ABC DIRECTOR TRYS TO TAKE CREDIT FOR BENTON PD BUST

ABC Director Bud Roberts made an appearance on THV11 and tried to claim credit for a Benton police undercover operation that found four area retailers that sold alcohol to a minor.

The Benton Police Department recently carried out an undercover operation that resulted in the issuance of four citations to Benton area businesses for selling alcohol to a minor.

Two of the violators were Applebee's and RibCrib.  Applebee's claimed that their server misread the ID and that the server was fired.  RibCrib's only comment was that it has happened before. No record of a recent violation was found on the ABC's website.

ABC Director Bud Roberts rushed home to Benton to make an appearance on KTHV.

Bud started off the interview stating that "our legislators make good laws and we should obey them". Funny that Bud only wants to obey some of the Arkansas laws himself.  Bud should practice what he preaches and turn himself in for violating our laws regarding illegal weapons (see post of March 30th).

Bud next made a very profound statement that shows us why Gov. Hutchinson thought he was the best and most qualified person available to head up the ABC,  "I think you would find if you checked with the vast majority of alcohol vendors across the state they have a zero tolerance policy." No shit.  I would expect that all of them would say that. No reasonable person would tell anyone that they sell alcohol to minors. 

The Benton Police Department press release makes no mention of any ABC Enforcement agents involvement. If ABC was involved, why would a report need to be sent to them?

Even Lil Boyce got in on the tv news action.

ABC'S RUSH TO APPROVE PERMIT OVERLOOKS DETAILS

In a recent meeting, the ABC Director and board granted conditional approval to Moe's Southwest Grill at 2600 West Plains Crossing Drive in Rogers.  One of the items was that the manager, Josh Friddle, obtain a valid Arkansas [sic].  We can only assume that Judy Chwalinski, the ABC secretary that types up the decisions, made a typo and forgot to add "license'.

Another thing the ABC Enforcement officer, Bud and the Board overlooked is that Friddle is an Arkansas native that according to his Facebook page has never lived in Ohio.

Maybe someone at ABC will walk across the street to the DFA Driver Services office and check to see why Friddle does not have a valid Arkansas driver's license.  There may be a valid reason or maybe Friddle is hiding something.

ABC EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK - BRANDYE PRUSS

Brandye is 34 years old, lives in the Oak Grove area of North Little Rock and has worked at ABC as an Administrative Specialist (a.k.a. secretary) since October 3, 2010. Just a few weeks after starting at ABC,  Brandye was divorced by her husband. But now she is engaged to her baby-to-be daddy. Yep, she has a bun in the oven.

Brandye was born here in Little Rock and went to Mount Saint Mary's (Class of 1999). Back then she was Brandye Faye Tucker.

Brandye likes liquor, scary movies, getting tattoos and growing her own food.

Brandye has a lot of free time at work to post about wanting to drink beer and kill stuff.  

Brandy also like to take selfies and share them.

Let's hope that Brandye is laying off the booze (being knocked up and drinking is not a good idea).

Little known facts about Brandye:

Brandye's nickname is "goober".

Brandye like to paint.

We can't verify this but a source said that Brandye might once have worked at Cajun's Wharf as a server in the bar.

QUESTIONS ABOUT AN ABC VEHICLE

In December 2009 the ABC purchased a new 2010 Dodge Charger for $16,378.00 (Capital Outlay).  In July 2010 state vehicle use was raised in articles in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette regarding the number of state vehicles, the cost of acquiring and operating them, and how many were used for commuting. At that time, about 2,000, including law enforcement employees, were commuter vehicles. 

CLICK TO VIEW PURCHASE DOCUMENT

In addition to the news coverage, there were several law suits filed. One, by Little Rock attorney Eugene Sayre, that wanted state vehicles may be used only for official business and seeks to force employees to pay money back to the state for nonofficial use of the vehicles.

The second, by the state Republican Party, that wanted that personal use of state vehicles by state elected officials violates the salary-limiting provision of Amendment 70 of the state constitution.

