HUMP DAY HUMOR

ABC PURCHASES QUESTIONABLE ITEMS WITH PUBLIC FUNDS

It appears that the ABC is making questionable purchases for items that their employees should be buying for themselves at Walmart or Walgreen's.

Back in June, Milinda Brown, secretary and gofer for tainted ABC Enforcement director Boyce Hamelt purchased two types of gloves that are worn by individuals that suffer from arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, swelling, sprains, strains and general soreness.

 

CLICK TO VIEW FULL DOCUMENT

Perhaps Hamlet needed some new workout gloves. After all lifting around 50 pounds or so is a strain on delicate hands.  Maybe the ergo bead gloves offer some pleasure when he manipulates things.

Regardless of their purpose, these items should not be purchased with public funds.  

We wouldn't be surprised if Depend's appear on another invoice.  

 

Cheryl Reed, a manager with DFA/Office of Administrative Services, did not want  to answer any questions about these questionable purchases in spite of DFA's policy that requires employees to "respond promptly and accurately to all requests for information and complaints regardless of the source" (DFA Code of Ethics, page 3). Reed did finally admit that these purchases would require supporting documentation demonstrating the need for the items.
 
Unfortunately DFA does not enforce this, or many other of their own policies or procedures,  nor do they adhere to many state laws.  But if you owe taxes (unless you work for the ABC - see this and this) or owe child support they will lower the boom on you.

When a FOIA request was sent to obtain the supporting documents demonstrating the need for the gloves, DFA/ABC replied with the response... none found.

This is not the first time that public funds have been spent on questionable items. You might remember former governor Mike Huckabee spending public funds on pantyhose and Taco Bell.

DID THE HUCKSTER HAVE A PANTYHOSE FETISH?

ABC COOPERATING MINORS VIOLATE ARKANSAS LAW BY BUYING ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

ABC ENFORCEMENT DIRECTOR BOYCE HAMLET ENCOURAGES COOPERATING MINORS TO LIE LIKE HE DOES

The use of cooperating minors by the ABC to purchase alcoholic beverage violates Arkansas Code Annotated    § 3-3-203, Purchase or possession by minor, which in part states:

(a) (1) It is unlawful for any person under twenty-one (21) years of age to purchase or have in his or her possession any intoxicating liquor, wine, or beer.

There is no exception to the statue for law enforcement purposes. It might also be argued that parents and/or ABC enforcement agents are violating Arkansas Maltreatment Laws, specifically neglect, by placing these children in potentially dangerous situations and encouraging them and even paying them to break a state law.

A Standford Law Review article says that breaking the law to catch lawbreakers is authorized criminality:

"This practice of authorized criminality is secret, unaccountable, and in conflict with some of the basic premises of democratic policing. And to the extent that authorized criminality presents mixed messages about their moral standing, it undermines social support for the police. While the practice isn’t new, authorized criminality raises fundamental questions about the limits of acceptable police conduct and has been too long ignored…

In fact not only does the ABC encourage these minors to break the law, they encourage them to lie about their age:

NOTICE THE STRIKETHROUGH TEXT

If the ABC encourages the minors to lie about their age, what else do they lie about?  The ABC Enforcement division is headed by a known liar, so it is not unreasonable to think they might encourage lying about trying to purchase alcoholic beverages.

Not only do the minor receive payment and mileage for breaking the law, ABC enforcement agents/police officers get paid "per bust" too!

THESE FIGURES WERE RELEASE BY THE DFA IN JULY 2015

 

And there is also the possibility that some improper activity might occure between these minors and the ABC Agents.  This is a point that former ABC enforcement agent Jerrell Smith:

If an agency will break laws to enforce laws, what else will they do?  We know that ABC Enforcement is led by a dishonest and untrustworthy individual who has an established pattern of lying to achieve goals and in a recent local court case  a judge stated that tainted ABC Enforcement director Boyce Hamlet posed problems for the ABC because of his character.

