Update: Madison Police press release posted below.
There was no shortage of fireworks in Madison today as three defendants in the Rose Cochran case went before Madison Municipal Court Judge Dale Danks this afternoon. The updates from the courtroom as well as the complete video of the hearing are published below in this post. Judge Danks set bond at $100,000 for Clayton Kelly and $250,000 per count for Laurel teacher and soccer coach Rick Sager and Jackson attorney Mark Mayfield. Madison Police charged all three defendants with conspiracy. Mr. Sager was charged with tampering with evidence as well. Madison police also charged Mr. Kelly with photographing another without permission where there is an expectation of privacy.
Clayton Kelly |
There was no shortage of fireworks in Madison today as three defendants in the Rose Cochran case went before Madison Municipal Court Judge Dale Danks this afternoon. The updates from the courtroom as well as the complete video of the hearing are published below in this post. Judge Danks set bond at $100,000 for Clayton Kelly and $250,000 per count for Laurel teacher and soccer coach Rick Sager and Jackson attorney Mark Mayfield. Madison Police charged all three defendants with conspiracy. Mr. Sager was charged with tampering with evidence as well. Madison police also charged Mr. Kelly with photographing another without permission where there is an expectation of privacy.
Mr. Sager is a soccer coach and teacher in Laurel. His bond is set at $500,000 ($250,000 for each count).
Bond is set for Mr. Mayfield at $250,000. Attorney Merrida Coxwell argues against the amount of the bond. He asks Judge Danks to release him on his own recognizance. Bond remains the same.
Sager |
She says Mrs. Cochran is in an Alzheimers Unit. Mrs. Cochran is immobile, non verbal, and unaware of her surroundings. Mrs. Cochran is unable to communicate. Ms. Curry interviewed Kelly. Kelly told her he did it to launch his blog.
Curry says a Butler Snow attorney contacted MPD about a possible criminal act on May 15. Video was posted on April 26. Mr. Kelly took photos on April 20.
Curry says photos were indecent. Discussion anout their nature stops. She says he appropriated the image for his own benefit. Curry says he has not been paid. She says Mrs. Cochran's image was "priceless". She says Kelly has cooperated.
Reeves, Coxwell, Mayfield |
Curry says Kelly has been arrested twice for narcotics charges.
Curry says he walked into the room and took her picture without her consent.
The defense presented no witnesses. Camp says this is not an exploitation case. He says if the prosecution can not state a dollar amount, then the crime is a misdemeanor. Now he argues he is a journalist after a story. Camp says no one has shown he was in a place he was not supposed to be. He says they have shown nothing illegal. Camp asks the court to quash the charge or reduce to misdemeanor.
Judge Danks replies there is sufficient probable cause to determine a crime was committed. Kelly is bound over to grand jury.
Sent from my BlackBerry Q10.
58 comments:
Judging by the bond amounts alone, it seems that the police think that Kelly was just the bagman in the plot, with Sager and Mayfield pulling the strings.
It's not the crime but the coverup that gets you in trouble. 250K says there is a whole lot of coverup. Good for Judge Dale
So, the bond is less for the guy that actually went and took the pictures? WTH?
How can Coxwell practice in front of his former law partner in a case where Danks sits as judge and jury?
Michael Guest, the district attorney for Madison and Rankin counties, has said that he doesn't believe anyone with the McDaniel campaign is involved.
1:56: first, this is a political prosecution, so of course they want to get the big guys, not the guy with the camera.
Second, Kelly's wife has implied that Kelly would do well to point fingers. The D.A. probably hopes he will flip.
Two guesses of mine, at any rate.
Meanwhile, the crack reporting staff at JFP writes this story up using Clarion Leger tweets.
@2:01 - it obviously wasn't a plus.
What is Mayfield charged with?
I wonder how many of my property tax dollars have been wasted on this witch hunt. If he had taken pictures of my grandmother the MPD would have done nothing. They're lucky grand jury proceedings are secret, because this could be airing on comedy central.
