The Clarion-Ledger finally got around to covering the Sheldon Alston, Jr. case today. Sarah Fowler somehow heard about the case and got around to reporting on it today.
One is tempted to think she ripped off this site but if she had, she would have at least gotten the date right:
Don't know what happened Tuesday but yours truly was sitting in a Union County courtroom Monday afternoon watching a conviction and sentencing take place.
A former Ole Miss student facing the possibly of 50 years in prison on domestic violence and kidnapping charges was sentenced to serve three years Tuesday as part of a plea deal.
The story pointed out he was the son of Brunini attorney Sheldon Alston and grandson of Alex Alston. However, it omitted he was also the grandson of Flip Phillips. Mr. Phillips is a powerhouse attorney in North Mississippi. The story attaches no import to the sudden hearing taking place in an out of the way county nor there was no motion or petition for a change of plea filed until the day of the hearing.
Then there is the little matter of HB #585. The sentence qualifies for 50% early release. 50% of three years, not fifteen. That little fact was left out of the story as well.
One interesting observation. It seems quite a few knucklehead readers at the Clarion-Ledger's Facebook page are pretty irate over the use of "Ole Miss" in the story. Tough luck. The victim and her attacker were both Ole Miss students. It was not reported in the newspaper but Ole Miss expelled Alston after a Title IX hearing.
Read the article here.
28 comments:
Typical Booger picker
The OM Office of Student Recruitment just announced this country music video for as the official recruiting song for the Oxford plantation....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez-26krYBxs
The Clarion Ledger hasn't been worth reading in years. They have an ad at the bottom of articles to subscribe and support local journalism. There's nothing local about the Clarion Ledger. It's owned by Gannett, an out of state corporation.
No telling what went on at the CL since the Alston story first broke on JJ, but I can bet that Ms. Fowler was not happy to be doing clean up after the paper had ignored its obligations for such a long time. She's done some good work in my estimation, and I hope she is ashamed to have her name on this sort of sloppy work.
I'm too lazy to go back through the archive, but it bears mention that the long-time outside counsel for the CL is Leonard Van Slyke of the Brunini firm. He's a fine lawyer, but one still wonders.
What a sad existence 2:46 leads. Tying everything to their hatred of a sports team.
Justin Warren is big mad on the facebook post. He is a prime example of the outspoken Ole Miss fan. Probably didn't even go to school there, likes Ole Miss because of the Rebel Flag. Most likely lives in Batesville/Strayhorn, or any of the little do nothing towns around the North MS lakes. These people cant comprehend the "former Ole Miss student" used in the article doesn't mean he is an alumni. It means former as it when the crime was committed, he was a student, now he has been kicked out.
She scours Facebook for her ‘breaking stories’, paying particular attention to posts that are designated, meaning she can access them at will. Her claim that she was sitting in the courtroom and all of a sudden, low and behold...is rat dung.
@3:45, I'm not 2:46 but his post makes no mention of sports, but you do. Obsessed much?
Thanks for the assist 4:56....2:46 here....exactly and utterly laughable. I couldn't care less about SEC sports....its the fact that OM is always trying to posture themselves as progressive, etc. when their nickname and yes, sports (yawn) moniker are white supremacist references to an abhorrent time that they apparently want to hold on to, desperately.
This rich redneck Alston is one of many douches that graduate from that plantation mentality. YOU 3:45 don't even realize what I'm probably talking about, which proves the point - you don't even realize how douchey and racist you and so many actually are, and that defend Oxford. OM is the only thing the white trash can hang their hats on because they are the standard bearer in the white supremacy that still quietly infiltrates every hall of Mississippi leadership. The national community laughs at anyone with a degree from OM.
Wow, the national community laughs at the likes of Jim Barksdale and Arthur Guyton?
"You report this story and you will never work in this state again!"
Like CL editor, Sam Hall, the Alston’s were Democrats. The CL did their best to sweep this one under the rug.
5.36PM/2.46PM
I don't know what you mean by "the national community," but there are actually very, very few people outside of Mississippi who know or care about Ole Miss' history, culture, supposed racism, etc. It's pretty much a Mississippi thing.
As far as this huge swathe of the national population who "laughs at anyone with a degree from OM," I graduated from Ole Miss approximately 30 years ago. I have held executive-level jobs with several companies within the state and mostly outside of the state. My degree has never been an inhibitor to getting a position.
This story is so loosely attached to any one school it’s laughable that comments have centered around this component of the story. This story is about domestic violence and brutal behavior first and foremost. The secondary story focuses on a corrupt system of law and punishment. The tertiary issue of the media’s shoddy coverage and liberal hypocrisy also far outweighs the schools involved. Violence toward women is far too common at all colleges- public and private or majority white or black. Not that the issues with the schools involved are not worthy of discourse, it is just not the main part of the tragedy and travesty regarding the soon to be inmate Alston.
