Willfully Wasting Taxpayers’ Dollars

This pictorial depicts Josephine County, Oregon District Attorney Stephen Campbell (left) with the man he defended in a public forum, Ex-Durham County, North Carolina DA Mike Nifong (right).

By Edward Snook
Investigative Reporter

Josephine County, OR – On October 6, 2006 Josephine County District Attorney Stephen Campbell filed false charges ranging from Reckless Driving to Assault In The Fourth Degree against Stan Strange, Glen Seybold and Louie Pombo.

The three motorcyclists were out on a Sunday afternoon enjoying their ride when they were, according to eye witnesses, harassed by one Eric Hill who was driving his Mercedes with two friends (read “To Hate Bikers!“).

After being tailgated for nearly three miles, Strange and Seybold pulled off of Highway 199 across from McGrew’s Restaurant and Lounge in O’Brien, Oregon. Pombo had fallen behind and was no longer with Strange and Seybold. Hill stopped in the middle of his lane, backing up traffic. An extremely upset Strange got off his motorcycle and approached the driver’s side of Hill’s vehicle shaking his finger at Hill and asking him, “what the hell do you think you are doing?” Hill’s window was wide open as Strange continued shaking his finger and demanding an answer. At this juncture Hill hit his electric window button trapping Strange’s arm. According to eye witnesses, Hill then accelerated and drug Strange approximately 15-20 feet, before Strange was able to pull his arm free.

Stan Strange’s arm injury after being rolled up in car window

Strange immediately crossed 199 to McGrew’s to seek assistance and call 911. A patron helped Stan clean up his bleeding and damaged arm and a call was placed to 911 by an employee. The three bikers had waited over an hour for the Oregon State Police (OSP) to show up before they left and went to Strange’s home.

When Strange arrived at his home he opened a beer and took two pain killers. Just as Strange opened his second beer OSP Trooper Joshua Quick arrived at his door. Strange gave Quick his statement and Quick left. At about this same time Hill was stopped by California Highway Patrolman (CHP) Ryan Stonebraker. Hill and his friends had just enough time to contrive a well versed story – a story that was completely the opposite of three separate eye witnesses.

OSP Lies – The Conspiracy Begins

Originally, Stan Strange was named the victim, however, Trooper Quick and Stonebraker quickly jumped to the conclusion that Hill was a victim without even attempting to speak with any eye witnesses. Quick then drafted a police report that contained obvious exaggerations and lies.

In the days following this incident Strange made up flyers which he posted around the Illinois Valley seeking witnesses and he even placed an ad in the local newspaper. Three eye witnesses were located and all three signed affidavits stating what they had witnessed. Neither the OSP nor DA Stephen Campbell did any investigation whatsoever other than speaking with a “drama” oriented Eric Hill and his friends.

After being indicted, Strange retained an attorney out of Grants Pass. Seeing that his attorney wasn’t doing anything except extracting money from him, Strange got in touch with the US~Observer and we agreed to do an investigation. After thoroughly investigating every aspect of this case it was clear that the three bikers had done nothing wrong and were facing false criminal charges.

At this point I made an appointment with DA Stephen Campbell and took the eye witness affidavits to him, thinking he would investigate and drop his false charges. Campbell didn’t pay much attention to them as he explained that “these types of cases need to go to court.” I soon realized that I was witnessing a brain-dead and arrogant attorney who had long been without any conscious or sense of right or wrong. I left his office knowing that I must expose this dangerous individual.

I immediately started promoting a protest and published my first article on this corrupt DA. The protest was a success as the sidewalk in front of the Josephine County Courthouse was filled with protesters carrying signs stating, “Corrupt DA Campbell Must Go” and “DA Campbell Files False Charges” – Campbell’s picture was on all the protest signs.

Stan Strange (right) protesting DA Campbell

Campbell witnessed what was taking place and instead of doing the right thing by looking into this case and the absolute facts surrounding it, he chose to conspire with officer Quick by doing an “in person interview” with him. In other words Campbell had Quick escalate his already exaggerated lies. Quick’s first report was dated 8-27-06 and his second report was dated 2-15-07. The second (written after the protest and after Campbell had read our first article), was without question, written to help a corrupt DA get out of the mess he had created. Campbell just hasn’t realized that it is going to have exactly the opposite effect.

In Quick’s first report he states, “I observed that he (Strange) had a strong odor of Alcoholic beverage on his breath.” Quick’s second report, written over 5 months later states, “Upon contact, Strange is visibly intoxicated.” This absolute lie is easily provable. Strange entered McGrew’s at approximately 4:30 p.m. According to Quick’s first report he was contacted at 4:45 p.m. According to witnesses, Strange waited for the cops over an hour, which would have him at McGrew’s until at least 5:30 p.m. Witnesses at McGrew’s have stated that when Strange entered the establishment that he hadn’t been drinking and that he didn’t have anything to drink during the hour he waited. Strange’s home is at least 10-15 minutes from McGrew’s. In Quick’s first false police report he states, “At approximately 6:00 p.m. I contacted Mr. Strange at his residence.” This time frame would give Strange 10-15 minutes to arrive home and either drink enough to acquire a “strong odor of alcoholic beverage on his breath,” as was stated in Quick’s first report or to become “visibly intoxicated” as was stated in Quick’s second trumped-up police report. When Strange arrived home he spent some time showing his wife his damaged arm and explained what had happened to him. These facts not only prove that Joshua Quick is a dangerous liar, they completely trap Quick and DA Campbell in their illegal conspiracy. There are numerous other lies contained in Quick’s reports, such as the statement in his second report that: “Strange is Jovial.” Strange was angry, physically damaged, and had just gone through an extremely traumatic experience. Quick thinks we are ignorant enough to believe his statement that Strange was “jovial…” Without question, the numerous lies in Quick’s second report completely expose the conspiracy that Campbell and this bad cop had started.

