|
|
Ohio Highway PatrolHIGHWAY PATROL KEEPING PUBLIC INFORMATION SECRET posted Thursday, June 12, 2003 - updated Saturday June 14, 2003 Highway Patrol trooper sprays housewife with Mace, at the lady's home in Muskingum County, according to a neighbor of the victim. Patrol withholding information, charges against lady victim refused by Muskingum County Court, according to an editorial in The Columbus Dispatch, Page A14, Wednesday June 11, 2003. Here in Scioto County, in April 2003, the Highway Patrol ignored two felony crimes of ticket-fixing committed by Post Commander Robert Woodford. We expect Sheriff Marty Donini to prosecute Woodford, who has now been separated dishonorably from the patrol. In 1997, Lt. Woodford was suspended for concealing, behind the patrol post, for three weeks, an auto that was illegally being operated without the owner's permission. Lt. Woodford admitted that his girl-friend had been driving the car. Lt. Woodford, at last report, is now married to this girl-friend. At the time of this incident Lt. Woodford was married to another woman. Sheriff Donini refused to take action in this criminal case. Citizen Files Paperwork Against Former Ohio Highway Post 73 Commander R.J. Woodford Seeking Criminal Charges By Doug Deepe, Investigative Reporter Monday, May 19, 2003 (9:15 p.m.) At approximately 10:15 am on Monday, May 19, 2003 a citizen of Scioto County filed a letter with Scioto County Sheriff Captain John Murphy and the Scioto County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The letter requested that criminal charges be filed against former Ohio Highway Patrol Commander Lt. Robert J. Woodford for his criminal activity in "fixing" tickets for a Michael Newton.
The letter was accompanied by the Ohio
Highway Patrol Investigative Report filed by Lt. R. L. Munk dated April 2,
2003, which cited Lt. Woodford for a "chargeable" offense.
One telephone call was received from an individual that claimed to have worked with Woodford at Post 73; he stated that Woodford had a list of friends that Troopers were not supposed to ticket. This individual went on to state that verbal warnings were issued to individuals on "Woody’s List". The Sentinel is investigating other information provided by anonymous sources that, if confirmed, would take this case in a whole other direction. Stay tuned. There’s more to come. (Monday, May 19, 2003, 9:15 p.m.)
Ohio Highway Patrol Lieutenant Robert J. Woodford Commander of Highway Patrol Post 73 in Scioto County Committed Felony Crimes Will Scioto County Sheriff investigate or Scioto County Prosecuting Attorney's Office prosecute these felony crimes committed by LIeutenant R. J. Woodford By Doug Deepe, Investigative Reporter Sunday, May 18, 2003
The Sentinel has received an Administrative Investigative Report from the Ohio Highway Patrol that reveals Lt. R. J. Woodford, former Portsmouth OHP Commander, committed felony crimes and decided to take a "voluntary retirement" rather than facing criminal charges in Scioto County Courts. Lt. R. L. Munk, the OHP Commander for Administrative Investigations sent an OHP inter office memo to his superiors, Captain R.J. Young and Major F. G. Goldstein on April 3, 2003 and reported that Lt. Woodford had been involved in tampering and/or the destruction of tickets written to a Michael Newton. Lt. Munk reports to his superiors that the case is "chargeable". Lt. Munk states in his report that on September 25, 2001 Trooper K. M. Taulbee of the OHP Portsmouth Post stopped Michael Newton, a well known personal friend of Lt. Woodford by his officers, and issued a ticket to Newton for a speed violation. Trooper Taulbee received a call from Lt. Woodford questioning her if she had written a ticket to Newton and was told that she had. Trooper Taulbee was ordered by Lt. Woodford to put the ticket on his desk. The ticket number written to Newton was L107995. Lt. Munk contacted the Portsmouth Municipal Court on March 25, 2003 and discovered that the ticket had not been properly filed with the court for prosecution.
Lt. Munk then reviewed the HP-54’s for all units currently assigned and all prior assigned Troopers to the Portsmouth Post. This review was to see if Michael Newton’s name shows up. Newton was found to have been issued a ticket by Trooper J. R. Silvey, Unit 984, on December 18, 2002. No other ticket for Newton was found. Lt. Munk then pulled out Trooper Taulbee’s HP-54 Arrest Book to look at her copies of the citations in the book issued to her back in September 2001. Lt. Munk found that Trooper Taulbee’s copy of Newton’s ticket number L107995 was missing from her book. Lt. Munk questioned Trooper Taulbee about the missing ticket and was told that she had not removed it from the book. Lt. Munk and a Sgt. Quinn arrived at the Portsmouth Post on March 27, 2003, and reviewed the HP-53B (Daily Phone and Radio Log) for September 25, 2001. This log revealed that on September 25, 2001, Trooper Taulbee stopped a vehicle on State Route 348 at State Route 104. Trooper Taulbee gave the license plate number to her dispatcher as CTM8298 and determined that the owner was Michael Newton. Trooper Taulbee issued a speeding ticket to Newton and a warning for not wearing a seat belt. Trooper Taulbee was interviewed by Lt. Munk and Sgt. Quinn, in Chillicothe, Ohio. Trooper Taulbee explained the events surrounding the September 25, 2001 traffic citation for Newton. On March 28, 2003, Lt. Munk interviewed Lt. Woodford at the District Nine Headquarters in Jackson, Ohio. The interview was tape recorded and the Sentinel has a copy of the tape. On the tape Lt. Munk tells Lt. Woodford that he is under investigation for fixing tickets for Michael Newton. Lt. Woodford admits that he took care of a ticket for Newton in December 2002 and that if Trooper Taulbee said he did it on the 2001 ticket he would not call her a liar. Lt. Woodford is heard on the tape telling Lt. Munk that he went to Michael Newton to ask Newton if he took care of a ticket for him in September in 2001. Lt. Woodford says he doesn’t "honestly remember fixing the 2001 ticket" but that he did fix one for Newton in December 2002. The April 2, 2003 Inter Office Communication from Lt. Munk to his superiors, Captain Young, and Major Goldstein has a hand written not that states, "no discipline employee retired 4/18/03". An email has been sent to Lt. Munk for an explanation as to why Lt. Woodford was not charged with tampering with evidence, destruction of evidence, or other felonies involving his actions in this matter. It appears on the face of this documentation that Lt. Woodford was allowed to "retire in lieu of prosecution".