As a result of all the hoopla Gov. Mike Beebe issued an Executive Order on October 5, 2010 that stating that commuting between home and work in a state-owned vehicle will no longer be allowed except when "a legitimate state business purpose is established."

CLICK TO VIEW THE EXECUTIVE ORDER

All of this caused the vehicle to be transferred from exclusive use at the ABC to the DFA vehicle pool.

Then in 2013, the ABC "bought" the vehicle back for $16, 161.69. This makes no sense.

DFA/ABC 2013-2014 BUDGET REPORT

To calculate depreciation expense on a fixed asset without a salvage value the cost is divided by the life.

SL – Cost / Life

The annual depreciation is calculated as follows:

16378 / 6 = 2730

Each year for 6 years $2,730.00 would be expensed.  At the end of 6 years the book value of the asset would be zero (the cost of $16,378.00 less 6 years depreciation expense at $2,730.00 per year).

So when the vehicle was transferred or "re-purchased" from the DFA vehicle pool back to ABC the Capital Outley or value of the vehicle, based on the straight line method of depreciation, would be approximately $7,966.00 not $16,161.69. Let's hope it was an accounting error that has gone unnoticed.

Before you shake your head and go do something else, let's look back at the email from Joel DiPippa. Joel says that the vehicle (it is incorrectly listed as a Dodge Avenger) is assigned to Rick Crisman . Yep, that's the same Rick that uses his position for personal gain and benefit.

If you look up the vehicle on the DFA web site you will find this:

VEHICLE INFORMATION

Notice that is states that the vehicle is "Unassigned" and not a "drive home" vehicle.  But Joel says it is assigned to Rick.  Furthermore Joel points out Rick has the vehicle pursuant to Executive Order 10-14 (5) (b).

Well, isn't that special. What would have to happen for the Deputy Director of ABC ,who's actual job title /function is education and instruction analyst, to have to get up in the middle of the night, jump in his state vehicle and rush off to deal with a public health, safety or welfare emergency? Perhaps an emergency training session?

Sounds like hogwash to me.  Google Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control Administration emergency and look all at the news articles. What, you say you did not see any? Bawhaaaaa!

Another problem with this vehicle is that if is is actually assigned to Rick, a waiver is required.  Guess what... no waiver is on the DFA website.

WAIVERS 1

WAVIERS 2

So ABC has a Deputy Director that uses his position for personal gain and benefit and has questionable possession and sole use of a state vehicle.  Not surprised? Me either.

ABC EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK - TRENT VOLLMER

Trent Anthony Vollmer is 44 years old and has worked for the ABC since 2007 as an Enforcement Officer. Trent is a transplant to Arkansas from Ohio and currently lives in Monticello.  Tent was a sailor on the USS John Hancock (DD-981) and an officer with the Tenth Judicial District Task Force before his employment with the ABC. 

Trent got himself a much younger local girl (she graduated from high school in 2003) and they have one child.

Trent is a Scorpio and likes adult humor, street fighting and hunting. 

A little known fact about Trent is that one of his favorite movies is The Pregnancy Pact.

ABC DEPUTY DIRECTOR RICK CRISMAN USES POSITION FOR PERSONAL GAIN

ABC DEPUTY DIRECTOR RICK CRISMAN

Rick Crisman, Deputy Director and Education & Instruction Analyst for the DFA/ Alcoholic Beverage Control, has used information obtained in his positions as a police officer and with the ABC to develop a smartphone application that is being sold on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

When Crisman was an officer with the Fayetteville Police Department he began collecting fake and altered id’s.  Using FPD stationary Crisman wrote to authorities in the states that were being used most frequently for fake id’s and asked for authentic “over 21” id’s.  Crisman scanned the real and fake id’s and using information from publications like the I.D. Checking Guide, he put information about each id’s security features and photos in a spreadsheet and transferred the document to his smartphone.  Crisman would pull up the document on his phone when he was checking id’s of bar patrons in the bars on Dickson Street. Fellow officers and bar staff saw the information and asked where they could get it.

