Prison Warden's Wife on Trial for Allegedly Helping Killer Escape, Living With Him on Chicken Ranch

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

AP

Oct. 27: Bobbi Parker, a prison official's wife accused of helping a convicted killer escape and then living with him, at her preliminary hearing.

MANGUM, Okla. — A decade after a convicted killer escaped from an Oklahoma prison and vanished along with the assistant warden's pretty young wife, the two were found living together on a Texas chicken ranch.

Now, the woman, Bobbi Parker, is back with her husband and fighting in court to prove she was a kidnap victim, not a lovestruck accomplice to the escape.

On Tuesday, a judge ruled Parker, now 46, must stand trial on charges she helped Randolph Dial break out of the Oklahoma State Reformatory in Granite.

Click here for photos.

The ruling came after evidence was presented at a preliminary hearing that Parker and Dial shared a bed for a decade and acted like husband and wife.

During the hearing, Parker's soft-spoken husband, Randy Parker, chatted with his wife and occasionally leaned on the back of her chair. He has said only that the couple's marriage is strong and that they are looking forward to putting the case behind them.

Dial began spending time with Bobbi Parker while she oversaw a pottery program at the prison. With a charming personality and a gift for gab, Dial was granted minimum-security status and allowed to roam the prison grounds with little oversight

The inmate and the assistant warden's wife worked together in the pottery shop in her garage on the prison grounds. They were also seen sipping coffee on her porch swing.

Their behavior didn't look right, Jack Cowley, the former warden of the prison, testified at the hearing. He said he was considering moving the pottery shop into another building when the pair disappeared.

"You don't sit on the front porch and drink coffee," Cowley said. "Just the appearance would be an impropriety."

Dial, who died in 2007 at age 62, pleaded guilty to escape and maintained until his death that he kidnapped Parker at knifepoint and forced her to drive him from the prison.

"I was a hostage-taker and will probably live to regret it," Dial said in a jailhouse interview shortly after his capture. "But now I don't. Doing a life sentence, at my age, I wouldn't trade it for the past 10 1/2 years."

But prosecutors painted a different picture, claiming Bobbi Parker fell in love with the con man and ran off with him. They said a search of the pair's East Texas trailer, which had only one bed, uncovered photographs, cards they exchanged, a box of condoms, Viagra instructions, a vibrating sex toy and a love letter she wrote to him.

Prosecutors also said it wasn't the first time Parker had inappropriate relationships, including sexual contact, with inmates at prisons where her husband worked.

Parker told investigators she and Dial never were intimate, that she wasn't attracted to Dial and that the sex toy was a gag gift from a friend. She said she stayed with him out of fear he would harm her family.

An author who wrote a book on the escape, Charles Sasser, testified Tuesday that he spoke to the couple while they were on the run and said their relationship was like that of "two old married people." Sasser said he asked Dial over the telephone whether Bobbi Parker was still alive.

"He said, `Of course she's still alive. She's right here. Do you want to talk to her?"' Sasser recalled.

Bobbi Parker then took the phone and talked briefly to Sasser, who said he encouraged her to call her children, who were 7 and 10 when she disappeared, to let them know she was safe. Sasser said Parker responded that it might be better if her children thought she was dead.

Parker's attorney said she stayed with Dial out of fear.

"From the get-go, Dial was intimidating to her," said attorney Rick Cunningham. "He threatened her and her family, her two daughters ... and that became an oppressive part of that situation. She kind of resigned herself to her fate."

Parker told investigators that she began to feel woozy on the day of the escape, possibly from being drugged, and that she recalls Dial carrying her to the van that the couple escaped in.

The judge who presided over the preliminary hearing did not buy it. In ordering her to trial on a charge that could bring 10 years in prison, Judge Brad Leverett said: "It's clear from the evidence the court has heard so far that Ms. Parker was not kidnapped in 1994 as she claimed."