2:01 the answer is in your post: FORMER. He is acting as a lower court judge and merely found probable cause for the defendant to remain in jail or under bond pending the case going to the Grand Jury. Danks will not participate in any final disposition of the case, er, cases.
2:42, this is 2:01--there has been no trial yet. That the bond was not reduced is not significant slap in the face to Coxwell--Mayfield inherited well and the bond will be no problem. Subsequent rulings and trial will tell if there is a bias. Of course if they indict Mayfield on a felony it will go to big boy court.
Dale Danks regularly sets bonds that are ridiculously high. Ask some of the ADA's in Canton about all the habeus petitions they have to answer when Danks hits somebody with a half-million dollar bond for larceny.
He does it because that's the way Mary wants it.
Please don't read anything into the amount of bond here. It's an ego-tripping "judge" doing the bidding of an autocrat.
To stir the pot, I'll ad that Kevin Camp's office is in the building next to Mayfield's. Hmmmmmm. Wasn't somebody wondering how Kevin was paid? Mayfield is loaded.
Priceless? W.T.F? Did Michelangelo come back from the dead and make an oil painting of Rose. GTFO to say something like that only proves that their case is flimsy. For that, McDaniel gets my vote. I don't play semantics and something else is at work here other than serving justice. Would the Madison Police arrest somone for taking a picture of YOUR wife in Rose's condition?
why would an investigator say---Mrs. Cochran's image was "priceless". just seems odd to me.
Will this be the new standard every time "dirt" is uncovered in a campaign? I expect Madison PD to be as vigilant in the current contests there.
Before Anderson beats me to the punch,the photo was taken on April 20th...Hitler's birthday anniversary.
I will bet that Ralph Lord guy who took advantage of the elderly by investing in questionable (?)unsuitable investments is glad something came out to take the heat off of him. How about it Ralph!!
http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/37973/
Foot in mouth (again) on this one Chris.
Remember in the movie "Goodfellas" when Stacks was rubbed-out cause he fell asleep in the getaway car after the big heist. We had a murder yesterday, car missing, then found scrubbed clean....Im just sayin'!!!!
Ricky sager is a good guy too. Would always help someone out in need. Course that was in high school when I last saw him but still a good guy. I'd let him off if I was on jury, hell politicians get away with stuff all the time but I'm biased I guess.
Wait not 4/20?! Because if you are into smoking weed that is a magic day!
Suspicious coincidence?
I'm having trouble with all the conspiracy charges. Was it to execute the whole operation in the first place or an attempt to cover it up once it was out in the wild? Were these the 2 operatives who "reached out" to have the vid taken down?
So who is "John Mary"? The C_L is reporting that he is the third arrest today.
So ... Mayfield is not a member of the Central MS Tea Party ... but is a member of the Madison County Executive Committee ... Hmmm ... and has he not violated State Republican Party Rules that got him in trouble before ... Hmmm ... why not ask Joe Noesef?
I sure wish the wheels of justice turned as swiftly in regard to the murders in Bengazi as they have in the horrendous crime of taking a photo of an old woman in bed....
Yo Haley. MSGOP is fucked. Congrats!
Anonymous said...
"Dale Danks regularly sets bonds that are ridiculously high. Ask some of the ADA's in Canton about all the habeus petitions they have to answer when Danks hits somebody with a half-million dollar bond for larceny.
He does it because that's the way Mary wants it.
Please don't read anything into the amount of bond here. It's an ego-tripping "judge" doing the bidding of an autocrat."
May 22, 2014 at 2:53 PM
Maybe Mayor Mary wants the "ridiculously high" bonds. But that's also what I want, as a resident of Madison. It's what my neighbors want, and what most everybody in town wants.
And high bonds are what most of the residents of Jackson would prefer, too, I'd imagine - if anyone running that town were representing their interests. High bail would keep the predators destroying Jackson off the streets for longer periods.
As it is, the criminal element eying Madison should have wised-up, by now. But let me put it this way, for those who don't yet get it: If you commit a crime in Madison, the Madison PoPo WILL catch you - even if they have to go into Jacktown and track you down. And then, you WILL be in jail - guaranteed - for long enough that withdrawal from whatever drugs you're doing WILL become EXTREMELY painful.
