SALINE COUNTY JUDGE RULES FOR ABC - FINDS ATTORNEY GENERAL MADE ANOTHER MISTAKE IN AN OPINION

In an order filed on December 31, 2015 in the lawsuit brought by Rep. Julie Mayberry against the ABC, Saline County Circuit Court Judge Grisham Phillips was not swayed (nor impressed) by an opinion issued by Attorney General Leslie Rutledge that declared that daycare centers were to be considered schools under Arkansas laws and ruled that he would not send the matter back to the ABC Board. He awarded the ABC a whopping $96.00 in costs.

CLICK TO VIEW THE COURT ORDER

According the documents filed in the case, Judge Phillips found that if the legislature had intended that a liquor store permit not be issued for any location within 1000 feet of a day care center, it could have easily specified so in the same way that it specified in Arkansas Code Annotated § 5-64-402, the "certified drug-free zone" statue.  

What do you want to bet that Rep. Mayberry or another legislator sponsors a bill that takes care of this?

We assume that ABC Administration Director Bud Roberts will resend the directive that he issued back in August 2015 that recognized daycare centers as schools.   

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Judge Phillips is known for his refusal to swear in Dennis Milligan as the Saline County Circuit Clerk back in 2011 because he believed the newly elected Milligan had violated the oath of office, the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Arkansas by firing five female clerks immediately after being elected to office and prior to being sworn in. 

READ ARTICLE ABOUT WHY JUDGE PHILLIPS REFUSED TO SWEAR IN DENNIS MILLIGAN

Apparently Judge Phillips, a fan of Nostradamus, believed that the 16th century seer foresaw that Milligan would create unbelievable problems as a circuit clerk and state treasurer.

PHILLIPS' SHOWS OFF HIS AUTOGRAPHED NOSTRADAMUS BOOK

READ HOW MILLIGAN COST TAXPAYERS $362K AS SALINE COUNTY CIRCUIT CLERK

HUMP DAY HUMOR

ABC ENFORCEMENT DIRECTOR BOYCE HAMLET DOES NOT FOLLOW PROCEDURES REGARDING EMPLOYEE LEAVE

According to records provided by the Department of Finance and Administration, tainted ABC Enforcement Director Boyce Hamlet does not appear to understand the policies of the State of Arkansas regarding leave requests of state employees. It also appears that he is allowing an employee under his control to take half a day off to take her mother to the bank, while still on the clock, without making that employee file the appropriate required forms. This is a flagrant misuse of the leave system and of public funds.

We made a FOIA request for a copy of Brown's leave form for August 14, 2015 and DFA/ABC responded that there wasn't one.

Not only is this a flagrant misuse of the leave system and of public funds, it's another example of Hamlet making false statements or lying...

Perhaps it's more efficient to let an employee take half the day off and not bother with using annual or compensatory leave and file all that paperwork.  

And that thing about being "better stewards of the tax payer dollar"? Pure bullshit.  This is not an isolated incident of Hamlet's waste of our funds (ABC misuses public funds).

The policy on compensatory time is very clear and easy to understand.

Arkansas State Employee Compensatory Time Policy

All state employee must take leave if they are not going to be at work.  If the employee is sick, they use available sick leave.  If the employee wants to take a vacation or take half a day off to take their mommy to the bank, they use annual leave or accrued compensatory time (if they are allowed to earn comp time). Hamlet's action of just letting his secretary take half a day off without the required paperwork is an abuse of the system. If they have no leave, then they take leave without pay.

This is not the only time Hamlet has played fast and loose and tried to dance around the state's leave procedures.  He was questioned by Max Brantley, editor of the Arkansas Times, if he took leave back on August 26, 2015 when he spent period of time all through the work day on the phone or emailing with Bill Sadler at the Arkansas State Police and trying to get in touch with the Attorney General's Office to stop release of the Arkansas State Police file on his hiring and firing by them in 2000. Hamlet claimed he took leave but could not produce a leave slip on Brantley's request. A few dates later a leave slip was provided, but it appeared to be manufactured after the fact.

NO WARRANT, COURT ORDER OR SUBPOENA? NO PROBLEM SAYS ABC

Apparently the ABC does not feel like they need a warrant, court order or subpoena to obtain cellphone records of a suspected bootlegger. 