OFFICER RICK PROTECTING THE HOGS

JASON BIGBEE (CENTER)

Crisman bounced his idea of a smartphone app around with Jason Bigbee. Bigbee had worked with the Washington County Detention Center on a similar project and together they started to develop an application.

Bigbee is kind of a sketchy character in that most of the businesses that he has incorporated are in limbo due to nonpayment of fees. In fact, we could not locate any filing in Arkansas for Mobile Identification Guide, LLC or Mobile ID Guide, LLC.

BIGBEE (ON RIGHT) DRINKING RESPONSIBLY

In May of 2011, Crisman left the police department and went to work for the DFA/ABC. Crisman was able to stay in Fayetteville and work out of a local Revenue Office.  This allowed him and Bigbee to continue to work on the application.

They even held a contest for a logo design.

CLICK FOR LINK TO CONTEST INFORMATION

In September 2013 Crisman and Bigbee released their Mobile ID Guide application for sale.

CLICK TO SEE APP ON GOOGLE PLAY

CLICK TO SEE APP ON APPLE ITUNES APP STORE


The projected annual revenue from their venture is a mere $600,000 according to information found onbuzzfile.com.

Crisman continues to use his credentials and position as Deputy Director to request authentic id’s from all fifty states to be used in updating the Mobile ID Guide app.

CLICK TO VIEW LETTERS

Several articles clearly indicate that Crisman created the application using information obtained when he was a police officer and later as Deputy Director of the ABC.

CLICK TO VIEW ARTICLE

CLICK TO VIEW ARTICLE

CLICK FOR MOBILE ID GUIDES FACEBOOK PAGE

You might be thinking that this is a great tool and what's wrong with Rick making this?
Well, there are a couple of problems.  The first one is that by making this information available to anyone, the fake ID makers might gain some valuable intelligence. That is what the publisher of the I.D. Checking Guide thought. A representative of their company contacted Crisman when the app came out.  They were concerned that his logo was very close to their own logo and there might be a little matter of copyright infringement. Crisman told them that he would change some things. Crisman apparently had access to the I.D. Checking Guide publications as it is referenced in one of his department publications.

CLICK TO VIEW THE DFA/ABC SERVER TRAINING MATERIAL

CLICK TO GO TO I.D. CHECKING GUIDES WEB PAGE

The I.D. Checking Guide is not sold to the general public.  They only sell it to a certain group and they are very particular about their product, even to the point of getting Amazon to remove old editions from being for sale.

The I.D. Checking Guide was contacted before this story was posted and their representative told us that they had been assured by Crisman that he was not going to sell the app to just anyone.  They were quite surprised to see that it was still being hawked on Itunes and Google. So they tried to contact Crisman again.  They could not reach Crisman but they got a hold of our old friend Bud.  Bud said the app was not big deal and Crisman was not involved with it anymore. Bud said that Crisman was going to "retire" soon. Maybe Rick might ought to head down to Little Rock and get a photo with Asa for his scrapbook before he "retires".

RICK WITH GOV. BEEBEE WEARING HIS FAVORITE SHIRT & TIE

Another and more pressing problem with Crisman's app is that it appears that by using the information he obtained while working as a policeman for the City of Fayetteville and then as Deputy Director of the ABC is that he is and has used information obtained from his positions for personal gain or benefit. In fact Arkansas Code §21-8-304 prohibits such activity. 

CLICK TO READ ACA §21-8-301

Crisman, by possessing all those fake ID's (he carries them around in a Pelican case), appears to be in violation of Arkansas Code §27-16-302.

CLICK TO READ ACA §27-16-302

Crisman might have also gotten himself sideways with (1) his employer, The Arkansas Department of Finance & Administration, by violating it's Code of Ethics. (2) The Arkansas Ethics Commission, for violating their Rules on Conflicts and (3) Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards & Training, The Law enforcment Code of Ethics.

