Claremore Regress whitewashes Gene "False Charge" Haynes

http://www.claremoreprogress.com/local/local_...

Felony charges dismissed at request of alleged victim

By Krystal J. Carman
CLAREMORE DAILY PROGRESS

October 20, 2009 —

Charges against the man responsible for starting Rogers County Grand Jury were dismissed by the state on the eve of his jury trial.

David Starkey, Claremore, was arrested and charged in July 2007 with felony assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and felony domestic assault and battery by strangulation. The charges stem from an alleged incident where authorities and Starkey’s ex-wife Christie Skaggs said he beat her with a jar of marshmallow cream and tried to strangle her.

Starkey was scheduled to stand trial on Monday, but Rogers County District Attorney Gene Haynes said Monday the charges were dismissed at the request of Skaggs.

“It just got to the point where the witness would not cooperate,” Haynes said.“She wouldn’t even speak with us and in fact, she’s been working with his attorney.”

This isn’t the first time Skaggs hasn’t cooperated with the prosecution, however.

After the charges were filed against Starkey, Skaggs had testified at a preliminary hearing in November 2007 where she maintained that she and Starkey had allegedly gotten into an argument which escalated. She added that Starkey had slapped her in the head before allegedly punching, kicking and strangling her, and hitting her in the head with a jar of marshmallow cream. At the time of his arrest, Starkey told Claremore Police that her injuries were self-inflicted.

In March, a second preliminary hearing was held due to the fact that the public was not allowed in the courtroom during the first preliminary hearing, violating Starkey’s right to public trial, a ruling that Judge Robert Haney made at district court arraignment in January. All Rogers County judges were recused from the case and Judge Carl Gibson presided over the March hearing.

At that hearing, Skaggs did not appear as the victim/witness to the alleged crime despite being issued a subpoena. The November 2007 preliminary hearing transcript, which included Skaggs’ testimony, was admitted into evidence and Gibson bound Starkey over for trial. In addition, Gibson ordered Starkey to reveal Skaggs’ whereabouts if he in fact knew where she was. A material witness warrant was also issued for Skaggs to ensure she would show up at the next hearing, but the warrant was recalled because she was not only a witness, but also an alleged victim in the case.

Last week, Haynes said he was told that Skaggs had given Starkey’s attorneys a statement saying she did not want to file charges.

“I wrote her a letter asking if she wanted to dismiss the charges and she said she didn’t to have anymore contact with our office and did not want to file charges,” Haynes said.

The real story:

http://www.newsok.com/abuse-charges-dropped-f...

Abuse charges dropped for open-court activist in Claremore
BY RANDY ELLIS
Published: October 17, 2009

CLAREMORE — The Rogers County district attorney’s office Friday dismissed a domestic abuse charge against a Claremore man who gained statewide notoriety last year by successfully battling local judges over public access to courtrooms.
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Rogers County District Attorney Gene Haynes said he reluctantly dismissed the abuse charge against David Starkey, 49, because the alleged victim stopped cooperating with prosecutors.

The woman first wrote out a statement describing how Starkey had allegedly battered her, Haynes said. He said the woman stuck to her story at the preliminary hearing but then stopped cooperating and began working with Starkey’s attorneys to try to defeat the case.

"It’s very common in domestic abuse cases for the victim to back out,” Haynes said.

Starkey, however, denied abusing the woman and charged his arrest was retaliation for operating a Web site, www.rogerscountygrandjury.com , where he has been pushing for a grand jury investigation of criminal justice abuses in the county.

He described the purported abuse victim as his common law wife and said they are now separated. Starkey said her injuries resulted from a fight she got into before she got home, which had witnesses, and a "panic attack gone awry.”

The woman has filed an Oklahoma Bar Association complaint against Assistant District Attorney Jenny Sanbrano, alleging the prosecutor threatened to have the state Department of Human Services take away her son if she didn’t testify the way prosecutors wanted, Starkey said.

"That’s nonsense,” Haynes said.

Starkey said he experienced abuse first hand in the way authorities handled his case.

"I had a tooth knocked out in the patrol car,” Starkey said, alleging he was roughed up even though he says he didn’t resist.

Starkey also said Claremore police officers destroyed a digital audio recorder he had running when they entered his home and then claimed they didn’t have any audio recordings from officers’ body microphones that could have documented the destruction.

Tom Kimble, one of Starkey’s attorneys, said there were at least five officers in the house and he found it "inconceivable” that none of them had their body microphones running.

Starkey said a district attorney’s investigator also gave court testimony inconsistent with a recording of a conversation the investigator had with a private investigator working for Starkey.

Starkey obtained a second preliminary hearing in his case after successfully protesting that a Rogers County judge had improperly excluded members of the public from the courtroom.

Haynes said the judge limited access because of the small size of the courtroom.

Prosecutors left open the possibility of refiling the criminal charge, but Haynes said he "seriously doubts” that will happen unless the alleged victim has a dramatic change in attitude.

Kimble said Starkey may file a civil lawsuit because of the way his case was handled.

Read more: http://www.newsok.com/abuse-charges-dropped-f...

Why cant the Claremore Regress report the truth like the Daily Oklahoma Newspaper?

"The woman first wrote out a statement describing how Starkey had allegedly battered her, Haynes said. He said the woman stuck to her story at the preliminary hearing but then stopped cooperating and began working with Starkey’s attorneys to try to defeat the case."

