KB-OPD May Investigate

OPD may investigate postings ODESSA AMERICAN December 30, 2008 - 5:56PM

A police investigation on a fake marijuana grow house may lead to the Odessa American's website, Odessa Police Lt. Jesse Duarte and Chief Tim Burton suggested. Duarte said OPD wants to identify posters responding to two previous stories on the raid to see if they can figure out who wrote an anonymous letter alleging a Lotteman Drive house had marijuana growing in it.

He said he "couldn't rule out" the possibility that Kopbusters wrote the letter. "They're denying that they wrote the letter, but we have earlier blogs that show that," Duarte said. Duarte was one of the investigators involved in the Dec. 4 raid at 232 Lotteman Drive. Duarte and other officers suspected it was a grow house, but when they entered the home they instead found Christmas trees under grow lights and a poster telling them they were being filmed by Kopbusters for a reality TV show.

Kopbusters, according to CEO Barry Cooper, is a new reality TV show that has not yet been available for broadcast but has set out do what they call reverse stings on corrupt narcotics investigators. Duarte was also involved in the arrest of Yolanda Madden, who Kopbusters claim was framed by police and a police informant who they say planted meth on her. She was convicted of possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a park and is serving time in a Bryan federal prison camp.

Duarte said the OPD's interest in cyber-sleuthing comes from a since-edited post at Kopbusters' site, nevergetbusted.com, that Duarte said claimed Kopbusters wrote the letter. Duarte contacted the Odessa American Tuesday to ask how to get the identities of posters on the OA site at oaoa.com. "We're following an investigation, and I needed to know some particulars about how your site was set up," Duarte said. He didn't specify any particular screen names he wanted to look up, but he mentioned Kopbusters CEO Barry Cooper and "everyone that is responding" to the two stories.

Neither Duarte, Burton or anyone at the OPD issued a search warrant in connection with the OA website. Burton said however that the site's posters could be involved in their investigation. "It (the interest and possible investigation into the OA website) was initiated based upon the events that took place at 232 Lotteman," Burton said.

Odessa American Editor Laura Dennis said the OA will not release confidential records that indicate e-mail addresses or other information from posters who have registered on the paper's website to the OPD or anyone else. "We tell website users that their information is confidential and that it will not be sold or given out. We will stand by that," Dennis said.

Attorney John Bussian is a First Amendment specialist and is a Freedom Communications attorney. Freedom is the parent company of the Odessa American. Bussian said Tuesday that Freedom recently successfully resisted a subpoena in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., by law enforcement asking the paper to reveal confidential data given to the paper by users who had registered on the paper's website. "We have just resisted efforts by law enforcement officers to make the press reveal confidential data provided to us by those posting comments on our websites," Bussian said. "This is not obstructing justice it is simply asking law enforcement to make the press witnesses of last resort and to demonstrate the things required by the First Amendment before forcing us to reveal these posters," Bussian said. Bussian said information given to the OA on the website is confidential.

Yolanda Madden's father, Raymond Madden, who was in Austin Tuesday, said in a phone interview that he expected the police to want to look into the newspaper's website. He didn't seem to be bothered by the prospects. "They would love to get me," Madden said. "I mean these guys are desperate."

Madden hired Kopbusters to help him prove that the OPD framed his daughter. Both Raymond Madden and Kopbusters CEO Cooper claim the OPD raid on the suspected grow house in Odessa proves that the OPD plays fast and loose with the rules because they relied on an anonymous letter to help secure a search warrant.

OPD officials, however, disagree and say that the warrant was legally obtained. Attempts to reach Cooper were unsuccessful on Tuesday.

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jaded2 wrote: You are an old man, who smokes no less... ::laughing a bit:: and here I thought you were some opinionated woman... 1/11/2009 7:53:25 AM Recommend(0) Report Abuse

badbadleroybrown wrote: rogerdat:Who is paying you now Barry? Mr. Madden well lets see, maybe mr madden, I'm paying him , your wife is paying him, CATO is paying him...rodgerdat you copy dat...you don't do things for free do you foggerhat, why should barry, someone got to pay the bills. 1/10/2009 10:44:23 PM Recommend(2) Report Abuse

rogerdat wrote: barrycooper wrote: I'm sorry I did all those things but that shouldn't hurt my credibility as to who I am now. Paul did a lot worse than I. He murdered Christians and when the scales fell off his eyes he accomplished more for Christianity than most. The scales fell off my eyes years ago...I'm not the same person I was when committing those crimes in Odessa. By your own admission you are a Korrupt Kop. I will never believe anything you have to say because you just change your colors to suit your needs. Who is paying you now Barry? Mr. Madden! 1/10/2009 7:30:50 PM Recommend(1) Report Abuse

