More Marsupial Madness in Municipal Mansions?

Lexington Courts Examiner Christopher Hignite

It didn't take long after my last article for more marsupial madness to find it'
s way into the headlines. This time three famous monkeys join the fun in the mun
icipal mansions we call the courthouse complex. See No Evil, Speak No Evil and H
ear No Evil joined up with Fayette Commonwealth Attorney, Ray Larson, and Fayett
e Circuit Judge Pamela Goodwine to ensure that Lexington's middle class neighbor
hoods stay "mostly white and crime-free".
State Auditor, Crit Luallen, went on a crime hunting spree last year and was ext
remely successful. Among the white collar crime rampant among Lexington and Kent
ucky found by Luallen, the Lexington airport board was particularly apalling. He
r office reported undocumented expenses in excess of $500,000 by 7 top airport o
fficials. The top five officials spent more than $530,000 on travel, meals, ente
rtainment and other expenses including strip clubs and call-girls from 2006-2008
. Rhodes was charged with six counts of felony theft by deception, Coon and Slon
e were charged with one count, Gobb was charged with nine counts, he is yet to b
e sentenced. One of the top five officials isn't being charged. Rhodes, Coon and
Slone all accepted plea bargains. Rhodes got 2 1/2 years...probated while Coon
and Slone got 12 months ... probated on a misdemeanor charge.
Fayette Circuit Judge Pamela Goodwine attended at least three meetings of a Blue
Grass Airport citizens advisory committee in 2002 and 2003, according to record
s obtained by the Herald-Leader.
This is where my monkey friends come in. Four former airport officials appeared
and even spoke at these meetings. These same officials have recently appeared in
front of Judge Goodwine with what could be described as Shapiro-esque results.
Goodwine was quoted by the Herald-Leader as stating that her service on the advi
sory committe was "tenuous at best" and that she did not know any of the four ai
rport officials.
Curiously Judge Goodwine decided that her ties to the airport board by her membe
rship in the committee was important in the past. Two civil lawsuits against the
airport each thought she was too involved to preside over the cases, she agreed
and stepped down.
Goodwine now claims to have little memory of her time serving on the advisory bo
ard and gave it little thought while presiding over the criminal cases of Gobb,
Coon, Rhodes and Slone. She also claims that she would have stepped down had she
been asked to. It seems that would have been a big mistake for the defense cons
idering the results of leaving her on the case.
"I didn't know these guys," she told the Herald-Leader last month. "I still don'
t know them." She stated that she didn't remember meeting any of them at the one
meeting she remembered attending. (She attended three of the six and Gobb parti
cipated in the discussions with Goodwine on April 21, 2003)
Ray Larson takes my buddy, See No Evil, out for a walk and explains that he has
selective memory, common among the legal profession. Ray "The D.A." holds firm t
hat he has never heard about Goodwine's service on the airport advisory committe
e or her stepping down from the civil cases. Really? When asked about the senten
ces passed down on these individuals, Mr. Larson responded, "Our recommendations
in these cases are what they are. It's our job to prosecute these cases, and wh
en a person chooses to plead guilty, to make a recommendation. It then becomes t
he judge's responsibility to determine the punishment."
My previous articles have pointed out a history of over prosecuting and discrimi
nating against the poor and minorities in Lexington. I have pointed out that Ray
Larson not only has a history of racism but actually boasts and celebrates his
racist beliefs on the radio and the internet. Recently Glenn Rahan Doneghy was i
nvolved in a hit-and-run accident and killed a police officer. Mr. Doneghy's arr
est was violent and the city's propaganda machine went into full speed. Mr. Done
ghy is being charged with murder an extremely rare charge for an identical incid
ent not involving a police officer.
The juxtaposition of the airport board, the library board, KACO, and the Kentuck
y League of Cities white collar crime sprees with Mr. Doneghy's case is enlighte
ning. The treatment given to the accused and sentences handed down is even more
enlightening.
Moral of the story:
If you are going to steal, steal directly from the taxpayers and make sure that
you are friends with members of the city government and courts. Oh, and make sur
e that you come from a "mostly white and crime-free" neighborhood as Ray "The D.
A." Larson puts it on his website.
See No Evil, Speak No Evil and Hear No Evil have now joined the kangaroos in the
madness coming out of our municipal mansions. Monkeys and marsupials...what nex
t? Follow along as we unlock more of the hidden secrets in the courtrooms of Lex
ington, Kentucky.