Update on the Richard Singleton Story, With Guest Villain Paul Spaniola

[XLFD]

Back in early summer, Aquaman pointed out the Richard Singleton story, where a disabled veteran applied for a concealed weapons permit and did not disclose that he had suffered from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in his application, invariably as Mr. Singleton did not equate it to a 'mental illness'. 

 

Richard Singleton has written a letter to the Mason County Press to describe the ordeal he has suffered, not in the fields of some distant war theatre but at the hands of someone who wants to be our next circuit court judge, Paul Spaniola.  Having dealt with Spaniola myself to get information and seen others negatively affected by his prosecutorial judgments and actions, I must concur with most of Mr. Singleton's narrative on the character and motivations of the judicial candidate.  This is Richard Singleton's own words written to the editor of MCP immediately following his picture:

 

 

 

I wanted to pass along my thoughts to everyone that is going to vote in the upcoming election for 51st Circuit Court Judge. I see signs for Paul Spaniola up and it makes me physically ill to think he could be the next judge.

Mr. Spaniola is riding a wave of tragic incidents that have happened in our county. We saw his name up front for the Baby Kate case, the Trooper Butterfield murder, and several other high profile cases. The real story behind all of those incidents is that Mr. Spaniola was given all the evidence and other information he needed because of the hard work of our local law enforcement community as well as the Michigan State Police crime labs and investigators. Mr. Spaniola just had to present the info to the judge and take all the credit.

How many other times have we seen crimes that are disturbing to all of us and then seen a plea agreement offered? How many times have we seen Judge Cooper reject the plea deals because he stated they were too lenient? Mr. Spaniola has shown several times that he is willing to do the least amount of work possible to get through his day. I have seen firsthand how he can treat someone if he is willing to gain something. I was told earlier in the year, by a very reputable source that he was trying to prosecute as many cases of criminal sexual contact (CSC) in attempt to win favor of local organizations that give help to those that were affected but such crimes. In some cases I saw firsthand Mr. Spaniola stretch things to the limit in order to get some kind of verdict. Even if that meant scare tactics or unprofessionalism.

Then it finally came to a head when Mr. Spaniola charged me with a felony for making a simple mistake. As a 100% disabled veteran who served the Ludington area for 5 years in the Coast Guard. I filed for my Concealed Pistol License (CPL) and on one of the forms I didn’t put down that I had mental disorder. I was told I had PTSD several years ago and now the VA says I don’t actually qualify for PTSD. After my application was given to the gun board I was sent a letter that I was disqualified from obtaining my CPL because of my PTSD. A week later I got another letter that said I was also now disqualified of having been diagnosed with depression. I never thought that either of those issues, that I have had under control for years, would be considered a mental disorder. To me a mental disorder is Bi-Polar Disorder with violent tendencies, Paranoid Schizophrenia or someone that has been involuntarily committed to a mental intuition for some issue.

Depression isn’t even defined by the Michigan Gun Law until the very last sentence of a 12 page description of mental disorder. So by definition anyone that has depression of any type, including but not limited to seasonal depression should not be able to obtain a CPL. Yet we have police officers all over that have experienced traumatic events and suffer f! rom some sort of depression. Who is more qualified to obtain a CPL then someone who served their country and learned more about handling weapons, use of force and deadly force situations then a lot of our veterans. But because of their service most of them won’t be able to obtain a CPL. I have no problem with someone taking a class and obtaining their permit if they are going to be responsible and take the issue extremely serious.

Well instead of just letting it go at rejecting my application and telling me why, Mr. Spaniola found it necessary to charge me with a crime. I have read several other minutes from the gun board and I never saw anywhere that someone was asked to be investigated by the local police because of my mistake. Mr. Spaniola I’m sure has made mistakes but was he ever prosecuted for them, no.

 

When I hired a lawyer, my lawyer sent a letter to the prosecutor asking to withdraw my application because I made a mistake. A response was never received by my lawyer and eventually I told that I had to go in front of the magistrate and was charged with a crime. Even when I went to the sheriff’s office to be photographed and fingerprinted they couldn’t even find a criminal code to charge me under because this was something they had never heard of. After my years of service to this nation I was never as ashamed as I was that day.

 

I saved lives and upheld the laws of our nation and now I was a common criminal in the eyes of the law. How could I face all of those that I had been friends with over the years who were law enforcement officers? I was no longer a peer.

 

The end came after I accepted a plea deal from the special prosecutor from Manistee. I took a lesser charge of making a false statement and I entered a no contest plea because I was never going to say I was guilty. I found out later that this charge goes along with a year of probation and 5 years after that I can ask to have the charge expunged. The worst part I found out is tha! t this person, who loves this country and tries to volunteer for anything I can, can’t volunteer for Hospice for 5 years or in the schools for 5 years. I have volunteered in my girls schools since my oldest was in pre-school and now because Mr. Spaniola wanted to prove something, I can’t help in the schools or with anything dealing with medical situations for five years.