At 4:53 the Central Ms Tea party website says he is on the board of directors.
http://centralmsteaparty.org/board_of_directors/board.html
The State Ms Tea site says he is the statewide Vice Chairman.
http://themsteaparty.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=96&Itemid=178
#1- the act of taking those photos was not journalism, or blogging.
#2-the "photo mule" and the coach will do time unless they start singing like a canary. the lawyer has the money to beat the rap
#3-. yes this was politically motivated but too much is at stake and the machine is cranked and its not going leave the news cycle until after the primary and the hammer will still drop to teach a lesson
#4-you can attack a voting record but when you go personal, dont be shocked when you are caught with your hand in the proverbial cookie jar
GOD DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, that was only a matter of time. Hey! Look over there! Benghazi! No! Over there! Obamacare!
Any chance we'll get a headline/story/acknowledgement of Madison and Rankin Co. DA Michael Guest declaring he DID NOT believe the McDaniel Campaign was involved, or is everyone around here in the tank for Team Thad? You people have found a way to be more upset at the man accused of taking a picture of an elderly woman than you are at the United States Senator that stuck her there 15 years ago... you've found a way to falsely accuse the one Candidate that's insisted on keeping the conversation focused on the issues while excusing the attacks of an absent 42 year incumbent that works with, is social with, travels the world on the taxpayer dime with, lives with and altogether starts a new life with another woman.
Your feigned anger is pathetic.
In the last 2.5 years, Wicker has made 60 trips home for a total of 491 days (194 days per year) for a cost to taxpayers of $50,958.25. In the same time span, Cochran has made 28 fewer trips, spent half the time (230 days) yet his travel costs to taxpayers ($85,535.31) are $34,577.06 higher.
I guess it's hard to spend time with your "roommate" if you're spending time "at home"...?
The Rundown: Cochran Campaign sits on information for weeks in order to "conduct its own investigation", yet is up almost instantly with a hit piece implying McDaniel is being behind all of this without letting the professional authorities conduct their own investigation. Sounds to me like "conducting our own investigation" is Team Thad code language for "giving our IEs and PACs time to cut an unsubstantiated attack ad". Speaking of which... let's see how long it takes the "Gentleman" to issue a public apology.
In case anybody hasn't noticed, Thad's people are waging his campaign using Alinsky Tactics against Chris McDaniel. Let us hope that the good Senator's handlers are unsuccessful in their attacks.
This election is about who owns Mississippi, the Machine or the people. Check out Alinsky's "13th rule of power tactics" from his book "Rules For Radicals" below:
"The thirteenth rule: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it."
An example of this is what the Obama crowd did to Sarah Palin, i.e. never discuss the issues, just attack the person...beginning before she even got engaged in the campaign.
In case anyone cares (and I'm sure nobody does), as a member of the group that Thad's handlers were counting (66+), I will be voting for Chris McDaniel and will now begin to get more vocal about it.
That is all....
5:26.....EXACTLY!!!!!
The prosecution will never be able to prove conspiracy and these charges will quietly go away AFTER the election.
Agree with 5:28 (will you dumb asses please get your times right when you attempt to cite a reference?)
All of us in the Madison area want these high bonds. Good for Judge Danks! As 5:28 said, when you fuck up in Madison, you are GOING to jail and you are NOT going home in the morning when your friend girl show up with a sack of sausage biscuits, a bondsman and six hundred dollars. YO ass is in the lockup for the duration! And the intent is that it be a painful lesson. To YOU and to your home boys.
Genie is out of the bottle Haley. You've screwed the party.
Meanwhile back at the farm, Timmy & Lassie continue their search for Elsie, a prized Heifer that was able to escape from an enclosed arena that was built to hold billy goats....
@550- Interns smoking cigars. In a blue dress!
We certainly don't want these folks representing us in Washington. McDaniel and your posse need to go back to your Teabagging neighborhood. Thad is a true gentleman and is so intellectually above you losers. MS has enough issues and we do not want you Tea Party acting like you represent our great State. You are not real Mississippians. Crawl back in you're cave and quit trying to act like you deserve support. You don't. see ya!