WASN'T THIS INSIDE A CLOSED HEARING WHERE THE PUBLIC WAS EXCLUDED AND THE JUDGE ISSUED PROTECTIVE ORDERS TO STARKEY'S "FRIENDS"? HOW CAN WE BELIEVE THIS?

"The woman has filed an Oklahoma Bar Association complaint against Assistant District Attorney Jenny Sanbrano, alleging the prosecutor threatened to have the state Department of Human Services take away her son if she didn’t testify the way prosecutors wanted, Starkey said."

WHOA!!! MORE KIDNAPPING BY ROGERS COUNTY.

"Starkey said a district attorney’s investigator also gave court testimony inconsistent with a recording of a conversation the investigator had with a private investigator working for Starkey."

ISN'T THIS PERJURY?

"I had a tooth knocked out in the patrol car,” Starkey said, alleging he was roughed up even though he says he didn’t resist."

WELL?

"Starkey also said Claremore police officers destroyed a digital audio recorder he had running when they entered his home and then claimed they didn’t have any audio recordings from officers’ body microphones that could have documented the destruction."

BAD.

Tom Kimble, one of Starkey’s attorneys, said there were at least five officers in the house and he found it "inconceivable” that none of them had their body microphones running.

UNBELIEVABLE.

Starkey, however, denied abusing the woman and charged his arrest was retaliation for operating a Web site, www.rogerscountygrandjury.com , where he has been pushing for a grand jury investigation of criminal justice abuses in the county.

AS THEY SAY AROUND THE COURTHOUSE, "ROGERS COUNTY NEEDS AN ENEMA"

and just who around the courthouse says that?

redneck bob wrote:

and just who around the courthouse says that?

AS THEY SAY AROUND THE COURTHOUSE, "ROGERS COUNTY NEEDS AN ENEMA"

I for one KNOW this statement to be true!

You Need and Enema!!!

JAssss wrote:

You Need and Enema!!!

Real intelligence. You must work at OKDHS!

You really are a child with nothing real to contribute here. Just insults and bullying.

XXXX wrote:

You really are a child with nothing real to contribute here. Just insults and bullying.

XXXX is just angry because the Truth continuers to be exposed. Rogers County officials are corrupt and desperatly in need of a Grand Jury!

Voters of Rogers County had their chance to clean out the problems at the last election. They could have started with the sheriff's office.....but looked like Mr. Walton is just carrying on the great tradition left by Mr. Prather. Do nothing and say nothing. You want a grand jury....start at the sheriff's office and it will quickly spread to all parts of the county.....It all starts with the sheriff's office.

The voters had no chance whatsoever. The election was rigged. Remember the fox guarding the hen house and the conversation with the attorney general about a lawsuit?

what do you mean rigged? the tv star got in office and he is setting the county on fire with his new and innovative ideals. crime is down, there is no meth or other dangerous drugs out there. even the birds are singing louder and the sky is a little bluer. thanks to sheriff walton, the hardest working sheriff in rogers county! oh wait he is the only sheriff in rogers county...

redneck ron wrote:

what do you mean rigged? the tv star got in office and he is setting the county on fire with his new and innovative ideals. crime is down, there is no meth or other dangerous drugs out there. even the birds are singing louder and the sky is a little bluer. thanks to sheriff walton, the hardest working sheriff in rogers county! oh wait he is the only sheriff in rogers county...

Sometimes God will give you just what you ask for, even if it is a bumblebee! Rogers County got just what it asked (voted) for!

lets all keep our eye on straton and see what tricks he pulls out of his hat this election

Last Election wrote:

Voters of Rogers County had their chance to clean out the problems at the last election. They could have started with the sheriff's office.....but looked like Mr. Walton is just carrying on the great tradition left by Mr. Prather. Do nothing and say nothing. You want a grand jury....start at the sheriff's office and it will quickly spread to all parts of the county.....It all starts with the sheriff's office.

actually it starts with straton, then the sheriffs office. they are in cahoots with each other and they will stop at nothing to steal another election in 2010. who is going to watch out and keep them honest, er, i mean get them honest.

"Crime is down"......no doubt when you don't/refuse to take crime reports from the citizens. "No meth".......even though all of the surrounding counties have an epidemic going on! "New innovative ideas".......such as what!!?? He has been in office for coming up on one year and there have been no new programs to help the average citizen. Things are not better.....and won't get that way until an honest sheriff gets into office. The citizens of Rogers County had better hope that Cole Butler decides to run again....because he is the only one recently that has had the guts to try and do the right thing.

Things Are Better wrote:

"Crime is down"......no doubt when you don't/refuse to take crime reports from the citizens. "No meth".......even though all of the surrounding counties have an epidemic going on! "New innovative ideas".......such as what!!?? He has been in office for coming up on one year and there have been no new programs to help the average citizen. Things are not better.....and won't get that way until an honest sheriff gets into office. The citizens of Rogers County had better hope that Cole Butler decides to run again....because he is the only one recently that has had the guts to try and do the right thing.

me thinks it was sarcasim

redneck ron wrote:

lets all keep our eye on straton and see what tricks he pulls out of his hat this election

Walton/Taylor is going to be the fox guarding the hen house ballot box this time instead of Prather/Taylor. We should have had our eyes on them the last time. Live and learn.