Mr. Spaniola has destroyed my life and unless I can get the governor to grant me a pardon I will have to wait 5 years before I can help out again. Mr. Spaniola has shown over the years that he can hold a grudge and didn’t have anyone to answer to so he could charge or not charge as he saw fit. We need to stand up as a county and make sure Mr. Spaniola does not become our next judge. We can’t let someone with his own agenda and no remorse for all the wrong things he has done, be the person who is making judgments for our district.

 

 

[AQUAMAN]

There has been quite a few months since this happened. I was hoping that Mr. Spaniola would have retracted this charge against Mr. Singleton long ago, and clear his good name. It's a shame it went on anyhow, and Singleton was used for a bad purpose. Thanks for the update X, we needed to see this and revisit the issue before election day. 

[XLFD]

Spaniola strikes me as someone akin to Victor Hugo's Inspector Javert from Les Miserables.  Someone who cannot reconcile the difference between his devotion to what the law is and what is the moral thing to do.  Unlike the Javert character, however, he does not jump into the river when he fails, instead he attempts career advancement to a position that must reconcile morality and the law.  The two must be linked for a wise judge.

[wildfire]

I feel so sorry for Mr.Singleton to , Sounds like he to got in to  the nasty web that Mr. Spaniola weaved to. It isn't fair that Mr. Spaniola be loud to do this to anybody & get away with it , and now he has to wait 5 years that should not even of happened to him, none of this should of happen to him just because  Mr. Singleton has PSTD, This is discrimination against Mr. Singelton, I feel and anybody else that has other handid caps or labels as some might call them, What happen the ADA Laws, them should apply to mister singelton also he has PSTD, and I noticed he also said when he hired a lawyer , and a letter was sent to Spaniola asking for a withdraw of his application because he made ah mistake, (I know this this all sounds way to much like the same )  as another that i know. But  for Mr. Spaniola  to try and prosecute as many cases of (CSC) in temp to WIN favor of local organizations that give help to those , and to use scare tactics is VERY UNPROFESTIONAL .  Everybody needs to be smart and not vote for Mr.Spaniola  cause with him getting away with all these lies to put special needs, and  people with PSTD, handcap, EI, LD,  or whatever they may have , and putting as many people in prisons for (CSC) then that is saying Mr.Spaniola has put many people in prison for wrong accused reasons that they do not belong their for, just because he wanted their vote and in favor he helps them out, hoe sick out a person Mr.Spaniola is put him away and FREE all the ones he put in prison for wrongly reasons n clean off their record n give Mr. Singleton his record clean again don't make him wait 5yrs . 

[Willy]

It is a sad story that I am sure happens a lot to people who have no voice or support systems.

[XLFD]

Most people in Richard Singleton's shoes would take the ordeal he has endured and live with it in silence and shame.  But when something like this happens, it needs to be broadcast to as many people as possible to showcase the blatant injustice of the situation. 

To use a 'Chuck Dillon Defense' utilizing President Clinton, this is not a matter of misinterpreting the meaning of the word 'is', which is straightforward, this is a matter of misinterpreting what a "mental disorder" is and what it isn't.  If you asked 100 people on the street whether PTSD is a mental disorder or not, both answers and "I don't know" would be significantly high. 

Clinically, PTSD is a mental disorder, but wasn't established as such until 1980.  Like depression, it generally only comes at certain times and its effects widely vary from individual to individual.  Spaniola's actions after the mistake will definitely not help this veteran who has suffered from some horrible event in his career to recover from depression or PTSD. 

Hopefully, he can continue fighting against tin-plated tyrants like Paul Spaniola in his post-military career like he has for the last few months, and become more of an American patriot than he already is. 

[Willy]

Someone said his letter was in the 10-28 LDN letters to the editor.

[XLFD]

Prosecutor Paul Spaniola replied to the charge of Mr. Singleton in a letter to the Mason County Press.  He actually states nothing new in the letter, rather he infers things about an undeveloped charge in Richard Singleton's recent past, to justify his asking the attorney general's office to review Singleton's crime of not equating his past bouts with PTSD or depression as a mental disorder in a concealed pistol licensing form. 

Spaniola is the same person who lied to the MSP about me and my character when I asked him to investigate my being disenfranchised from voting by the Ludington government in 2011 and 2012, and he was actually chastised for awhile by Judge Cooper for doing so.  He should have charged himself with libel.