Lean files countersuit

Claims county owes him about $92,000

By John Grant Emeigh of The Montana Standard - 10/29/2008

Gary Lean

Despite pleading guilty to stealing about $40,000 from taxpayers and non-profits, a former Butte-Silver Bow County employee claims the taxpayers owe him money.

Former facilities manager Gary Lean filed a counterclaim in Butte district court Tuesday claiming the county owes him about $92,000 in compensatory time, sick leave and other pay.

This counterclaim comes in response to the county's lawsuit filed earlier this month that demanded Lean pay back about $158,000. The county asked the court to order Lean to return all compensation and benefits he received while on administrative leave, lost revenues from the Butte Civic Center, and the costs for the criminal investigation.

However, Lean states in his six-page counterclaim that his guilty plea doesn't absolve the county from paying him all his accrued compensatory time, sick leave, annual leave and longevity pay he earned while employed by the county. Lean's counterclaim, which was filed by his attorney Peter Meloy, claims the county doesn't have "clean hands" and can't deny Lean his accrued pay.

On Sept. 15, Lean pleaded guilty to the tampering with public records count and four felony theft counts, which combines all eight felonies. Judge Ray Dayton gave Lean a four-year suspended term, and also ordered him to pay almost $38,000 in restitution. Lean admitted to bilking taxpayers and non-profit organizations out of nearly $40,000 while working as the county's facilities manager between June 6, 2003, and May 16, 2006.

Lean was placed on paid administrative leave in May 2006 after the state started investigating theft allegations against him. He continued to receive his pay until February 2008, when he was formally charged.

The county is attempting to get $118,835 from Lean for the pay he received while he was on leave. Meloy says in Lean's counterclaim that the county isn't entitled to that money.

The county voluntarily placed Lean on administrative leave without pay and "voluntarily agreed to continue paying defendant throughout the term of his employment," according to Lean's counterclaim.

Lean claims that he earned 2,945 hours in compensatory time that the county refuses to pay him. At his hourly rate, Lean demands $68,636 from the county.

Lean also is seeking more than $11,000 in owed sick leave, and about $12,500 of unused annual leave.

He's also asking the court to award him penalties in the amount of 110 percent of his wages due, and costs for attorney fees.

— Reporter John Grant Emeigh may be reached via e-mail at john.emeigh@lee.net or by telephone, 496-5511

Victoria's Secret thief makes off with over 100 bras

NDIAN RIVER COUNTY — INDIAN RIVER COUNTY -- More than 100 bras - worth more than $4,500 - were stolen Monday from Victoria's Secret at the Indian River Mall, according to an Indian River County Sheriff's Office report.

The store has reported at least three other large shoplifting incidents this year. Monday's incident happened at 6:45 p.m. while the store clerk was helping several customers in the back of the store. The theft alarm went off, and the employee discovered the bras had been taken from some drawers, according to the report.

The employee did not see who left the store with the merchandise, the report said.

Disgruntled call centre worker 'froze customer's bank account in revenge prank'

A bank customer who criticised an "unhelpful" worker at an Indian call centre has alleged the clerk played a revenge prank on him by freezing his account and changing his identity to that of a Ugandan divorcee.

By Richard Savill
Last Updated: 7:33AM GMT 30 Oct 2008

George Bates, 23, said he found the operator at Abbey's call centre to be "rude and arrogant" and gave him a low rating in a post-call customer satisfaction survey.

However, when the self-employed carpenter later rang the bank he was unable to access his account for "security reasons".

Mr Bates, who is single, then visited his local branch and discovered his identity had been changed to that of a 33-year-old Ugandan divorcee.

Mr Bates also found his overdraft facility had been withdrawn and direct debits totalling £750 had been cancelled - resulting in £60 worth of bank charges.

Abbey has since cancelled the charges, apologised, and offered Mr Bates £200 in compensation.

Mr Bates alleged that the operator had "obviously seen that I have given him bad feedback and has decided to change all my details in revenge."