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THE ONE BELOW IS KEY STATEMENTS:

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halfmesskin wrote: Barry Cooper wrote: I worked side by side with Joe Commander as we tormented citizens with illegal raids and informant plants. Your offices trained me how to circumvent constitutional law and not get caught. Your judges rubber-stamped our warrants and your prosecutors covered our illegal behavior. We constantly doctored videos and reports. We continually lied on affidavits claiming informants observed contraband when they didn’t. We terrorized Ector County men, women and children in over 100 home invasions. We took cars, jewelry, cash, guns and houses from the citizens of Odessa to line our own pockets. We were korrupt kops 1/10/2009 5:13:11 PM Recommend(2) Report Abuse

barrycooper wrote: We should begin posting under the newest story. 1/10/2009 4:02:30 PM Recommend(1) Report Abuse

noillegals08 wrote: debleuzz: I heard about this story, and I know of many others. I have family members in D.C.-one is a high ranking officer in the State-Energy and another is commissioned counter-terrorism coordinated through the Justice Dept., the FBI, and the CIA. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff I've heard or seen-especially about the on-going war in Iraq-our own troops deaths are being covered up and have been since WWI. It's amazing how so many elected officials are involved in some sort of corruptive scheme-and people think Bernie Madoff was the worst? He doesn't even come close to what some of our policy makers have done and are doing now. Do we know what happend with OA and why our posts were unavailable for awhile and do we have any legal recourse to find out what happened and whether any private info was compromised? 1/10/2009 4:01:54 PM Recommend(2) Report Abuse

barrycooper wrote: OA just released another article regarding KopBusters. It's pretty good. Go check it out: http://www.oaoa.com/opinion/cooper_24727___article.html/drug_odessa.html 1/10/2009 4:01:49 PM Recommend(0) Report Abuse

debluezzman wrote: noil: Look at this case and view the photos and tell me this man just hanged himself, read the case http://www.apfn.org/apfn/OKC_Trentadue.htm 1/10/2009 1:15:09 PM Recommend(2) Report Abuse

debluezzman wrote: noil: you right, your dad is right and a good man, shows he still has his principals. We've let too many things go unchecked for so long and now its become 2nd hand with them...what bothers me is, have we let it go for so long that we can't get it back.I am sure once Yolandas case gets out of that district she will get some relief. Thanks 1/10/2009 1:04:05 PM Recommend(1) Report Abuse

noillegals08 wrote: debleuzzman: I think you article is a good story-thx. However, it does not say what has led to the amount of corruption. But, I think I know why. On 9/11, every policing organization and investigative organization in the country was pointed to one thing and one thing only: osama binladen-and all terror oranizations that do, promote, harbor, or sale violence on American Soil and entities. So, I believe there was already corruption among the ranks, and proliferated itself and metastisized due to all the governing agencies looking the other way-they were all only concerned with preventing terror. And now, as thing relating to terror on American Soil is calming down some, authorities are turning their attentions back to governing their peers. And everyone is getting caught-noone knew how long their governances would be lax in representing the people by enforcing laws and investigating questionable practices. However, I do not believe this is what happened in Odessa. As far back as I can remeber Odessa and surrounding communities have always had some very questionable authority figures. My Grandfather was with DPS in the late 60's to early 80's with a short stint as a Texas Ranger and Border Patrol Agent. As we've talked about this Yolanda case, he says he can remember 3 past incidents where the OPD and Ector Cty Sheriff has been investigated for corruption(all forms implied)and that of those 3 times, only one ever led to Administrative, criminal, and civil action being taken. He did not discuss the particulars of the case with me, but he did say that some of the corruption had actually began to trickle down in to other agencies including DPS-and was the reason he quit the force. He says he doesn't believe Yolanda will ever get justuice here in Ector Cty-he says her only hope is the US Supreme Court. He has stated numerous times that the county as whole is responsible for the mess that its in now in relation to Yolanda Madden-the city council, the mayor, even local agencies like the BBB and school officials to a degree play a role in the corruption. He says there are more officials in this county who enforce corruption more than the enforce democracy-and my family and I have been witness to that twice now in the short time we have lived here. The corruption here is not a game-it's a religion-and their god is ever powerful along a long line of officials who can make the right moves and say the right things to keep the corruption in play. Just my opinion and some facts from an old man who loves his cigars. 1/10/2009 12:44:02 AM Recommend(3) Report Abuse