In the following letter, Mr. Spaniola refers to having known Mr. Singleton’s statements were inaccurate based on a “prior dealing that I had with him.” While Mr. Spaniola does not directly state it in his letter, MCP has found out that he is referring to a series of alleged incidents in February 2013 which ultimately resulted in Mr. Singleton being arraigned on assault and battery charges in October 2013. Ultimately, Mr. Spaniola dismissed the case when Mr. Singleton entered into a prosecutor’s deferment agreement.

Mr. Spaniola told MCP that a prosecutor’s deferment agreement is an agreement whereby a defendant agrees to do certain things, like community service work, counseling, promise to stay out of trouble, have no contact with a victim in exchange for a dismissal of a case.  “Typically this is done with first offenders so they don’t wind up with a record yet receive some sort of sanction,” Spaniola said.

The 51st Circuit Judge campaign has been run very cordially and respectfully by both candidates. Unfortunately, because of the letter written by Mr. Singleton, I feel compelled to make a response. In 2014, Mr. Singleton came before the Mason County Gun Board requesting a concealed pistol license. Unfortunately he made inaccurate statements on his application, which he swore to under oath.  I knew of the falsity of those statements because of a prior dealing that I had with him. As prosecutor I was required to report those statements to law enforcement as knowingly making  false statements on a CPL application constituted a crime. Upon making that report, I requested the Attorney General to appoint a special prosecutor and recused the rest of my office from prosecuting the case because I was a witness to the crime.  The Attorney General assigned Ford K. Stone, the Manistee County Prosecutor, to review the investigation of case performed by the Ludington Police Department, to make a charging decision, and to handle the case as he saw fit.  Prosecutor Stone authorized criminal charges for knowingly making false statements on a CPL application and Mr. Singleton pled guilty under a plea agreement.  I had no further involvement in the case, other than as a potential witness.

 

As Mason County Prosecutor  I make tough decisions on a daily basis and I make them in accordance with the law.  In Mr. Singleton’s case my office was not responsible for the case as a special prosecutor was appointed at my request.  If elected 51st Circuit Court Judge I will continue to make the tough decisions in accordance with the laws that I have taken an oath to uphold.

http://www.masoncountypress.com/2014/10/30/prosecutor-defends-chara...

[AQUAMAN]

IF indeed Singleton had some issues in Feb. 2013, why wasn't he arraigned then, instead of 8 months later? Why was a back-door deal made, and the facts remain unknown to this day? A lot of unanswered questions that I probably haven't even thought of yet, but there it is. More secrecy, more lieing, more negligence, more lack of accountability to John Q. Public, and that's what we get for our taxpayer monies, again, and again! 

[XLFD]

Governor Snyder just signed into law two bills that will make County Licensing Boards discretionary ability to administer the Concealed Pistol License (CPL) program.  Unfortunately for Richard Singleton, the vindictive mindset of Prosecutor Spaniola would not be able to punish future applicants for misunderstanding ill-defined words on the application-- that duty would fall to the State Police, who I'm sure would show more latitude.  From NRA-ILA: 

Today, Governor Rick Snyder (R) signed Senate Bills 789 and 790 into law.  These important pro-gun bills create a more efficient, consistent and expedient concealed pistol licensing process through the creation of a true “shall issue” licensing system for all statutorily eligible Michiganders.  

This legislation eliminates county concealed weapon licensing boards as well as the discretionary licensing authority currently held by those boards.  With the elimination of the county licensing boards, county clerks will administer the concealed weapon licensing process.  Background checks that are statutorily required to obtain a Concealed Pistol License (CPL) will be conducted by the Michigan State Police (MSP). However, the MSP would not retain the discretionary authority currently held by the county licensing boards because SB 789 mandates that all persons who statutorily qualify for a CPL (i.e. not prohibited under 28.425b and satisfy all financial and submission obligations) would receive a license.

[XLFD]

Congratulations go to Richard Singleton on his new position out at WSCC as Veteran's Resources Navigator.  Keep up the fight for yourself and fellow veterans, against a system that seems to be increasingly discriminatory against them, when it should be anything but.

[AQUAMAN]

I applaud Singleton's new pursuit. To help the Vets returning to adjust and get the agency help that is there for them, is truly a worthwhile effort. Bravo! Keep up the good work Rick.

[wildfire]

I agree with you Richard, Mr. Paul Spaniola has done wrong in oh so many ways, why he is this working in that court house I do not understand. But he needs to lose his spot and never be a loud to work in a court house ever again and not in any town or state any where, he has put way to many people away for his own votes is wrong and a lie, and then people  should have their cases reopened up to show how Paul did not help these people all he did was put people in places they did not belong so he could get his votes to stay on longer is not only sickening it is as rotten , Paul is as evil as as it gets.