********

WHAT A JUDGE SAYS ABOUT BREAKING LAWS TO ENFORCE LAWS

HUMP DAY HUMOR

REP. JULIE MAYBERRY CAUSED THE ABC TO CHANGE PROCEDURES PRIOR TO HER FILING SUIT AGAINST THE ABC

 

REP. MAYBERRY AND THE DAYCARE CENTER THAT THE ABC THINKS IS NOT A "SCHOOL"

State Representative Julie Mayberry's lawsuit against the ABC isn't set to be heard until December 17th in Benton, but she has already caused the ABC to acknowledge that a permit to sell alcoholic beverages cannot be issued to an applicant if their establishment is within 1000 feet of a daycare. 

The discovery of this fact may undo the ABC in the lawsuit as their attorney, Mary Robin Casteel, argues that the ABC does not consider a daycare to be a school.

CASTEEL SHOWING FRUSTRATION AT ROBERTS' DECISION AND EMAIL

Current Arkansas law (A.C.A. § 3-4-206)  states in part that "No new permit to engage in the retail liquor business in this state may be issued by the Director of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division for the location of any business situated within one thousand feet (1,000') of any church or schoolhouse property line." 

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has issued an opinion that daycare's are indeed schools.

The ABC previously had not considered daycare centers to be "schools" and disagreed with AG Rutledge, so it was surprising that ABC Administration Director Bud Roberts sent an email out to ABC employees that indicated an abrupt change in policy to apparently bring the ABC in compliance with the law.

Pay particular attention to the date of the email... it's August 27, 2015 a little less than a  month prior to the filing of Rep. Mayberry's lawsuit and about a week after she appeared before the ABC Board to object to a permit being issued that was within 900 feet of a daycare center in East End.

In the hearing before the ABC Board, Rep. Mayberry used A.G. Rutledge's opinion to back up her assertion that a daycare center is in fact a type of school.

Funny how the ABC can waste taxpayer funds on defending a lawsuit that seeks to enforce the laws of the state of Arkansas and the regulations that the ABC itself espouses. And if Rep. Mayberry wins the suit, her attorney will collect fees and costs from the state.

**********

Note to Bud - There are things called family daycare homes that may or may not require a license from DHS.  Like daycare centers, these family daycare homes can receive state funds for meals, etc. 

ABC ENFORCEMENT AGENTS USE PRIVATE EMAIL FOR OFFICIAL BUSINESS OPENING THOSE ACCOUNTS TO FOIA INQUIRIES

KENNY HEROMAN PONDERS ON HOW TO TURN ON HIS COMPUTER

Following in the footsteps of Hillary Clinton, two ABC Enforcement Agents, Kenny Heroman and Ken Coon frequently use personal email to send messages and reports that relate to their positions as ABC employees.

This opens up these email accounts for inspection under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.

Heroman has an official email address, kenny.heroman@dfa.arkansas.gov,which

he can utilize on his state issued laptop and iPhone, but he often uses his personal email address, klheroman@cablelynx.com or one belonging to his wife, a certified court reporter, lydia_williams@sbcglobal.net,  to send official reports and information to other ABC employees.

Likewise, Coon has an official state email address, ken.coon@dfa.arkansas.gov, but he often uses his personal email address, kencoonjr@gmail.com,  to send official reports and information to other ABC employees.

Maybe these two cannot handle more than one email account and like Hillary Clinton use one email account "for convenience".  

 

You may ask how do we know they are using private, personal email for official business? From documents obtained by the useful Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.  

We wonder how secure the information is that is sent through private email servers.  This may be a violation of certain state laws.  But the ABC and their employees are no strangers to breaking laws, and it starts at the top with the ill-chosen ABC Enforcement Director.

However, Heroman and Coon are not the only ABC agents that use personal email for ABC business, other ABC Enforcement agents have also used personal emails for official business:

Shelby Clark- sclark1799@yahoo.com

Jesse King - jesseking@sbcglobal.net

Trent Vollmer -tavollmer@yahoo.com   

Even tainted ABC Enforcement Director Boyce Hamlet has used a personal email address, bhamlet08@yahoo.com, but everyone knows that he lacks intelligence, character, honesty and common sense.

 

DOES BOYCE HAMLET USES PERSONAL EMAIL TO TRY AND HIDE THINGS FROM FOIA REQUESTS?

Why public employees use a personal email address for official business when they have an official state email address and secured server to send and receive these emails calls their judgement and motives into question.

**********

FYI - This is an interesting publication regarding public employee emails and the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act - CLICK TO READ.

HUMP DAY HUMOR