Re: April Reynolds

[XLFD]

On December 27, 2011 a Personal Protection Order (PPO) was issued by Circuit Court Judge Richard Cooper on April Reynolds regarding some alleged behavior by her to Ariel Courtland, Baby Kate's mother.  In Courtland's claim for the PPO, Ariel stated that Reynolds called her at least 30 times on Christmas Eve and left voice mail messages threatening to kill her. 

 

A PPO sounds reasonable if such harassing activity has taken place, which should be easily proved by phone records and the voice mail messages.

 

April Reynolds challenged the PPO decision in court on February 1st in front of Judge Cooper with Ariel Courtland present.  According to WMOM reports, Ariel stated Mrs. Reynolds has posted disparaging information about her on three different Facebook pages.  She reiterated that she is not and never has been a suspect in the disappearance of her daughter, Baby Kate. And, stated that she never has requested help from April Reynolds.

 

When Reynolds took the stand the story was completely different. She claimed that Ariel's application for the PPO was 99.9% false. She insisted that Ariel had contacted her in August. But later admitted that she had posted numerous hostile messages on various Facebook pages. After carefully considering all of the testimony, Judge Cooper ruled that the original PPO would stand.

 

April joined the Ludington Torch as a member back on August 16, 2011.  A review of her postings shows she does have an opinion of some complicity at the least by Ariel Courtland in the disappearance of Baby Kate.  Her outspoken views could upset Ariel, but her posts here, at least, have been measured and well within her rights given her by the First Amendment.  I cannot comment on her posts elsewhere, but it seems as if her main beef has been with the rigor of the investigation by the investigating unit, the Ludington Police Department (LPD). 

 

This was confirmed by the protest march she organized at the end of October.  She organized the event to protest the LPD's flawed investigation of Baby Kate; later on in November she was visited in Grand Rapids by two LPD detectives under questionable rationale and methods.  I think there was a correlation between her activism and the visit, where the lead detective made an explicit threat to her about obstructing an investigation.

 

Come December 27, 2011 Ariel Courtland petitions for a PPO saying April had phoned her on Christmas Eve over 30 times and threatened to kill her on voice messages.  Yet, according to what has been reported on at the hearing, she fell back not on these alleged calls and threat, a definite PPO starter, but on Facebook postings by April that disputed her innocence in the investigation of the disappearance of her baby. 

 

Perhaps this is why April claimed her PPO application was 99.9% false.  And that's the point here.  If those 30+ phone calls were never made, if no voice mails exist of April Reynolds making a threat to Ariel is forthcoming, and the information that Ariel included on her PPO was falsified and/or exaggerated, then she may not be guilty of anything involving her baby, but is guilty of

MCL 600.2950(24):  "An individual who knowingly and intentionally makes a false statement to the court in support of his or her petition for a personal protection order is subject to the contempt powers of the court."

 

April's statements right here at the Torch on 12-30 and 1-6 also seem to indicate that the City applied for the PPO on Ariel's behalf:

 

Please tell me how a city can get a personal protection order on someone and issue a bench warrant on something that never happened?

Status posted by april Dec 30, 2011

3 Comments 0 Likes +1

XLFD Has there been such a PPO or BW issued to someone thusly, April, or just the threat?

Dec 30, 2011

april no I was verbally served.

Jan 6

april mind you I have no copy of my ppo and am not allowed to get a copy of the police report.

Jan 6

 

 

 

The City of Ludington, which includes the LPD, does not like the bad publicity it has got from April Reynold's efforts.  Could they have petitioned the Circuit Court with data that could besmirch the actions and character of April enough so as to get a PPO issued to her, based on events that never happened?

 

Let us not forget, this has happened before.  After two weeks of LPD Chief Barnett, LCM John Shay, and CA Richard Merlin Wilson recrafting ordinances, the false report that the Ludington Community Development Director Heather Venzke made to Shay, passed on by him in a different form to Sergeant Schultz of the LPD, that resulted in a PPO-like Letter of Trespass issued to this person back in March 2011; one that I was never allowed to see without spending a bunch on a FOIA request, as earlier related here. 