The Sentinel is in the process of contacting the Superintendent of the Ohio Highway Patrol and the Inspector General of Ohio to inquire why Lt. Woodford was allowed to retire and not be charged with committing crimes. The Sentinel will keep you updated as our investigation continues. (Posted Sunday May 18, 2003 at 2:27 p.m.)
"Pilot uses cornfield as substitute runway",according to a front page article by Reporter Jeff Barron in the Tuesday, May 6, 2003 issue of the Portsmouth Daily Times. Reporter Jeff Barron writes as follows: "MINFORD - a cornfield might not have been the runway of choice for 49-year-old flight instructor John Allard on Sunday, but it worked anyway. Allard, who is post commander for the Ohio Highway Patrol, was flying with two students in a single-engine 1967 Cessna 172 when its engine sputtered and quit at 3,000 feet. Allard was giving flight lessons from the Pickaway County Airport in Circleville. Student Scott Imboden of Columbus was flying the plane when the engine problems occurred, but Allard quickly took over and landed in the field at 564 Cathy Lane. No injuries occurred and the plane was not damaged." (Friday April 25, 2003 3:55 p.m.) ROBERT J. WOODFORD IS GONE; he was caught destroying tickets issued to a friend, third degree felonies. He is now ex-lieutenant of the Highway Patrol according to a public affairs official of the Ohio Highway Patrol General Headquarters in Columbus. In an interview by telephone at 3:25 p.m. today the Shawnee Sentinel was told that Mr. Woodford is retired, effective April 18, 2003. Lieutenant John Allard is the new Commander of Highway Post 73. He is a twenty-plus-year veteran of the patrol; his previous position was Assistant Commander of the Highway Patrol Post in Pickaway County, according to the public affairs official at general headquarters. John Allard was promoted to lieutenant April 18, 2003, according to a Highway Patrol public affairs official. (Friday April 25, 2003 3:55 p.m) The Shawnee Sentinel has been investigating complaints about Lieutenant Woodford for over six years, and has requested information from the patrol on the recent official Highway Patrol inquiry concerning Lieutenant Woodford. (Friday April 25, 2003 3:55 p.m.) he is gone.., effective April 18...Shawnee Sentinel has obtained Official Highway Patrol Investigation Report and Woodford has confessed to one felony crime. Official Highway Patrol Investigation Report and Woodford has confessed to one felony crime. No prosecution yet. Investigation continuing by Sentinel. Remember, you read it here first. We reported on March 27th that Lt. "Woody" was in trouble again. Details coming soon. (12:02 a.m. Saturday May 10, 2003) RUMOR: Ohio Highway Patrol Ex-Lieutenant Robert Woodford may soon be employed by Scioto County Sheriff Marty V. Donini. This rumor is likely only a rumor; Woodford may lack qualifications to be a legitimate deputy sheriff. (9:20 p.m. Tuesday May 6, 2003) Latest information reveals that ex-Lieutenant Woodford may now qualify for a high-ranking big-pay job with Sheriff Donini. (12:03 a.m. Saturday May 10, 2003) Citizen Files Paperwork Against Former Ohio Highway Post 73 Commander R.J. Woodford Seeking Criminal Charges By Doug Deepe, Investigative Reporter At approximately 10:15 am on Monday, May 19, 2003 a citizen of Scioto County filed a letter with Scioto County Sheriff Captain John Murphy and the Scioto County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The letter requested that criminal charges be filed against former Ohio Highway Patrol Commander Lt. Robert J. Woodford for his criminal activity in "fixing" tickets for a Michael Newton.
The letter was accompanied by the Ohio Highway Patrol
Investigative Report filed by Lt. R. L. Munk dated April 2, 2003, which
cited Lt. Woodford for a "chargeable" offense.
One telephone call was received from an individual that claimed to have worked with Woodford at Post 73; he stated that Woodford had a list of friends that Troopers were not supposed to ticket. This individual went on to state that verbal warnings were issued to individuals on "Woody’s List". The Sentinel is investigating other information provided by anonymous sources that, if confirmed, would take this case in a whole other direction.
|
|