He added: "When I heard my details had been changed to Ugandan I was terrified that my account had been emptied by somebody else and I would never get my money back."

Mr Bates said the episode began when he contacted Abbey's telephone banking service on September 23 to extend his overdraft to cover direct debits.

The operator, who spoke with an Asian accent, extended the overdraft from £1,500 to £1,700. But when Mr Bates later asked to extend the overdraft further, the operator refused as the limit could not be changed twice in one day.

"He was really unhelpful but he had the cheek to pester me to give him a good rating after the call," he said.

Mr Bates, from Bristol, said that as a result he gave the operator a bad review in a questionnaire.

When he found out he was locked out of his Abbey account, his manager at his local branch corrected his details, and his overdraft and direct debits were reinstated.

Abbey agreed to pay the charges for cancelling his overdraft and for non-payment of the direct debits.

Mr Bates said, however, that he planned to change banks.

He said: "I am not happy with the service and the fact that the call centre Abbey uses is in India.

"I've been forced to take lots of time off work which has costs me several day's wages and the stress of it all is really frustrating.

"Even though they did eventually sort everything out I am still unhappy and I will be switching back to a bank with call centres in Britain."

Abbey said it had "fully investigated" Mr Bates's claims but it could not say whether any disciplinary action had been taken.

A spokesman said: "An error occurred on Mr Bates's overdraft. We have since returned his account to the correct position and refunded any charges relating to this error.

"In relation to Mr Bates's other claims, we can confirm that we have fully investigated these complaints but we do not comment on individual employees."

Overweight Dolphins Forced to Diet

Overweight Dolphins Forced to Diet

Dolphins at a Japanese marine park have been placed on a low fat diet since August.

Apparently all 19 dolphins have developed potbellies and are too out of shape to perform aquatically.

“They started failing to hit jumping targets and keep upright while treading water. We were puzzled by their poor performance, and then we noticed they looked rounder.” - Haruo Imazu, Kinosaki Marine World.

Aquarium workers have measured the dolphins and found that all had gained weight over the summer, some up to 22 pounds.

All the dolphins ate the same food, which consisted of about 31 pounds of mackerel mixed with some white fish (no bagels or cream cheese, please).

The problem seems to have been that the mackerels had gotten fatter, which added too many calories for the dolphins.

Now all the dolphins are on a serious weight-loss program and are fed more white fish than mackerel. They are also exercising more regularly.

It is hoped that less fat and moderate exercise will work (and maybe the zoo can arrange a morale-boosting visit from Richard Simmons if he is still available for consultation).

Let the dolphins not eat cake (or something like that)

Judge rules Ohio homeless voters may list park benches as addresses

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A federal judge in Ohio has ruled that counties must allow homeless voters to list park benches and other locations that aren't buildings as their addresses.

U.S. District Judge Edmund Sargus also ruled that provisional ballots can't be invalidated because of poll worker errors.

Monday's ruling resolved the final two pieces of a settlement between the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.

The coalition agreed to drop a constitutional challenge to Ohio's voter identification law until after the Nov. 4 election. In return, Brunner and the coalition agreed on procedures to verify provisional ballots across all Ohio counties.

The coalition was concerned that unequal treatment of provisional ballots would disenfranchise some voters.

Homeless Man Gets 9 Months for Stealing $1 From Child

ATTLEBORO, Mass. — A homeless man who stole a $1 bill and a bag of empty cans from a 10-year-old girl has been sentenced to nine months in jail.

Robert Rowell Jr. pleaded guilty on Monday to larceny in Attleboro District Court, and was credited with three months already served while awaiting trial.

Authorities say the 44-year-old Rowell was one of two men who robbed the girl as she was headed to a local market to cash in the cans on July 16.

The case against his co-defendant, 50-year-old Kevin Egan, is pending. He is free on bail and due back in court Nov. 20 for a pretrial hearing.