debluezzman wrote: Halfmesskin worked side by side with Joe Commander as we tormented citizens with illegal raids and informant plants. Your offices trained me how to circumvent constitutional law and not get caught. Your judges rubber-stamped our warrants and your prosecutors covered our illegal behavior. We constantly doctored videos and reports. We continually lied on affidavits claiming informants observed contraband when they didn’t. We terrorized Ector County men, women and children in over 100 home invasions. We took cars, jewelry, cash, guns and houses from the citizens of Odessa to line our own pockets. We were korrupt kops 1/10/2009 11:47:48 AM Recommend(1) Report Abuse halfmesskin wrote: go ahead! the fact is Barry Cooper wrote: I worked side by side with Joe Commander as we tormented citizens with illegal raids and informant plants. Your offices trained me how to circumvent constitutional law and not get caught. Your judges rubber-stamped our warrants and your prosecutors covered our illegal behavior. We constantly doctored videos and reports. We continually lied on affidavits claiming informants observed contraband when they didn’t. We terrorized Ector County men, women and children in over 100 home invasions. We took cars, jewelry, cash, guns and houses from the citizens of Odessa to line our own pockets. We were korrupt kops 1/10/2009 11:34:46 AM Recommend(1) Report Abuse

debluezzman wrote: These type of people have no belief in God, no moral's, no ethics and are wasting good air others could be breathing, 1/10/2009 11:24:38 AM Recommend(3) Report Abuse

debluezzman wrote: What it boils down to is they had Yolanda Madden confused with another woman with the street name Ice Queen, Yolanda was set up by Phillips, a game boy bag was given to him by OPD to put in Yolandas truck, well when they found out Yolanda was the wrong person from the get go, they thought no one would question the arrest, that she would be another person to fall through the cracks of justice. If you read the entire testimony of the OPD it would shock you...I feel for the good cops there, there stuck in the middle of a rock and a HARD place. 1/10/2009 11:18:48 AM Recommend(2) Report Abuse

debluezzman wrote: jaded: Well you can go through the courts to get them, or PACER, but there 8 cents a copy through Pacer and not sure what they are through the court, but advise you there are over 300 pages of transcripts an testimony...and can tell you this, this is one lie out of about 50 that somehow got through the courts. 1/10/2009 11:08:59 AM Recommend(1) Report Abuse

jaded2 wrote: Where can we get those court documents? 1/10/2009 10:45:26 AM Recommend(1) Report Abuse

debluezzman wrote: Seems Travland wanted to distance himself from GI Joe commader, but then he forgot his first statement. Travland was trying to distance himself from Joe Commander, an investigator with DA officer that apparently has no credibility in Federal Court. He contradicts himself in following testimony. Travland testifies (page 41, lines 12-16) Q.” And did you have a conversation with Joe Commander and this other officer when you met them at the police station at that time?” A.” No, sir. I don’t know if they came to the police station at that time.” Then Travland testifies (page 44, lines 6-8) Q.” Were you there when he (Phillips) was brought into the police station by Joe Commander?” A.” Yes.” Then Travland testifies (page 44, lines 16-18) Q.” Did you have any conversation with Joe Commander about what he might have told Mr. Phillips when he arrested him?” A.” Yes.” 1/10/2009 10:40:40 AM Recommend(2) Report Abuse

yjm2009 wrote: bbrand...Your welcome...And thank you for reposting your comment. I take this information very serious. thank you 1/10/2009 10:34:33 AM Recommend(1) Report Abuse

bbrand wrote: yjm2009 wrote: halfmesskin...Take note of this...this is not a game to some of us. I am emailing the OA editor. This is not a game and I as a citizen should not have to read through 5 pages of your games to get to the post that matter.