CLICK TO READ THE DFA CODE OF ETHICS

CLICK TO READ THE AEC'S RULES ON CONFLICTS

CLICK TO READ CLEST CODE OF CONDUCT

Crisman has violated the public trust by using his position to obtain information that he used for personal gain and benefit. Crisman's apparent violation of the law and ethical standards demand his removal from employment with the State of Arkansas and his law enforcement credentials revoked.

DFA/ABC DISPLAYS LACK OF ALACRITY IN RESPONSE TO FOIA REQUEST

LARRY WALTHER

A Freedom of Information Request was made to Larry Walther, the recently appointed Director of the Department of Finance and Administration, on March 27, 2013. The FOIA request sought information about the ABC's operations.

When no response nor notification of delayed response was received within the mandatory three day period that is specified in the Arkansas Freedom of information Act § 25-19-101 et seq., a follow up inquiry was sent on April 7, 2015.

The explaination from DFA was that the request was "overlooked". The next day one of the attorney's for ABC had his secretary send an email seeking a point of clarification regarding a requested item.

A quick response suggested that the attorney or secretary ask the ABC Asst. Director what "Community Outreach Programs" meant as it was a listed fuction of his job on the DFA/ABC webpage.

Readers of this blog will be glad to know that ABC advises that no funds whatsoever have been spent on Community Outreach in the last two years.

CARL KIRKLAND DIRECTOR OF ABC ENFORCEMENT SACKED - REPLACED BY REPUBLICAN CRONY BOYCE HAMLET - UPDATED 07/15/15

Boyce Ashley Hamlet, the newly appointed ABC Enforcement Director is excited
about his new job and the $65,000.00 salary.                                               

Boyce Hamlet is 40 years old and lives in Conway. Boyce is from Warren and graduated from Warren High School (Class of 1993).

Boyce then attended the University of Arkansas at Monticello...

and then the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff where he claims he was able to obtain a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice. If true, that is an accomplishment as UAPB's graduation rate is only 24%. 

UAPB is a historically black university that was founded in 1873 with the primary objective to educate black students to become teachers to teach in the state's black schools...

and it's student body is predominately black...

CLICK TO LEARN MORE ABOUT UAPB

After college Boyce applied and was appointed as an Arkansas State Trooper in the summer of 2000. Boyce, not being blessed with a high IQ, was caught cheating.  Boyce then lied multiple times to investigators with the ASP Special Investigation unit and was fired on September 1, 2000.

The next few years Boyce drops off the radar, maybe he worked at the Mad Butcher for his father or was too depressed about what happened with the ASP to leave the house.

Then Boyce then went to work for the Arkansas Department of Community Correction as a probation officer from 2004-2007.

2007 was a busy year for Boyce. He was named "Young Republican of the Year" an award that had recently been named after Win Rockefeller and he got married.

CLICK TO VIEW HAMLET'S MARRIAGE LICENSE

Boyce and his wife moved to Mississippi and he went to work for the Mississippi Department of Corrections and then the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.while his wife attended law school at Mississippi College.  

In 2010 his wife obtained her law degree and subsequently passed the bar.  She obtained employment with an Arkansas law firm and they moved to Conway in late 2011.

After returning to Arkansas in 2011, Boyce went to work for the Faulkner County Prosecuting Attorney as a Task Force Coordinator.  In April 2012, he changed positions and became an investigator. Boyce also shows up being associated with the Arkansas State Council for Interstate Commission of Adult Offenders in 2013. It has been reported to this blog that Hamlet was involved in used car sales and had some trouble in that endeavor, but we have not been able to verify that information at this time.

Boyce has worked on several political campaigns, most notably for Asa Hutchinson.

Little Known facts about Boyce:

Boyce was in the drama club in high school and did some stand up comedy...

Boyce was also a cheerleader...

Boyce also did some modeling in high school...

Boyce was a huge fan of the television show Growing Pains and had a man crush on Kirk Cameron...

When Boyce gets drunk he flashes gang signs...

Boyce doesn't like crust on a sandwich...

Boyce is obsessed with the West Memphis Three (WM3) case...

Boyce is a powerlifter...