Now this is not a bootlegger like you have seen on TV shows...

it's more like a nail salon that keeps a box of wine so that a customer can have a complementary glass of some ripple while getting their nails done. 

Next thing you know, ABC Enforcement agents will be rolling in wearing bullet proof vests, guns drawn, raiding the Arkansas Arts Center and arresting center employees and patrons for having a glass of bubbly at the Christmas Art Exhibition.

 

So the ABC received a complaint (usually made by someone pissed off at someone else, e.g., jilted lover or ex-employee) about a suspected bootlegger.  Instead of going through a local judge to obtain an order or subpoena or using their own subpoena power to legally obtain records, the ABC used the "good old boy" system and an enforcement agent an enforcement agent here in Arkansas got in touch with a buddy in Tennessee that works for federally funded organization, the Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) Program / Regional Organized Crime Information Center (ROCIC) and got them to get records.

  RISS WEBSITE

Does the ABC routinely obtain information on Arkansas citizens without obtaining the necessary legal documents to prevent a violation of individual rights? Probably not.  With a tainted director of Enforcement with a 15 year history of lying and dishonest behavior you can expect the worst.

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CELLPHONE PRIVACY 

HOW THE GOVERNMENT CAN GET YOUR CELLPHONE INFORMATION 

HUMP DAY HUMOR

MARRIED ABC ENFORCEMENT AGENT WANTED A FEMALE TO "RIDE ALONG" - SUPERVISOR WANTED PROOF IT'S NOT A GIRLFRIEND

ABC ENFORCEMENT AGENT MICHAEL BUSH ASKED IF AN UNNAMED FEMALE COULD RIDE ALONG WITH HIM

Back in July,  married ABC Enforcement Agent Michael Bush asked his supervisor, Kenny Heroman, if it was okay if a female who was not a police officer nor his wife could ride along with him while he was performing his official duties for the ABC.

Heroman, not sufficiently empowered to make any semi-important decisions, asked tainted ABC Enforcement Director Boyce Hamlet for input.

HEROMAN AND HAMLET

Hamlet, not having any experience whatsoever in supervising staff and not being known for his intelligence, after thinking about the question for most of the day said it was okay.

Heroman, having some actual supervisory experience and reflecting on a similar situation that occurred when he was a Captain with the Pine Bluff Police Department wanted proof she was not Bush's girlfriend. 

Wonder what Bush's wife thinks about that?

We don't know what a female employee of the Fusion Center (part of the Arkansas State Police) that worked on domestic terrorism would  accomplish, workwise, by riding along with an employee of the ABC. Seems like this might be something that could get a domestic relations case going between Bush and his wife. 

ANOTHER LIE BY BOYCE HAMLET UNCOVERED

Back in October, we posted how tainted ABC Enforcement Director Boyce Hamlet had to pay state taxes owed since 2001 in order to keep his job (click to view previous post).

According to a document recently obtained from the Department of Finance and Administration, Hamlet told another lie and filed another false document when he was hired by DFA to head the enforcement section of the ABC...

At the time Hamlet was appointed to the position (even though he did not meet the written requirements for the position) and he signed the Acknowledgement of Receipt of Tax Obligation Policy form, he did and had in fact owed the state of Arkansas money for non payment of personal income tax since 2006.  The DFA had filed a lien (a/k/a, Certificate of Indebtedness) against him because of the unpaid taxes.

THIS DOCUMENT INDICATES THE TAXES WERE DUE IN APRIL 2001

But when is another lie and the submission of yet another false document a problem for a habitual, pathological liar? 

Arkansas Code Annotated  § 26-18-202 states that any person that fails to pay taxes is a felon.   Let's see Hamlet add that to his resume.

Since Hamlet is a felon, how can he possibly be employed in law enforcement?

CLICK TO VIEW FULL DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE PULASKI CO. CIRCUIT CLERK

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Apparently Republicans, like Hamlet,  do not have a problem with individuals that don't pay taxes or try to claim too many tax credits.  Hamlet took offense when it came to light that Asa Hutchinson claimed a homestead exemption on homes in NW and Central Arkansas.

Hamlet's psychological problem with mathematics not only poses problems with his administration abilities at the ABC but with simple addition problems as well.

Hutchinson defrauded Pulaski County $2,800 in taxes and penalties and was taken to task by the media for claiming it was an honesty mistake.  What was Hamlet's excuse?