Attorney Malpractice?

On September 12, 2007 the three bikers arrived at the Josephine County Courthouse for docket call. Seybold was represented by public defender Gary Berlant and Louie Pombo was represented by attorney Dan Simcoe. Berlant informed his client with the other two defendants present that they were “scheduled for trial the following Tuesday” and “when the judge calls us we will say we’re ready for trial.” I asked the attorneys if they had subpoenaed the eye witnesses yet and they responded that they hadn’t. Berlant did state that he had called witness John Tromler and Tromler stated that he wanted nothing to do with case. Any competent attorney would have had Tromler subpoenaed and called to the stand as a hostile witness to testify about the facts stated in his affidavit. Even though both attorneys have had the affidavits of the three witnesses for months, they hadn’t even made an attempt to contact them (except the one call to Tromler) and yet they were ready for trial – no wonder the prosecutors in Josephine County win 90-plus percent of their cases. This is not only ineffective assistance of council, it is inexcusable…period. Two of the witnesses have now changed their tune and have stated to this reporter that they don’t want to appear in court. Why would they be so willing to sign affidavits and then be so fearful of appearing in court? This writer would ask our readership to recall the lies in the police reports and then simply use their imaginations to come up with the answer. DA Campbell will get his own chance to answer this before this issue is over.

Public Official Lies to Citizens

JoCo Commissioner Dwight Ellis

During the recent budget hearing meeting held at the Ann Basker building in Grants Pass, County Commissioner Dwight Ellis stood before a crowded room and before those watching the cable television coverage of the meeting and lied. Ellis was attempting to get more hard-earned tax dollars for DA Campbell as he told everyone how honorable and what a wonderful person Campbell is. This is “par for the course” with Ellis, who is most likely the worst commissioner Josephine County has ever elected. This writer attended the meeting and I was first at the microphone for public comment. I informed those present that Campbell is both arrogant and corrupt and that Ellis was lying to them. Honorable men don’t attempt to falsely prosecute the innocent.

Campbell/Nifong Connection

About the only difference between Josephine County District Attorney Stephen Campbell and disbarred Durham N.C. DA Mike Nifong is that Nifong was held accountable and Campbell has not been. Before Nifong was stripped of his license to practice law, Campbell reportedly told Josephine County resident Paul Walter that Nifong hadn’t done anything wrong and that he supported the corrupt prosecutor. “Birds of a feather flock together.”

Nifong was disbarred after N.C. state prosecutors investigated his actions regarding the attempted false prosecution of three Duke University lacrosse players. Nifong was ushered to jail on September 7, 2007 to serve a 24 hour jail sentence for withholding evidence. State prosecutors declared the lacrosse players innocent victims of a “tragic rush to accuse.”

DA Campbell has mirrored Nifong’s actions in this case. Campbell, with the assistance of Quick, rushed to accuse. When presented with evidence that vindicates Strange, Seybold and Pombo he ignored the evidence. In fact, Campbell has had eye witness’s affidavits for approximately one year and hasn’t even bothered speaking with one of them – he placed his corrupt blinders on and is now rushing to prosecute. Campbell’s abusive actions have cost Stan Strange approximately $11,000.00 to date in his efforts to prove himself innocent. Any prudent person must conclude that if the Attorney General’s Office in Oregon had any integrity, they would be prosecuting Campbell, just as the State of North Carolina prosecuted Nifong. We must also conclude that all citizens are “at risk” when a dangerous and unethical prosecutor holds office in their community.

The trial scheduled for 9-18-07 was once again postponed. The US~Observer will keep you informed of the new court date and we will be sure that the three Illinois Valley innocent defendants are well prepared for the trial when it does occur. We will also do everything in our power to get rid of corrupt District Attorney Stephen Campbell. Watch for our next article on this corrupt District Attorney and for more protests in front of the Josephine County Courthouse.

Editor’s Note: We understand that Stan Strange has been forced to pay approximately $11,000.00 to prove his innocence and he hasn’t even had a trial yet – how many tax dollars has Josephine County District Attorney Stephen Campbell wasted to date? How many tax dollars did Mike Nifong cost the taxpayers in the state of North Carolina? Nifong has cost N.C. taxpayers a few million dollars to date and with the 30-million dollar lawsuit filed by the Duke University lacrosse players, he will cost them much more… With over twenty-years experience handling such cases I can safely state that Campbell has cost Josephine County, Oregon taxpayers approximately $20,000.00 on this case alone, to date. If he continues this false prosecution it will cost taxpayers an additional 20-30- thousand in combined costs. Since Campbell has been with the Josephine County District Attorney’s Office the US~Observer has logged over 1-million-dollars in wasted money on false prosecutions – and these are only the few that we have investigated – how much more wasted tax money has occurred that we don’t know about? 

Campbell virtually stated at the last public budget meeting that he was immune from lawsuits. This is true in Oregon, because we have a totally corrupted Attorney General’s Office, but it is not true in North Carolina. Should we be thankful that no one is allowed to sue a District Attorney in the State of Oregon, or should we, as Americans, demand accountability and by doing so, start breaking down the destructive scam that our “Legal System” has perpetrated upon each and every Oregonian?? And get this – DA Stephen Campbell has the audacity to stand before the public and tell them in his polished persona that he needs more money to prosecute criminals. The lies continue and continue and continue…