“HARASSMENT, AGGRAVATED PERJURY, STALKING, EXTORTION”
by Sharon Rondeau
(Mar. 18, 2014) — The Post & Email has confirmed with the McMinn County Sheriff’s Department that Walter Francis Fitzpatrick, III was arrested at 12:45 p.m. EDT on Tuesday.
Sgt. Parsons of the McMinn County Sheriff’s Department informed us that an indictment from the McMinn County grand jury charged Fitzpatrick with harassment, aggravated perjury, stalking, and extortion and that Fitzpatrick is now jailed. Parsons refused us permission to record the phone call.
When we asked for documentation relative to the arrest, Parsons answered that there is a register of prisoners which anyone can examine in the sheriff’s office but no other paperwork available. The indictment is considered the “booking paperwork.” He advised us to contact the courthouse for a copy of the indictment.
A $50,000 bond has been set. Parsons said that those charged with crimes and jailed can seek release on the bond through a bondsman, a property bond, or a cash bond.
Parsons said he did not know who the grand jury foreman was today. Fitzpatrick has attempted to advance charges against McMinn County grand jury foreman Jeff Cunningham for masquerading as a juror when the Attorney General of the State of Tennessee has declared that grand jury foremen “are not jurors.” Rather, they are chosen by an unknown vetting system, or perhaps without any vetting at all.
One month ago today, Cunningham had threatened to have Fitzpatrick arrested for sitting in the courthouse with a sign stating, “Jeff Cunningham is not a juror” and attempting to advance a criminal charge against him to the grand jury. Fitzpatrick had sought a restraining order against Cunningham on two occasions and was denied, the most recent of which occurred on Monday.
Fitzpatrick has described Cunningham as a “commanding officer” over the members of the McMinn County grand juries. On Monday, Fitzpatrick told The Post & Email that if Cunningham told the jurors to “stand on your heads in a corner, they would try to stand on their heads.”
Cunningham is a bank president, licensed Tennessee attorney, and active member of the Tennessee Bar Association. When The Post & Email questioned the state Board of Professional Responsibility (BOPR) as to how a licensed attorney with interest in the field of “criminal prosecution” could act as a grand jury foreman, we received no response.
Cunningham was chosen by Judge Amy Reedy, who is running for re-election this November.
On February 3, Fitzpatrick spoke with a detective from the Athens, TN Police Department, not part of the sheriff’s department, and presented evidence of the “Sovereign Citizen” training program depicting Fitzpatrick as a criminal with which McMinn County Sheriff’s Department deputies are trained with the knowledge of Sheriff Joe Guy. The detective has since left the Athens Police Department.
Over the past four and one-half years, The Post & Email has reported on county and federal grand juries which have become tools of the government rather than fulfilling their Fifth Amendment purpose to act as a barrier between overzealous government functionaries and the citizens. Historically, grand juries investigated reports of misconduct on the part of public officials, government waste, local jail conditions, and other crimes.
Today, they are essentially used to affirm indictments handed down by prosecutors and U.S. attorneys.
The Post & Email called the McMinn County courthouse at 4:10 p.m. EDT but discovered via a recorded message that office hours end at 4:00 p.m.
Fitzpatrick is a veteran and retiree of the U.S. Navy, where he was brought to court-martial on invented charges and about which The Post & Email is co-authoring a book.
Update, 4:20 p.m.: The Post & Email has been informed that Atty. Van Irion, who is representing Fitzpatrick in a case on appeal originating in Monroe County, is at the McMinn County jail as of this update.
HARASSMENT, AGGRAVATED PERJURY, STALKING, AND EXTORTION are exactly the charges that should be levelled against Sheriff J. Guy of McMinn County, TN. It is high time that all these THUGS were held accountable.
Here is Sheriff Joe Guy’s Email and phone number: guyjd@hotmail.com and 423-745-5622.
Jeffrey Lane Cunningham, the “appointed” Grand Jury Foreman is ALSO the President and CEO of Athens Federal Community Bank. His phone number at the bank is 423-745-1111.
Give these fellas a call and let them know what you think.
I wish all of these comments could be sent directly to Joe Guy who is supposed to be acting as a sheriff instead of a wimp.
What are you people in East Tenn a bunch of stupid redneck cowards,to stand by and let these SCUMBAG SLUGS do what ever they want. Someday it could be you or your family! Get together and act like a community that is proud of your country of law and order, and take the trash pile out for good.
It would be an extreme sacrifice on Walt’s part but there is a possibility that some good could come of this latest travesty in east TN. If Van Iron is successful in exposing yet another incident of corruption it could enhance his chances of getting elected and put him in position to attack corruption from the bully pulpit.
But it goes back to the folks. Will they get the word out that Van Iron is on the side of stamping out corruption and then support his efforts to get elected? Can his most current efforts on behalf of Walt be brought to their attention?
The “Monroe County Pamphleteer” is out of prison. Will he step up, one more time? I will donate another case of paper and printer. Who will donate toner?
the corruption in this part of TN is unbelievable. I had hoped that Joe Guy would be a good sheriff, but he seems to have joined all the rest of the corrupt politicians or he is too stupid to know how important it is to have a sound grand jury. Lots of prayer needed here and we will try to look out for Walter as best we can.
More Veterans need to contact higher authority in Tennessee to try to help Walt and stop the corruption and order investigation/prosecution and get these people out of positions of authority or in prison.
McMinn County? Where have I heard that name before… of yeah, the Battle of Athens. The Battle of Athens was an armed rebellion led by WWII veterans and citizens in Athens and Etowah, Tennessee, against the tyrannical local government in August 1946.
Seems like nothing has changed since 1946. Hahahahaha!
http://youtu.be/U5ut6yPrObw
Dear Editor;
When informed of this recent turn of events, my comment was “Sheriff Guy is acting as if he’s a cornered rat which, upon reflection, he most certainly is”.
The rats that make-up the court of McMinn county have put their pensions on the line, and if they keep on violating the Constitutional rights of the good citizens, including Fitzpatrick, well, draw your own conclusions.
Email the governor of TN at: bill.haslam@tn.gov
and let him know that the buck stops with him. The wrong person is in jail. It’s the corrupt Sheriff that deserves to spend the rest of his disgusting life in a cage. In passing, the sheriff has never served a day in the United States Military, once again reinforcing my campaign on hiring the qualified, rather than hiring today’s unqualified.
This is a good example of Affirmative Action not working. What we have here is a mentally challenged officer of the court who, clearly, is mentally unable to comprehend the meaning of the Constitution, and of violating the Oath
Sad for all the citizens of our country, especially an honorable man such as Commander Fitzpatrick, to have been jailed by a person who wouldn’t even know the concept of “honor”.
Semper Fi,
OPOVV
I think it’s about time, somebody to bring in a neutral party, and find out what is going on here. Something is very wrong here. Where is your congressman for your area the Governor? Are they in on this horse and pony show?