Kingfish has his cull button on. In Thad's pocket.
I see another person from Hattiesburg has been arrested. How many more?
A defendant is entitled to a reasonable bond, the purpose of which is to ensure the defendant's appearance in court. Bond is not designed to keep people off the streets. It is not supposed to be punitive. When it does anything but ensure appearance in court, it is being used for an improper purpose.
I can't believe how politically naïve the McDaniel loyalists are!
Y'all really believe that Mayfield would have done this on his own without any consultation with anyone in an official position in the campaign????
It's rather obvious that not a one of you has ever worked in the upper levels of a state wide campaign!
You are all the gullible " true believers" that get laughed at behind closed doors!
"conspiracy".....
http://law.justia.com/codes/mississippi/2013/title-97/chapter-1/section-97-1-5
Mississippi Vulnerable Persons Act....
http://law.justia.com/codes/mississippi/2013/title-43/chapter-47/
WOW, you really told 'em Anonymous @ 6:57 AM. Out of all the people who post here anonymously we all know that when you do so we should all pay big time attention. #LameBrain
@8:43 PM
"Thad is a true gentleman and is so intellectually above you losers." Well lets see, he and his handlers knew his wife had been filmed and made the decision that his campaign was more important. Knowing this, I guess wee must have different definitions of the words you use.
Back to the actual election. How about this....are ya happy with DC? Are ya thrilled at the deficit and Obamacare? Are ya absolutely tickled at umemployment? If so, great, vote to keep everything exactly the same. If not, then vote to change it.
I would have probably voted for Thad before all of this happened. Many of us have been aware of his "basement" living conditions but think that a man's personal life is his own and will not pass judgement. But when I found out that his campaign knew about the pictures and sat on it, did not jump to defend Mrs. Cochran, and has only used it for political means, my vote will have to go the other way. This is a true test of character and Thad failed.
How long do you losers who are claiming Thad "sat" on the information, think the FBI was working on the case? Do you really think that they caught the others this quickly by happenstance?
Thad and his "handlers" had the proper authorities working on arresting the guilty people through legal and appropriate means.
The criminals who took this opportunity to prey upon a vulnerable adult in order to play dirty politics are despicable and if you believe McDaniel is innocent you are smoking wacky weed.
Mayfield was crapping his pants when he found out that his crime was discovered and he was to be arrested. But the mere fact that he thought that the ends justified the means shows what kind of integrity he carries within his heart. All this chatter about what a fine upstanding man he is is bunk.
12:29, it been reported over and over that Cochran's campaign knew about it. There is almost a 1 month delay in them knowing about it, 'reviewing it', talking about it, talking to the campaign attorneys, then I guess finally deciding that something needed to be done. Nice try at 'spinning it', but you're late to the party.
You guys made a choice.
A bad choice.
And now we all know exactly what kind of people you really are.
YOU sat on a video of your candidate's wife. SAT ON IT FOR ALMOST A MONTH SO YOU COULD MAKE IT A POLITICAL ITEM.
If I had found out about this and it involved MY family member, how fast do you think I would have grabbed a cop? How fast do you think ANYONE would have jumped on this to protect their family. But no. YOU SAT ON IT FOR ALMOST A MONTH.
Sick. Vile. Disgusting.
Cochran may win. Cochran may loose. I know for a fact I will not pull the lever next to his name.
2:08,
You weren't voting for him before this, so take your spin elsewhere.
The video was observed across state lines which brings the Feds in. Mayfield knows that and it still as pale as a ghost.
Will blacks in the primary follow Anderson's lead and jump into this Donnybrook and vote for McDaniels? Oddly enough, Bo Diddley was a McDaniels(Elias).
What crime did Mayfield actually commit besides give information that anyone at St Catherine's would know? It's not a lockdown facility. Sounds like a set up.
When you post something like this (TODAY), it would be helpful if you publish a date in the lead in. Otherwise, what does 'today' mean? Thanks.
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