now.
2:09 pm
October 18, 2011
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WOOO! Greg.... Sorry to read all of these stories. Well, be surre that the sun always comes back out after the rainy days... This is a cycle of life and you're in the down part of it. I'm with you my own way...
As far as Walmart goes, I HATE IT! I never go there. I don't mean to sound weird, but you could use your story to write a song... Get inspired by it. At least, something good would come out of this situation. Smoke on the water is a good example of a bad luck turning good...
Take care and keep it up with your music!
Have a free track now!: Gratitude
6:08 pm
June 10, 2011
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Thanks again for all the kind words and support!
So...here is an update....
We have been informed from several sources that this police department made many very questionable arrests over the holidays, and I am starting to wonder if they did it as some form of protest over some internal turmoil within the department. We were also advised that one person has already "unwisely settled out of court" for a cash settlement. At any rate we are waiting to see what the prosecuting attorney is going to do next. If they do what we think they are going to do, which is to file a motion to not file charges due to lack of any evidence, then we are thinking of going ahead with our own charges for false arrest, loss of income, defemation of character, evidence tampering and falsification of evidence, and more. Gawd....I'm starting to sound like a lawyer!
We are not the kind of people who will go after a big settlement just to be vindictive, but in this case I feel my son deserves compensation, and the police officers involved, as well as Walmart, need to be educated that you cannot abuse your authority, or make false claims against innocent people.
And yeah Isabelle, I am thinking about writing a song about it! I was just starting a major songwiting binge when this all happened, and now I need to get back on track. This might be a pretty hard song to write, but it might be just what I need?
What would a jam session with Gordon Lightfoot, Collective Soul, and Damien Rice sound like?
Check out Greg Parke and you’ll have a pretty good idea!
6:17 pm
October 18, 2011
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I'm sure you'll do great Greg! You know, I think that good opportunities are often hidden behind what appears as bad luck...
I know it' s a tough time to go through, but you're an intelligent person, you'll grow from it and you and your family will be fine.
Take care!
Have a free track now!: Gratitude
10:31 pm
June 7, 2011
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yeah man, I'm not a litigious person at all. But when you hear about abuses of power... I say go get'm with all you have and take'm to the cleaners. Really upsetting story. Glad you guys are more or less on the other side of it.
Having trouble with your marketing? Wish you could have an experienced direct-to-fan marketing expert look over your actual campaigns, music, or content and offer feedback? Or perhaps you’re just looking for a little one-on-one assistance so you can ask questions that pertain to your specific goals and get a second, more experienced, perspective? Click here to book a session with me now.
4:46 pm
June 10, 2011
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Hey fellow forum members!
I figured it was time for another update on this whole stupid mess, so here goes:
It is now almost a year later, and this case still has not gone to trial. It has been an absolute disgusting joke to see what has become of our legal system. So far we have spent almost $10,000 on legal fees, including hiring a private investigator, as well as a video specialist who was able to open the surveilence videos from WalMart.
I still don't know if the prosecuting attorney has even seen the videos yet, but we have! The person in the videos is definitely not my son, the "getaway" car is not my son's car, the actual thief is shown getting into the back seat of the getaway car, and waiting 12 minutes for the driver to show up, so it is pretty likely the car is not his, but belongs to the driver. (That is what the police used to pin my son to this case....he owns a car that sort of matches the getaway car.....sort of! Vehicle about 20 years old, black, chrome wheels, fuzzy video taken at night in parking lot from several hundred feet away.....)
Through the private investigator we hired, we have absolute proof of who actually stole the wallet that day in WalMart. We have his name, address, extensive criminal record, the account number of his food stamp card he used to pay for purchases while he was actually stealing the wallet (all backed up by the WalMart video and transaction records BTW) This person is a convicted sex offender as well as a convicted thief many times over. In fact he is one of the few people in the State of Washington that is actually on an official list that forbids hock shops from buying anything from, because has has such an extensive past of trying to sell stolen property! We also have recent booking photo's of this persons most recent arrest that match the Walmart videos perfectly. If the police would have done thier job in the beginning, they would have probably already arrested and convicted the actual guilty person, and my son would never have been a "suspect".