 

If Ms. Reynolds did what she is claimed to have done on her PPO, shame on her.  If she has not, shame on Ariel.  If the City or the LPD once again went beyond their powers and duties in order to crucify the reputation of someone who criticized their handling of things, shame on them.  And if this latter is the case, I hope April Reynolds follows my lead, and holds them accountable.  We will only get further abuses of power by them in the future if we don't.   

 

 

[Willy]

If Miss Reynolds did in deed threaten to kill her then that would be a criminal offense, so why wasn't she prosecuted for it. If someone is going to kill you, a PPO is not going to stop them. Some more fishy dealings with the Ludington Gestapo.

[XLFD]

Good point, if a threat to kill her was issued and recorded as claimed, April Reynolds would be subject to deeper sanctions than a PPO, and if such a record existed, why would Judge Cooper even need a hearing?

[april]

I never threatened her and judge cooper stated himself he seen no threats.

I had asked three times to see the evidence that I was accused of and was totally ignored.

It is my opinion the ONLY reason it was kept on me was for their reasons only, Mr Wells

stated to me before the hearing ever happened that the ppo would stick, how would he know, is he the judge?

[april]

Also the whole hour or so she was on the stand was all about our mutual messages back and fourth on facebook, nothing that was even in the ppo. they didnt like the fact I was digging in the case and this is why they kepy it on. what a shame,  and if she is so threatened by me why does she go on a bashing site about me and talk about me and call names?

[april]

Just to clear things up in the ppo it was said, I told her I drive all the way from GR to Ludington just to go by her house, I have been harassing her and haley since july, I threatened to kill her, I called her phone

30-50 times,  I threatened to take haley from her. all of it a LIE!!!!

I did in fact call her phone 6 times but every time it went to voice mail, and NO I never left a message.

you seriously would not believe all the lies that were said up on that stand.

[XLFD]

You do have legal recourse against her if she has lied against you on this PPO.  If she lied on the PPO, you have the above MCL 600.2950(24).  If she lied in court, you can work on a variety of perjury charges. 

Use the FOIA to get any documents concerning this, Det. Wells or others in the LPD, may very well be her advocates.  If it gets obstructed, file a complaint (lawsuit) and get it in the discovery process.

[AQUAMAN]

You mean the infamous, now famous Detective J.B.Wells? Reminds of of Det. Clusseu, the french guy in the movies, aka the Pink Panther. Btw, a verbal threat is not legally considered a crime, and not prosecutable yet. The ppo or a harassment letter of trespass can be issued though in it's place, unless and until some actual physical action occurs, then it becomes a crime. If Ariel is in Lud., and April in GR, there is some question as to distance for an action of the court too, but, any and all tapes of voicemails should have been also in evidence, were they?

[april]

I have never verbally threatened .

[april]

SHE STATED ON THE STAND SHE HAD 18 VOICE MAILS, THEN AS IT WAS MY TURN ON THE STAND SHE COULDNT KEEP QUIET, I HAD ASKED HER TO PLAY THE VOICEMAILS SO I COULD HEAR THEM, SHE THEN WENT ON TO SAY THAT SHE ONLY HAD TWO VOICEMAILS AND THEY WERE DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND DIDNT KNOW IF IT WAS ME, SHE STATED SHE NEVER HEARD MY VOICE UNTIL THE HEARING, BUT ALSO TOLD THE JUDGE SHE PERSONALLY TOLD ME TWICE ON THE PHONE TO QUIT CALLING HER. I THEN TOLD HER I WOULD PASS ON HEARING THEM BECAUSE  SHE WAS JUST PROVEN TO BE A LIAR.

[april]

Also why would the protest I did be brought up at court, this had NOTHING to do with it?

[april]

and about the police report, I cant even see what lies are in it, because Wells is trying to get a warrant out for my arrest for harassing phone calls, that I NEVER made.

[XLFD]

Be sure to get a list of your itemized phone calls from your phone service provider for the period in question (Christmas Eve).  Feel free to post it here, if you want to.  I may be able to help get some of this information if you "send a message" to me with anything you think might help. 

But let me be clear:  either you are lying, or Ariel is lying, or you might both be.  I don't have any time for working for or sticking up for liars.  I think you're being railroaded here, but that opinion could change with solid evidence to the contrary.