A young woman was brutalized, terrorized, kidnapped and faced with overt sexual aggression under duress. The parents and grandparents, all big time liberals, fixed the system to minimize punishment and consequences in most people’s opinion, mine included. It was clear from the onset that this case would go through questionable legal maneuvering and that this kid would get the minimum punishment possible. Most seemed confident that the CL would handle it with kid gloves if at all. Still it was shocking to hear a judge telling the thug to cram as much fun into his freedom as possible. It was disgusting to hear the easily proven kidnapping swept under the rug by a female prosecutor. The sexual aspect was completely ignored. The accomplice roommate was allowed to slink away. Even the drug and violent offense in the inmate at large’s past were ignored. Junior should have been led away in shackles soon after recounting every last second of the 24 hours of terror. This judge provided cover for the family on a civil suit and every last reader knows exactly how the civil case will go. ( quietly settled and sealed). The whole deal is pathetic and gross. Your wife, daughter, niece or mother deserve to feel there is a system of justice that is there for them. It clearly was not this time and numerous people should be ashamed.
The story pointed out he was the son of Brunini attorney Sheldon Alston and grandson of Alex Alston. However, it omitted he was also the grandson of Flip Phillips. Mr. Phillips is a powerhouse attorney in North Mississippi.
The liberal pecking order protects their royalty. The Alston name was always going to be the one sullied.
So, let me see if I understand. If you have attorneys or judges within your family you get to live under a different set of laws than us simpletons?
If you’re an attorney or judge and you commit a felony it is just brushed under the rug?
I get it now. I want to be one!
I think many here are missing the point.
A young lady was brutalized and terrorized by her boyfriend. They both happened to be Ole Miss students at the time. They could have been students at MSU, or Milsaps, or TimBucTu for that matter.
The point is that the "leading" state newspaper failed to report on this. Why? Maybe because of connections to who the family was?
Lets keep our eye on the ball. A thug is going to jail for a very short period of time. The CL missed (or wouldn't) reporting on the story until the end. It matters not about Oxford, Ole Miss, what they ate for breakfast, or other irrelevant crap.
I hope the young lady who was the victim can somehow put this behind her and not let this terrible incident ruin her life, her trust in men, or have any other lasting effect.
As for the young thug, I suspect he's about to learn some tough lessons wherever he will serve his sentence.
I hope the families of both of these young adults can put this behind them and move on.
I really want to like Sarah Fowler... just hard to respect anyone at the CL, now that they have shifted towards he Buzzfeed model with stories like Top 5 Bad Things About Hitler.
@10:27 PM - well said, excellent summation.
The local MSM, the C-L and the TV news, will only report on something if they are handed a press release that they can re-print.
No reason for Sam R Hall to mention the former MS Supreme Court candidate, right?
Notice their headline says "...to serve three years..."
That is for public consumption. When pretty boy gets released after a few months, and hopefully with a tattoo on his back that says "Tyrone was here," the CL will not report it.
C-L treats Ole Miss like MSNBC treats the democratic party. Had this case been in Starkville, it would have been an above the fold story every step of the way. BTW, Its been great to watch this failed institution absolutely rot to the point of stinking like the fish wrap that it is.
The parents and grandparents, all big time liberals, fixed the system to minimize punishment and consequences in most people’s opinion, mine included. It was clear from the onset that this case would go through questionable legal maneuvering and that this kid would get the minimum punishment possible. Most seemed confident that the CL would handle it with kid gloves if at all. Still it was shocking to hear a judge telling the thug to cram as much fun into his freedom as possible. It was disgusting to hear the easily proven kidnapping swept under the rug by a female prosecutor. The sexual aspect was completely ignored.
Anonymous Cynical Sam said...
@10:27 PM - well said, excellent summation.
ONE THING WE CAN BE SURE OF...A POWERFUL CONSERVATIVE FAMILY IN MISSISSIPPI WOULD NEVER, INDEED COULD NEVER DO SUCH A THING! THINGS LIKE TWEAKING THE JUSTICE SYSTEM TO YOUR BENEFIT ARE NOT ABOUT POWER, THEY ARE ABOUT POLITICS!
@ 6/14 - 09:23am
You are kidding about that last paragraph, right? It doesn't matter if you are on the left or right, as long as you are correct circles.
I just remember looking at that kid's FB page after the story first broke and he is one messed up asshole. He needs to have a warning tattooed on his forehead.
Every employee of the Iron-Fenced-Clarion-Ledger, for the past ten years has done nothing but sit in the air conditioned building and scour JJ, Facebook, Twitter and other sources for its local 'stories'. Other than those stories, it all comes from the Gannett empire and USA Today.
But, on occasion they'll rip a story from Northside Sun and Madison Journal.
I am appalled at the 3 year sentence!
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