This person is currently in jail for other crimes.....so it shouldn't be to hard for the prosecuting attorney to find him. All of this info has been given to the prosecuting attorney some time ago. The last time we were in court for yet another "pre-trial" the prosecuting attorney stated they were trying to locate this "other person of interest" to see how and why my son would have had the use of this other persons food stamp card. The actual thief paid for some items with a food stamp card at the same time he is shown in the video stealing a wallet. We have proof that my son is not on the food stamp program, and does not have a food stamp card. The prosecuting attorney actually had the balls to say that my son obviously stole this other person card! This SOB is refusing to admit that he has made a mistake, and (even though he did admit "off the record") they have no evidence to make a case against my son!
I have no doubt that a jury is not going to convict my son, but meanwhile the legal system is having a field day at our expense. I have done a lot of research, and have discovered that the legal system, including the courts, police, judges, lawyers (both prosecuting and defense) are completly protected from any liability, no matter how incompetent they are, no matter if they break the law, lie, falsify evidence (all of which have happened in this case) no matter how much money they may cost someone.........As a citizen, we are totaly without recourse against the legal system.
I have no idea how much longer this is going to go on, or how much more it is going to cost before all is said and done. I am just so happy that my family is so close and supportive of each other!
What would a jam session with Gordon Lightfoot, Collective Soul, and Damien Rice sound like?
Check out Greg Parke and you’ll have a pretty good idea!
10:56 am
August 27, 2011
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Wow is all I can say. On the one hand, it must feel good to have so much evidence to be validated that your son is without a doubt 100% innocent - but being dragged through the process and getting hit in the wallet is another thing entirely.
Stay focused on the positive as it sounds like you're doing. It could be worse...it could cost you all this money and he could have been guilty.
10:56 pm
June 7, 2011
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Geez Greg, that sounds absolutely terrible. But as Mike mentioned, at least you guys have the proof and that must leave you feeling somewhat stable inside. I'd raise as much hell as I could and try contacting the media. Hey, maybe this is a good use of all you've learned about press releases 🙂 Might be worth a PR Web release to get some media attention. (with the blessing of your lawyer of course). Best of luck with all of this. Hopefully you'll soon be on the other side.
Having trouble with your marketing? Wish you could have an experienced direct-to-fan marketing expert look over your actual campaigns, music, or content and offer feedback? Or perhaps you’re just looking for a little one-on-one assistance so you can ask questions that pertain to your specific goals and get a second, more experienced, perspective? Click here to book a session with me now.
11:57 pm
June 10, 2011
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Thanks for the nice comments, and yeah we we will come out of this just fine, and we will continue to kick some serious ass in the process!
No matter how bad things can get, there is always something good out there to focus on.......in this case it is my absolutly perfect grandson that was born 11/03/12 at 11:27 pm. I'm sure you can relate John!
What would a jam session with Gordon Lightfoot, Collective Soul, and Damien Rice sound like?
Check out Greg Parke and you’ll have a pretty good idea!
8:52 am
June 7, 2011
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Hey,
Greg Parke said
Thanks for the nice comments, and yeah we we will come out of this just fine, and we will continue to kick some serious ass in the process!No matter how bad things can get, there is always something good out there to focus on.......in this case it is my absolutly perfect grandson that was born 11/03/12 at 11:27 pm. I'm sure you can relate John!
Hey! Congrats to you and family as well Greg.
Having trouble with your marketing? Wish you could have an experienced direct-to-fan marketing expert look over your actual campaigns, music, or content and offer feedback? Or perhaps you’re just looking for a little one-on-one assistance so you can ask questions that pertain to your specific goals and get a second, more experienced, perspective? Click here to book a session with me now.
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