Saturday, February 10, 2018

U.B. Thomas: Back to Kentucky! False confession: Civil suit launched in federal court after judge vacated his 2010 conviction and 20-year sentence for arson because jury never heard that investigators gave him alcohol on the day he confessed..."During Thomas’ interrogation, the first two hours were not recorded, and several times he accessed a duffel bag he had with him containing narcotics, according to the suit. After initially denying any involvement in the fires, former Major Henry Ott, chief of investigations for the Louisville Metro Arson Squad at the time, provided Thomas with a 40-ounce beer despite knowing he was “an alcohol and drug addict,” the suit claims. “After Thomas drank the malt liquor and ingested the narcotic pain medication, he gave false statements implicating himself in setting the fires,” according to the suit. An investigation into the incident was hidden from Thomas’ trial attorney, the suit claims."..." Thomas' attorney at the time of the trial failed to raise the issue, an error that likely "altered the outcome of the trial," Stevens ruled last year "This is such an unusual and shocking development that it was bound to have impact upon the jury," Stevens ruled."...


QUOTE OF THE DAY: "After being given alcohol and taking pills -- and having investigators threaten to charge Compton with the crimes -- Thomas told investigators the camera was turned on and he gave a "false" confession. "You don't put a steak in front of a dog and ask him not to bite at it when he’s hungry," Thomas told police in the LMPD investigator of arson investigators. "You don't do that to people, especially when you know the kind of situation that they're in and the things they're doing, the habits they have."

U.B. Thomas; 
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STORY: "Louisville man given beer by arson investigators files federal wrongful conviction lawsuit," lovely reporting by reporter Jason Riley published by WDRB 41 Louisville News, on January 22, 2018."

GIST: "A Louisville man whose 2010 arson conviction was thrown out by a judge last year because jurors never heard that investigators gave him alcohol on the day he confessed has filed a federal lawsuit against the city and several of the investigators involved. Last March, Jefferson Circuit Court Judge Olu Stevens vacated U.B. Thomas' conviction and 20-year-prison sentence, ruling jurors in the 2010 trial should have been told that Thomas was provided beer by Louisville arson investigators, calling it a "significant development which creates a wide range of inferences about the circumstances" of the confession. Thomas was released from prison after serving about eight years, but prosecutors plan to take his case to trial again. On Friday, attorney Aaron Bentley, who represents Thomas, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Louisville, alleging Louisville Metro Arson Squad investigators “coerced” a guilty plea out of Thomas by providing him alcohol and giving him access to pain pills. The lawsuit also claims investigators bought Thomas’ girlfriend alcohol in exchange for her testimony, though she denied Thomas had any role in the fires. During Thomas’ interrogation, the first two hours were not recorded, and several times he accessed a duffel bag he had with him containing narcotics, according to the suit. After initially denying any involvement in the fires, former Major Henry Ott, chief of investigations for the Louisville Metro Arson Squad at the time, provided Thomas with a 40-ounce beer despite knowing he was “an alcohol and drug addict,” the suit claims. “After Thomas drank the malt liquor and ingested the narcotic pain medication, he gave false statements implicating himself in setting the fires,” according to the suit. An investigation into the incident was hidden from Thomas’ trial attorney, the suit claims. The lawsuit names Ott, fire Chief Gregory Frederick and others in the squad as plaintiffs. The city does not comment on pending litigation. Thomas has consistently claimed he was given alcohol during his confession and allowed to take prescription drugs from a bag he had with him. Investigators acknowledge Thomas was given beer, but only after he had confessed. In a court hearing in November 2016, Ott admitted investigators bought a beer for Thomas' girlfriend to get her to come to the police station and give a statement. They then gave Thomas the rest of the 40-ounce beer, but Ott said it was not part of any plot to coerce Thomas to confess. Ott has said it was an act of kindness for a man who was likely going to prison. "I gave the man a beer," Ott told investigators during a 2009 criminal investigation by Louisville Metro Police. "I shouldn't have done it. I won't do it again." Thomas' attorney at the time of the trial failed to raise the issue, an error that likely "altered the outcome of the trial," Stevens ruled last year "This is such an unusual and shocking development that it was bound to have impact upon the jury," Stevens ruled. In the early morning hours of May 3, 2009, fires were set in rooming houses on West Hill, East St. Catherine, Rowan and Duncan streets. Thomas and his then-girlfriend, Colleen "Pebbles" Compton, lived in one of the homes and were soon picked up by arson investigators. Ott admitted investigators bought alcohol for Compton in exchange for her speaking to investigators. After being given alcohol and taking pills -- and having investigators threaten to charge Compton with the crimes -- Thomas told investigators the camera was turned on and he gave a "false" confession. "You don't put a steak in front of a dog and ask him not to bite at it when he’s hungry," Thomas told police in the LMPD investigator of arson investigators. "You don't do that to people, especially when you know the kind of situation that they're in and the things they're doing, the habits they have." While in prison, Thomas wrote to the chiefs of both the fire and police departments, complaining that he had been given alcohol and access to medications during his interrogation. These letters initiated a criminal investigation by the police department's Public Integrity Unit. The department interviewed everyone involved and confirmed that both Compton and Thomas were given alcohol, but recommended that no charges be filed against investigators, because they swore the alcohol was given after the confession. The lawsuit accuses investigators of withholding this investigation from Thomas’ trial attorney. “Defendant’s conduct was so oppressive that it shocks the conscience,” Bentley wrote in the suit. The lawsuit is seeking unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial."

The entire Louisiana story can be found at:
http://www.wdrb.com/story/37321569/louisville-man-given-beer-by-arson-investigators-files-federal-wrongful-conviction-lawsuit

Read our recent (February 8, 2018) Kentucky post (for another story that will make you weep and ask 'has it come to this?' HL) at the link below:" (Detective) Handy was investigated for falsifying evidence that led to the wrongful conviction of Edwin Chandler in another murder case, and that Handy ascribed to Chandler facts he could not have possibly known. "Put bluntly, the commonwealth cannot put credibility into an unrecorded statement taken by a detective who has a documented history of fabricating details of a murder case," the motion says. The assistant attorney general also noted that in a new trial jurors would learn about Handy's handling of the Chandler case, and that Chandler was falsely imprisoned for almost 10 years largely because of Handy's testimony. The city paid $8.5 million to settle Chandler's lawsuit for wrongful arrest and imprisonment. A former Louisville police sergeant, Denny Butler, recommended that Handy be prosecuted for perjury. He never was, and is now a sergeant in the Jefferson County sheriff's office."
 http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2018/02/garr-keith-hardin-and-jeffrey-dewayne.html

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy; Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog."