Background
The Salter Family has an extensive history of crime and much of it is violent. It is easy to find their “priors” on the web if you look at the county records where they have lived. Of course, I want to be fair. So, before I start in on the list of their crimes, I will tell you the prior criminal records of Robert and myself.
I have no prior criminal record. I got one speeding ticket when I was 16 and a second ticket when the speed limit was raised from 55 to 65. The second ticket was a dumb mistake. I was on a county road that did not go up to 65. Oops! I was doing exactly 65 though!!! I hated those experiences. Friends say I drive like an old lady, but I have never been ticketed again.
Robert has a prior criminal record. In the late 1980’s he was convicted of conspiracy and sentenced to 5 years in the Federal prison system. The court paperwork shows that the judge called him a minor player who did not know a drug sale had taken place. Robert, according to the judge, did not see the money, the drugs, or participate in the sale. Robert was caught on a tape recording at a bar where the transaction was discussed and that is how he was found guilty of the conspiracy. The judge apologetically said he had no choice but to sentence Robert to five years per federal sentencing guidelines in effect at that time. Robert did his prison time as a model prisoner and was working at the VA hospital in Dallas from a halfway house when I met him. He is one of the most honorable men I have ever met. He has become a Master Mason, a Knight Templar, a Democratic Precinct Chairman, and an Election Judge in the years since we met and married. He has been in no further trouble with the law until we met the Salters and the PCSO.
Salter Family Crimes
Now lets get into the real meat of this blog, the Salter Family criminal records. I have hinted at some of their records earlier. It is a story of criminal activity and total disregard for the law that spans several generations.
I guess the best place to start is with Roger Dean Salter, the man who initially tried to kill Robert by hitting him with a truck in 2004. Roger was arrested for terroristic threats in 1976. (Are you surprised?) It is Erath County case #13273. In 2004 Roger put up illegal buildings in the flood plain. He knew those buildings were illegal but disregarded the law. He says he is entitled to ignore the laws because he has nothing. Subsequently, he was found guilty of flood damage prevention violations in 2005 cause #CR3-04-97865 Parker County.
Benjamin Lee Salter (Roger’s son) has a record in Erath County (Case #30456) for criminal mischief in 1998. Benjamin’s birthday is either in 1980 or 1981 in the records so he had just become an adult. Juvenile records get sealed as the brats become adults and I can’t access those records. Too bad! Benjamin has a conviction in Erath County for case #CR10678 and got 7 years probation for “other felony: engaging in organized crime”. Like father, like son! Benjamin was picked up on a Blue Warrant and jailed from 5/47/2004 to 7/9/2004 (Parker County Jail ID 7972).
Tiffany Deann Salter is Roger’s daughter, and Benjamin’s sister. She tried to run over Spot and Robert on one occasion and drove the getaway car for Gary Renfro when he threatened to kill Robert in March of 2008. Tiffany is listed as either Salter or Salters depending on which case you look up. The PCSO makes a lot of mistakes when entering records. She has records for speeding (CR-03-38995), driving without a license (CR-03-38996), and warrants issued for failure to appear at court (CR2-03-41551) in Parker County. She was given credit for her jail time. In Erath County Tiffany has a record for driving while license invalid (case #38415) and was convicted in JP court case # 10022323. Tiffany also has a prior history of violence in that she has been a party to the sexual assault crime of Eric Gallardo (Erath County CR11018).
Theresa Ann Salter has a Parker County record for Driving while License Suspended (Cause # CCL02-0400). Theresa is Roger’s wife and Tiffany’s mother. I could not find the records showing why her license was suspended, but it had to be bad driving or another criminal charge. The mother taught her daughter to ignore the law the same way she does.
Brandie Ann Salter (Tiffany’s cousin) is one plaintiff in Erath County case CR11050. It was some kind of a fight that resulted in charges of Deadly Conduct: Discharge of a Firearm. I have no trouble believing that she provoked the incident. It seems to run in the family.
James Salter (Benjamin’s cousin) was arrested for Theft by bad check of over $20 and under $500 (Erath County case # 30628). He paid restitution.
Arlin Terry Salter (Roger’s brother) has a theft record in Erath County case 12184 for obtaining lodging by false pretense. He has a Parker County conviction for driving his truck over gross weight (CR4-05-15180) where he paid fines.
Terry Justin Salter (Tiffany’s and Benjamin’s cousin) has an Erath County record for theft of property by check over $20 and less than $500 (Case #39645). He paid restitution. The Stephenville Empire-Tribune reported on January 27th of this year that Terry was arrested again in Erath County. This time his arrest was for deadly conduct in the discharge of a firearm. The incident involved alcohol.
This is only a record of adult criminal activity. There is a long history of juvenile activity. The Stewarts, Sam, Irene, us, and other neighbors reported them on numerous occasions. Mathew, Tiffany, and their younger brother were famous for going through the doggie doors to steal from houses. They caused the residents of Brazos Rock Road to seal up our doggie doors. Matthew is not listed above because his last name is not Salter, and I do not know his last name used while he was in school. I know Matthew is extremely disliked in the neighborhood by the law-abiding residents for all his illegal activity while a juvenile. I also know that Matthew was forbidden to ride the school bus due to bad behavior.
It is worthy to note that the Salter family also lived in Denton, Palo Pinto, and Polk counties in Texas. These counties do not have online records. The summary of criminal activity above is limited to two counties where records are online and easily available. I am certain that if I could access the records of other counties I would find a lot more of their nefarious activities.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Background
I hired a Private Eye to gather evidence for me that I could not access. I paid him a sizeable sum and gave him a list of items to obtain. We met with him and an attorney included in the payment several times. And then my penchant for bad luck took over. We learn that our private eye is a best friend of Slammin Sammy and other PCSO deputies. We want him to gather evidence against his best friends! That is what I call a major conflict of interest. Then my hired bodyguard and private eye refused to obtain certain undeniable evidence of another two death threats. I quit speaking to him and looked up the Texas Occupations law governing private eyes. He has violated a dozen regulations and all ethical considerations. He has given me none of the evidence he promised to collect. One day soon when it is time I will file my complaint.
The Texas Rangers
Robert was starting a new job and needed his tools from the house at 800. During our investigations I learned when the sheriff is dirty and trying to kill you, you have only two guys to go to for help. Texas Ranger Russ Autier’s name came up more than once as a good cop. I called him and asked him to help me get into the house at 800 to get Robert’s tools. I tell him I cannot trust the PCSO as they threatened to kill me in September. He agrees to meet us at the property to watch over us while we get the tools. Irene and I had a very interesting conversation with Ranger Autier. He tells us he investigated parts of the shooting incident. He also tells us that he would never have arrested Robert in a million years. He also tells me he cannot help me. It was just me he could not help. He was afraid of someone and said it was the last time he could help us. I have not been back to my house and property on Brazos Rock Road since that October day and my strange conversation with a Texas Ranger.
Situation 16 – Explosives & Threats
Theresa Salter threatened Irene in August and some people said it was a mistake. They thought the threat was intended for me and reached Irene by mistake. Nope. In mid-November Theresa threatened Irene again. Irene stopped at a convenience store in Mineral Wells to get a soda. Theresa and Tiffany stopped at the same store. The Salter women stood outside the store making shooting gestures at Irene and mouthing at her “you’re dead.” We told the Private eye to go get the store’s security tapes to prove the threats, but he did not do it.
A few days later when I am home alone an explosive device is set off in front of my house in Hurst. I am not talking about a few firecrackers. I mean a full explosion. The device set off had 100 screaming parts and 100 exploding parts. It is a very expensive explosive. When it blew up it scared the holy hell out of my neighbors and myself. I thought World War Three started at my front door. It was well after dark and no one saw who did it. One neighbor saw a pick-up truck making a fast turn at the stop sign on the corner, but she could not ID anything about the truck. I said nothing about my belief that the explosion was not accidental. I got the message. The message told me, “I know where you are” and “I can come get you whenever I want”. It was clearly another threat against us. I am smarter so I did the smart thing. I called the 911 Operator and asked her if I could have the device. She gave me permission to clean up the mess. What I really did was more than a mere clean up. I took my flashlight and photographed the location of the device next to my house. I got a stick from my garden and used it to carefully lift the device into a grocery bag. I did not touch the device. I went back in the morning to photograph the fire burned spot left by the device in case my night pictures did not turn out. I still have the device and its unexploded parts. I was waiting for an honest cop to turn it over to for evidence gathering. That was mid-November of 2008. I am still waiting for that honest cop to turn my evidence into.
Photo of Explosive Device
I hired a Private Eye to gather evidence for me that I could not access. I paid him a sizeable sum and gave him a list of items to obtain. We met with him and an attorney included in the payment several times. And then my penchant for bad luck took over. We learn that our private eye is a best friend of Slammin Sammy and other PCSO deputies. We want him to gather evidence against his best friends! That is what I call a major conflict of interest. Then my hired bodyguard and private eye refused to obtain certain undeniable evidence of another two death threats. I quit speaking to him and looked up the Texas Occupations law governing private eyes. He has violated a dozen regulations and all ethical considerations. He has given me none of the evidence he promised to collect. One day soon when it is time I will file my complaint.
The Texas Rangers
Robert was starting a new job and needed his tools from the house at 800. During our investigations I learned when the sheriff is dirty and trying to kill you, you have only two guys to go to for help. Texas Ranger Russ Autier’s name came up more than once as a good cop. I called him and asked him to help me get into the house at 800 to get Robert’s tools. I tell him I cannot trust the PCSO as they threatened to kill me in September. He agrees to meet us at the property to watch over us while we get the tools. Irene and I had a very interesting conversation with Ranger Autier. He tells us he investigated parts of the shooting incident. He also tells us that he would never have arrested Robert in a million years. He also tells me he cannot help me. It was just me he could not help. He was afraid of someone and said it was the last time he could help us. I have not been back to my house and property on Brazos Rock Road since that October day and my strange conversation with a Texas Ranger.
Situation 16 – Explosives & Threats
Theresa Salter threatened Irene in August and some people said it was a mistake. They thought the threat was intended for me and reached Irene by mistake. Nope. In mid-November Theresa threatened Irene again. Irene stopped at a convenience store in Mineral Wells to get a soda. Theresa and Tiffany stopped at the same store. The Salter women stood outside the store making shooting gestures at Irene and mouthing at her “you’re dead.” We told the Private eye to go get the store’s security tapes to prove the threats, but he did not do it.
A few days later when I am home alone an explosive device is set off in front of my house in Hurst. I am not talking about a few firecrackers. I mean a full explosion. The device set off had 100 screaming parts and 100 exploding parts. It is a very expensive explosive. When it blew up it scared the holy hell out of my neighbors and myself. I thought World War Three started at my front door. It was well after dark and no one saw who did it. One neighbor saw a pick-up truck making a fast turn at the stop sign on the corner, but she could not ID anything about the truck. I said nothing about my belief that the explosion was not accidental. I got the message. The message told me, “I know where you are” and “I can come get you whenever I want”. It was clearly another threat against us. I am smarter so I did the smart thing. I called the 911 Operator and asked her if I could have the device. She gave me permission to clean up the mess. What I really did was more than a mere clean up. I took my flashlight and photographed the location of the device next to my house. I got a stick from my garden and used it to carefully lift the device into a grocery bag. I did not touch the device. I went back in the morning to photograph the fire burned spot left by the device in case my night pictures did not turn out. I still have the device and its unexploded parts. I was waiting for an honest cop to turn it over to for evidence gathering. That was mid-November of 2008. I am still waiting for that honest cop to turn my evidence into.
Photo of Explosive Device
Background
Sam and his friend Jeff go to the house at 800 a few days after the shooting to rescue Robert’s show-winning 1994 Harley-Davidson. Sam couldn’t stand the thought of that beautiful bike being turned into a boat anchor by sand the way Salter’s did Robert’s ’57 Ford Tractor. Sam and his friend came away from the experience telling harrowing tales. Salter’s blocked the road in front of them to try to stop them from leaving and they fired shots at them. Sam said he barely got out and his friend, Jeff, got out only because he had a 4-wheel drive Jeep to get around the truck that blocked the road in front of them. Attorney Lane sent an appraiser who also got accosted by the Salters. It definitely was not safe for anyone to go to Brazos Rock Road anymore.
Robert’s Harley
SGT Brennum Threatens to Kill Bette
I need into my house at 800. We have nothing. We need pots & pans, more clothing, cleaning supplies, and all the mundane normal items it takes to manage a household. We left it all behind when we fled for our lives. I finally arranged to have a deputy escort us to the property on September 13th. I told you earlier I always have a camera nowadays and it came in handy on this day. What happened would probably not surprise you! Happily, I photographed the incident. I was soooo angry with the deputies; I sat down the next day and wrote Fowler a letter. I never sent the letter, but it faithfully records the incident. Here is it.
September 14, 2008
Larry Fowler, Sheriff
129 Hogle
Weatherford, TX 76086
Dear Sir:
I wish to relay to you the unfortunate incidents of yesterday while I was retrieving some of my belongings from my house on Brazos Rock Road. As you are aware, I was asked not to go to my house to avoid further incidents. I arranged with Lieutenant Pettigrew and Sergeant Brown for an escort at their convenience, in keeping with that request. There were important papers and regular bills that it was growing very important for me to retrieve in order to continue with my life. Two deputies met my moving party at the Millsap Chevron at 7:00 am to escort us to the property. The moving party consisted of myself in my minivan, Irene & Robert Pittman in their Nissan Truck, Sam Hull in a friend’s car, and my husband in his Dodge Ram with a trailer. As we turned onto Bennett road going to the property, the deputies turned on their lights and stopped us. They informed us that the boss said that my husband would not be allowed to go to our property. The deputies refused to identify “the boss”. This action deprived me of the ability to pack as many of my belongings as I had planned because my husband and his truck and trailer were left alone back up on Bennett Road somewhere. This action also meant that part of my moving party had to drive the tractor and road grader unescorted and at an unnecessary waste of fuel to where my husband was waiting. These actions created several minor inconveniences, but what Sergeant Brannem did next is totally unconscionable.
Within minutes of our arrival at my property, three vehicles of the Salter family started driving up and down the road shouting obscenities at us and saluting us with the middle finger insult. They blocked the road with their purple Jeep and Theresa and one of the girls (probably Tiffany) got out video and still cameras and started shouting at, waving and pointing to us, and verbally taunting us in addition to filming and taking snapshots of everything we did. This raucous display went on for more than an hour as only three of us attempted to grab as many belongings as we could from my house. The deputies did nothing to stop them, saying it was all right for them to behave in this threatening manner. I tried to explain to your deputies that this behavior is very typical of how the Salter family behaves every single day. I asked them to empathize with having to live with that threatening behavior and how they would feel after several years of identical and worse threats. That the deputies allowed this behavior to continue is very bad, but what Sergeant Brennam did as we left is something that is absolutely unforgivable for anyone to do and more so unforgivable for a Peace Officer.
We were creeping along heading for Bennett Road following the riding lawn mover. As we were moving so slowly, I stopped to take a picture of the fact that the Salter family in their purple Jeep were following us out. I needed to document the horrendous treatment we were receiving at the hands of the Salters. I took the picture identified as <22> on the developing mark. This picture clearly shows the Salter Jeep following right behind us on Goen Road at Brogden Lane. I got back into my van and continued idling behind the mower. Then Sergeant Brennam caught up to me, and he screamed at me that “this was not going to be a media circus” and if I took one more picture, he would “withdraw my escort and turn me over to them and let them do to me what they will.” The sergeant is very well aware of the fact that the Salter family has threatened my life on numerous occasions; therefore he was willing and ready to be the instrument of my death. There is no other law enforcement agency in this country that would have allowed the hour-long display and obscenity shouting at us. Further, I know of no self-respecting and law-abiding Peace Officer who would threaten the life of someone is such a blatant manner. Sergeant Brennem proved what I have been saying all along about the double standard of justice in Parker County. Sergeant Brennam is pictured in the photograph identified as <16> with the Salter Jeep still filming us as we try to leave. He is also seen in the photo identified as <15> palling around with Mrs. Salter.
On a final note to the morning, as I took the lead in leaving back up Bennett road, someone fired two shots to my immediate right. I understood the message, but the deputies failed to do anything about that either. Deputies in the past have refused to come to Brazos Rock Road because it is “a private road”, they have come down and refused to take statements from numerous witnesses to death threats, and they have left Speed drug trash in our creek without retrieving it before the next rain. We have had four break-ins where nothing was done and no one has looked into the recovery of my stolen pistol that the DPS Trooper said has been used by the druggies as money because of the excellent condition it is still in. Now a Sergeant threatens me in no uncertain terms while allowing others over an hour to harass my companions and me. I will never again allow any PCSO Deputies to be my escort as one of them has stated to my face that he intends me harm. I have no reason to trust a single deputy. Sheriff Fowler you told me that you were convinced it was a clear-cut case of self-defense and you claimed ignorance of any of the many reports we have filed in our efforts to live a quiet retired life and put in an RV Park and Golf course on our land. All I wanted to do was write my children’s books and sketch the beauty of the land it took my husband and I ten years of searching to find. Sir, if ignorance of the law is no excuse, then ignorance of all that has happened is no excuse for you either.
Sincerely,
Bette K. O’Steen
Photo Log
29 & 28 & 26 & 25 & 23 S Curve barbed wire side
27 & 24 S Curve Creek side
22 Photo I stopped to take to show how close Salter
21 Rear View Mirror to show how close
20 & 19 Hold out Window to try to get Salter
18 & 17 & 16 Still filming us at Goen and Bennett Road
4 cars with deputies at this time
15 Sgt Brennam being very friendly with Teresa Salter
P.S. Did it make the reports that in the ER we saw relatives of the PCSO Investigator Robert Moore, who gave him an earful of Salter hate. His relatives volunteered to go over there and buy us some of the speed they sell as he said he is welcome there as a long time customer. He is not off the stuff yet, but his mama is clean and sober for some time now. Irene also knows how to get in touch with these people, whom I had never seen before.
How totally different this experience was from the first time we were escorted to the house for property retrieval. The first deputy looked out for us. He wouldn’t let us pass until it was safe. He stood guard at the balcony holding a rifle. On September 13th the whole group of deputies stood in the shade, allowed the threats, and never once made me feel safe. It let me know who could be trusted and who could not. My distrust of the PCSO is growing rapidly. The Sergeant in charge is now threatening my life. Aren’t I lucky??
Sam and his friend Jeff go to the house at 800 a few days after the shooting to rescue Robert’s show-winning 1994 Harley-Davidson. Sam couldn’t stand the thought of that beautiful bike being turned into a boat anchor by sand the way Salter’s did Robert’s ’57 Ford Tractor. Sam and his friend came away from the experience telling harrowing tales. Salter’s blocked the road in front of them to try to stop them from leaving and they fired shots at them. Sam said he barely got out and his friend, Jeff, got out only because he had a 4-wheel drive Jeep to get around the truck that blocked the road in front of them. Attorney Lane sent an appraiser who also got accosted by the Salters. It definitely was not safe for anyone to go to Brazos Rock Road anymore.
Robert’s Harley
SGT Brennum Threatens to Kill Bette
I need into my house at 800. We have nothing. We need pots & pans, more clothing, cleaning supplies, and all the mundane normal items it takes to manage a household. We left it all behind when we fled for our lives. I finally arranged to have a deputy escort us to the property on September 13th. I told you earlier I always have a camera nowadays and it came in handy on this day. What happened would probably not surprise you! Happily, I photographed the incident. I was soooo angry with the deputies; I sat down the next day and wrote Fowler a letter. I never sent the letter, but it faithfully records the incident. Here is it.
September 14, 2008
Larry Fowler, Sheriff
129 Hogle
Weatherford, TX 76086
Dear Sir:
I wish to relay to you the unfortunate incidents of yesterday while I was retrieving some of my belongings from my house on Brazos Rock Road. As you are aware, I was asked not to go to my house to avoid further incidents. I arranged with Lieutenant Pettigrew and Sergeant Brown for an escort at their convenience, in keeping with that request. There were important papers and regular bills that it was growing very important for me to retrieve in order to continue with my life. Two deputies met my moving party at the Millsap Chevron at 7:00 am to escort us to the property. The moving party consisted of myself in my minivan, Irene & Robert Pittman in their Nissan Truck, Sam Hull in a friend’s car, and my husband in his Dodge Ram with a trailer. As we turned onto Bennett road going to the property, the deputies turned on their lights and stopped us. They informed us that the boss said that my husband would not be allowed to go to our property. The deputies refused to identify “the boss”. This action deprived me of the ability to pack as many of my belongings as I had planned because my husband and his truck and trailer were left alone back up on Bennett Road somewhere. This action also meant that part of my moving party had to drive the tractor and road grader unescorted and at an unnecessary waste of fuel to where my husband was waiting. These actions created several minor inconveniences, but what Sergeant Brannem did next is totally unconscionable.
Within minutes of our arrival at my property, three vehicles of the Salter family started driving up and down the road shouting obscenities at us and saluting us with the middle finger insult. They blocked the road with their purple Jeep and Theresa and one of the girls (probably Tiffany) got out video and still cameras and started shouting at, waving and pointing to us, and verbally taunting us in addition to filming and taking snapshots of everything we did. This raucous display went on for more than an hour as only three of us attempted to grab as many belongings as we could from my house. The deputies did nothing to stop them, saying it was all right for them to behave in this threatening manner. I tried to explain to your deputies that this behavior is very typical of how the Salter family behaves every single day. I asked them to empathize with having to live with that threatening behavior and how they would feel after several years of identical and worse threats. That the deputies allowed this behavior to continue is very bad, but what Sergeant Brennam did as we left is something that is absolutely unforgivable for anyone to do and more so unforgivable for a Peace Officer.
We were creeping along heading for Bennett Road following the riding lawn mover. As we were moving so slowly, I stopped to take a picture of the fact that the Salter family in their purple Jeep were following us out. I needed to document the horrendous treatment we were receiving at the hands of the Salters. I took the picture identified as <22> on the developing mark. This picture clearly shows the Salter Jeep following right behind us on Goen Road at Brogden Lane. I got back into my van and continued idling behind the mower. Then Sergeant Brennam caught up to me, and he screamed at me that “this was not going to be a media circus” and if I took one more picture, he would “withdraw my escort and turn me over to them and let them do to me what they will.” The sergeant is very well aware of the fact that the Salter family has threatened my life on numerous occasions; therefore he was willing and ready to be the instrument of my death. There is no other law enforcement agency in this country that would have allowed the hour-long display and obscenity shouting at us. Further, I know of no self-respecting and law-abiding Peace Officer who would threaten the life of someone is such a blatant manner. Sergeant Brennem proved what I have been saying all along about the double standard of justice in Parker County. Sergeant Brennam is pictured in the photograph identified as <16> with the Salter Jeep still filming us as we try to leave. He is also seen in the photo identified as <15> palling around with Mrs. Salter.
On a final note to the morning, as I took the lead in leaving back up Bennett road, someone fired two shots to my immediate right. I understood the message, but the deputies failed to do anything about that either. Deputies in the past have refused to come to Brazos Rock Road because it is “a private road”, they have come down and refused to take statements from numerous witnesses to death threats, and they have left Speed drug trash in our creek without retrieving it before the next rain. We have had four break-ins where nothing was done and no one has looked into the recovery of my stolen pistol that the DPS Trooper said has been used by the druggies as money because of the excellent condition it is still in. Now a Sergeant threatens me in no uncertain terms while allowing others over an hour to harass my companions and me. I will never again allow any PCSO Deputies to be my escort as one of them has stated to my face that he intends me harm. I have no reason to trust a single deputy. Sheriff Fowler you told me that you were convinced it was a clear-cut case of self-defense and you claimed ignorance of any of the many reports we have filed in our efforts to live a quiet retired life and put in an RV Park and Golf course on our land. All I wanted to do was write my children’s books and sketch the beauty of the land it took my husband and I ten years of searching to find. Sir, if ignorance of the law is no excuse, then ignorance of all that has happened is no excuse for you either.
Sincerely,
Bette K. O’Steen
Photo Log
29 & 28 & 26 & 25 & 23 S Curve barbed wire side
27 & 24 S Curve Creek side
22 Photo I stopped to take to show how close Salter
21 Rear View Mirror to show how close
20 & 19 Hold out Window to try to get Salter
18 & 17 & 16 Still filming us at Goen and Bennett Road
4 cars with deputies at this time
15 Sgt Brennam being very friendly with Teresa Salter
P.S. Did it make the reports that in the ER we saw relatives of the PCSO Investigator Robert Moore, who gave him an earful of Salter hate. His relatives volunteered to go over there and buy us some of the speed they sell as he said he is welcome there as a long time customer. He is not off the stuff yet, but his mama is clean and sober for some time now. Irene also knows how to get in touch with these people, whom I had never seen before.
How totally different this experience was from the first time we were escorted to the house for property retrieval. The first deputy looked out for us. He wouldn’t let us pass until it was safe. He stood guard at the balcony holding a rifle. On September 13th the whole group of deputies stood in the shade, allowed the threats, and never once made me feel safe. It let me know who could be trusted and who could not. My distrust of the PCSO is growing rapidly. The Sergeant in charge is now threatening my life. Aren’t I lucky??
Robert is Arrested
September 4th is our wedding anniversary. A fact I am sure the PCSO knows. For our anniversary they had Robert report to be arrested for a felony 1 murder of the man who shot him, Arlen Terry Salter. Robert was escorted by the bondsman to Sheriff Fowler at 8:30 am, was processed, and released on bail at 3:30 pm using a procedure called a walk-through. The bondsman is the same man we used in 2004 when no charges resulted. As he escorts Robert to be arrested he says the Sheriff is caving in to political pressure. I have no doubt the situation is playing out exactly as it did in 2004. It is the MO of the PCSO to arrest the innocent to protect the guilty. Suddenly the PCSO says Brazos Rock Road is a public road after refusing for years to enforce laws because it is private. The sheriff told me he was convinced this was a clear-cut case of self-defense. Robert should not have been arrested.
Review the Basic Facts
The Salter family has tried multiple times to kill Robert all the way back to 2004 when Roger ran over Robert with a truck. The PCSO has done nothing about all the assassination attempts and death threats against Robert. Arlen Salter shoots Robert in yet another assassination attempt. In the fight for life after being shot Robert took the rifle away from his attacker and hit him with it. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner ruled that Arlen Salter died from blunt force trauma to the head.
The Law
We have a law in Texas called the “Castle Doctrine”. Your home is your castle is the basis for the law. The law gives Texans the right to defend themselves from attackers on their property. It goes beyond other state laws as it allows you to take out your attacker. You do not have to let attackers run away or drag your attacker into the house to use deadly force in response to deadly force. Anywhere on your property is sufficient for you to defend yourself and your family. Parker County Attorney Forrester declared in 2007 that Brazos Rock Road was private property and would never be owned by the Parker County public. The landowners pay taxes on the road as a part of their property. Ergo, the argument that the road is now suddenly public property to justify the arrest does not work.
Jumping Into Action
Robert and I consult with Attorney Jim Lane. Lane is a former JAG in the Army just like I am. He tells us the PCSO has nothing. The Castle Doctrine applies. Lane also tells me something I truly take to heart. He tells me if I really was a JAG then I knew what to do to prove my husband’s innocence. Thank you Jim Lane for reminding me of the dirty low-down tricks I hated so much in the military court system. I had to redo my thinking to be as dirty and nasty as theirs, or I would get trampled by all the laws they would break to get us out of the way of their illegal activities. I never go anywhere now without a $5.00 one-use camera to record events. That camera will help immensely later in the month. Per Lane’s suggestion, Irene and I immediately kick it into full gear. We don’t trust the PCSO, and we will be damned if we rely on their brand of investigating. We spend days at the courthouse, tax office, and county commissioner’s office digging up evidence. We interview a wide variety of people. To say we learned a lot is a big understatement.
September 4th is our wedding anniversary. A fact I am sure the PCSO knows. For our anniversary they had Robert report to be arrested for a felony 1 murder of the man who shot him, Arlen Terry Salter. Robert was escorted by the bondsman to Sheriff Fowler at 8:30 am, was processed, and released on bail at 3:30 pm using a procedure called a walk-through. The bondsman is the same man we used in 2004 when no charges resulted. As he escorts Robert to be arrested he says the Sheriff is caving in to political pressure. I have no doubt the situation is playing out exactly as it did in 2004. It is the MO of the PCSO to arrest the innocent to protect the guilty. Suddenly the PCSO says Brazos Rock Road is a public road after refusing for years to enforce laws because it is private. The sheriff told me he was convinced this was a clear-cut case of self-defense. Robert should not have been arrested.
Review the Basic Facts
The Salter family has tried multiple times to kill Robert all the way back to 2004 when Roger ran over Robert with a truck. The PCSO has done nothing about all the assassination attempts and death threats against Robert. Arlen Salter shoots Robert in yet another assassination attempt. In the fight for life after being shot Robert took the rifle away from his attacker and hit him with it. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner ruled that Arlen Salter died from blunt force trauma to the head.
The Law
We have a law in Texas called the “Castle Doctrine”. Your home is your castle is the basis for the law. The law gives Texans the right to defend themselves from attackers on their property. It goes beyond other state laws as it allows you to take out your attacker. You do not have to let attackers run away or drag your attacker into the house to use deadly force in response to deadly force. Anywhere on your property is sufficient for you to defend yourself and your family. Parker County Attorney Forrester declared in 2007 that Brazos Rock Road was private property and would never be owned by the Parker County public. The landowners pay taxes on the road as a part of their property. Ergo, the argument that the road is now suddenly public property to justify the arrest does not work.
Jumping Into Action
Robert and I consult with Attorney Jim Lane. Lane is a former JAG in the Army just like I am. He tells us the PCSO has nothing. The Castle Doctrine applies. Lane also tells me something I truly take to heart. He tells me if I really was a JAG then I knew what to do to prove my husband’s innocence. Thank you Jim Lane for reminding me of the dirty low-down tricks I hated so much in the military court system. I had to redo my thinking to be as dirty and nasty as theirs, or I would get trampled by all the laws they would break to get us out of the way of their illegal activities. I never go anywhere now without a $5.00 one-use camera to record events. That camera will help immensely later in the month. Per Lane’s suggestion, Irene and I immediately kick it into full gear. We don’t trust the PCSO, and we will be damned if we rely on their brand of investigating. We spend days at the courthouse, tax office, and county commissioner’s office digging up evidence. We interview a wide variety of people. To say we learned a lot is a big understatement.
Reading all the Paperwork
We have an appointment with the PCSO for September 2 in the afternoon. That morning I decide to organize and read all the paperwork I accumulated the day of the shooting. I get a three-ring binder, some pocket tabs, and dividers to put all my papers in one spot. I had medical papers, lists of confiscated property, and receipts for the money it was costing me to be out of my house. I also had that mystery paper Slammin Sammy shoved into my chest. It was a very bad copy of a request for a search warrant on my house at 800. There were only two pages even though the paper itself said that there were attachments. The first page of the request for search warrant is crooked and has the bottom of the page cut off. At least one paragraph describing what to search for has been cut off. There are plenty of errors in the part of the form that is readable. The front door of the house faces east and not west is just one example.
Recovering Property from House at 800
September 2 is the day of Arlen’s funeral so Sheriff Fowler thinks it is a good idea to let us get more of our property when the Salters would be gone. We leave the station and meet with more deputies at Ulisi before we go to the house. The deputy assigned to guard Irene and I takes his job very seriously. He is dressed in a bulletproof vest, full uniform, and has a rifle. He will not let us out of the van until he has cleared the area. He goes up the stairs first and then waves us up when it is safe. He stood vigilant on the front porch while Irene and I packed what we could in about an hour’s time. True to form, one of the Salter girls drove in to spy on us. She got so flustered by all the cops, she almost ran off the road madly telephoning for instructions. She was comical in her frustration.
Finding the Rifle Barrel
A few days earlier Bilbay is accusing me of hiding the rifle barrel that shot Robert. While Irene and I pack, Robert finds the missing rifle barrel. Robert, Bilbay and Attorney Kim are at the tractor and road grader. Bilbay has a digital camera and is photographing every inch of the tractor. Bilbay has his cowboy booted foot resting on the road grader while he takes dozens of pictures. Bilbay’s booted foot is what causes Robert to find the rifle barrel. Robert notices that Bilbay has his foot on the rifle barrel. Bilbay has just taken dozens of pictures of the rifle barrel with his fat booted foot right on top of it. All in unison now, “If it had been a snake, it would have bit him!!!” The antics of the Keystone cops never made me laugh any harder. I told that jerk all I did was flee for my life and get my husband to a hospital trauma center. But, Bilbay had a theory. The PCSO spent at least three days in earnest search for the rifle barrel that shot Robert and it was right there under their noses in plain sight the entire time. Great detective work fellows! Instead of jumping to wild conclusions and trying to prove them, how about letting the truth and the evidence lead you to the conclusion? That is asking too much of the PCSO. They don’t investigate.
Getting my Phones Back
Attorney Kim requests that the PCSO return my phones to me as we get back to the station. Bilbay and Slammin Sammy don’t want me to have them until they go through them and get all of our text messages. Robert and I don’t know how to text, so there is no text messages on either phone. That fact really upset Slammin Sammy for some reason. Bilbay was writing down a list of all the voice mail messages on my phone. Slammin Sammy leaned over and asked Bilbay what some of those messages were because he recognized the phone numbers as belong to the PCSO. There were three voice mail messages on my phone from Bilbay. Yes, I said that correctly. Bilbay left me three progressively angry voice mail messages on my phone while he had it in his custody room. He was mad at me for not returning his phone calls, yet he had my phone! Without a doubt Bilbay wrote me up for being uncooperative to make me look bad. Let’s tell the truth. He had my phone! In my phone was stored the last photographs of the meth lab trash and the litter the PCSO left behind. I posted some of those photos earlier. I asked Bilbay and Slammin Sammy if they wanted to make a copy of those photos as evidence. Are you ready for their answer? Are you sure you can take it? Obviously, they refused to look at the crime scene pictures in my camera let alone take copies as evidence. They don’t investigate.
We have an appointment with the PCSO for September 2 in the afternoon. That morning I decide to organize and read all the paperwork I accumulated the day of the shooting. I get a three-ring binder, some pocket tabs, and dividers to put all my papers in one spot. I had medical papers, lists of confiscated property, and receipts for the money it was costing me to be out of my house. I also had that mystery paper Slammin Sammy shoved into my chest. It was a very bad copy of a request for a search warrant on my house at 800. There were only two pages even though the paper itself said that there were attachments. The first page of the request for search warrant is crooked and has the bottom of the page cut off. At least one paragraph describing what to search for has been cut off. There are plenty of errors in the part of the form that is readable. The front door of the house faces east and not west is just one example.
Recovering Property from House at 800
September 2 is the day of Arlen’s funeral so Sheriff Fowler thinks it is a good idea to let us get more of our property when the Salters would be gone. We leave the station and meet with more deputies at Ulisi before we go to the house. The deputy assigned to guard Irene and I takes his job very seriously. He is dressed in a bulletproof vest, full uniform, and has a rifle. He will not let us out of the van until he has cleared the area. He goes up the stairs first and then waves us up when it is safe. He stood vigilant on the front porch while Irene and I packed what we could in about an hour’s time. True to form, one of the Salter girls drove in to spy on us. She got so flustered by all the cops, she almost ran off the road madly telephoning for instructions. She was comical in her frustration.
Finding the Rifle Barrel
A few days earlier Bilbay is accusing me of hiding the rifle barrel that shot Robert. While Irene and I pack, Robert finds the missing rifle barrel. Robert, Bilbay and Attorney Kim are at the tractor and road grader. Bilbay has a digital camera and is photographing every inch of the tractor. Bilbay has his cowboy booted foot resting on the road grader while he takes dozens of pictures. Bilbay’s booted foot is what causes Robert to find the rifle barrel. Robert notices that Bilbay has his foot on the rifle barrel. Bilbay has just taken dozens of pictures of the rifle barrel with his fat booted foot right on top of it. All in unison now, “If it had been a snake, it would have bit him!!!” The antics of the Keystone cops never made me laugh any harder. I told that jerk all I did was flee for my life and get my husband to a hospital trauma center. But, Bilbay had a theory. The PCSO spent at least three days in earnest search for the rifle barrel that shot Robert and it was right there under their noses in plain sight the entire time. Great detective work fellows! Instead of jumping to wild conclusions and trying to prove them, how about letting the truth and the evidence lead you to the conclusion? That is asking too much of the PCSO. They don’t investigate.
Getting my Phones Back
Attorney Kim requests that the PCSO return my phones to me as we get back to the station. Bilbay and Slammin Sammy don’t want me to have them until they go through them and get all of our text messages. Robert and I don’t know how to text, so there is no text messages on either phone. That fact really upset Slammin Sammy for some reason. Bilbay was writing down a list of all the voice mail messages on my phone. Slammin Sammy leaned over and asked Bilbay what some of those messages were because he recognized the phone numbers as belong to the PCSO. There were three voice mail messages on my phone from Bilbay. Yes, I said that correctly. Bilbay left me three progressively angry voice mail messages on my phone while he had it in his custody room. He was mad at me for not returning his phone calls, yet he had my phone! Without a doubt Bilbay wrote me up for being uncooperative to make me look bad. Let’s tell the truth. He had my phone! In my phone was stored the last photographs of the meth lab trash and the litter the PCSO left behind. I posted some of those photos earlier. I asked Bilbay and Slammin Sammy if they wanted to make a copy of those photos as evidence. Are you ready for their answer? Are you sure you can take it? Obviously, they refused to look at the crime scene pictures in my camera let alone take copies as evidence. They don’t investigate.
Monday, August 24, 2009
At the House at 800
The dogs love their “Aunt Nene” (Irene) so she had no problem getting them into her truck for a ride. We headed inside to get clothes, medications, and other essentials. Deputy “Slammin’ Sammy” meets me at the top of the stairs and starts yelling at me, “you are a liar”, “you are only pretending to cooperate”, and “they tell better stories than you do!” He followed me into the house and continued to scream at me. When we packed enough, I told Irene I was going to go to the bathroom and then we could leave. Slammin’ Sammy ran into the bedroom and got right in my face yelling at me that I was not going to the bathroom without him. In spite of the pain it would cause me, I was never going to let that lecherous and foul man in the bathroom with me. He was absolutely rude. I am a victim here. There is no need to treat me in such a crude manner, yell at me, or berate me the way he was doing. As we were leaving, Slammin’ Sammy shoved me hard and put a piece of paper into my chest. He almost shoved me down the stairs. I gained my balance with help from Irene who wanted to take Sammy’s head off for hurting me. I ignored the paper he shoved into my chest. I folded it and put it away. I had no reason to think that it was significant.
It is flashback time again! Remember Sammy Slattern from the year 2004? This is the deputy who never did a thing when he was assigned by Sheriff Brown to be our liaison and set up a crime watch for Brazos Rock Road subdivision. He earned the nickname “Slammin” by being a ruffian and a bully who does not properly identify himself as a cop. We will get to more of that later when we discuss other victims of the PCSO.
Irene drives off and Robert P and I are in the van backing out of the driveway when Deputy Allain stops us. The PCSO wants both Robert’s cell phone and mine. They don’t care if it leaves me with no way to communicate. I signed the receipt for my confiscated phones at 0405 hours August 30, 2008. I asked the PCSO what they planned on doing to lock up my house whenever they decided to leave. They had no clues, so one of them took my keys and promised to lock the house for me. I have been up all night. I am getting really sick. I had to stop halfway up Bennett road and ask Robert P to drive, because I simply could not drive safely anymore.
Back to the Station for Bilbay's Theory
Robert P got us safely to his house and I laid down to rest. I barely touched the pillow and Bilbay was at Irene’s door wanting me to come to the station to get Robert as they were through with him. He is ticked off because I haven’t answered my phone. We arrive at the station and instead of getting Robert; Bilbay takes me into their interview room to question me. He is berating me because he cannot find the barrel of the rifle that shot Robert. He claims that I had 20 minutes to go find it and hide it before we fled for our lives. He is yelling at me telling me what I do everyday. He is dead wrong in his assumptions. I do not know how long it takes to walk from the house to Ulisi. I do not take timed walks in the woods up the creek bed. I do not leave my house for days at a time. I have a disability. I carefully plan my weekly shopping trips. None of the truth matters to this jerk. He has a theory. He finally asks me why I am not babbling over to talk to him. He truly did not expect my answer. It is close to daylight, I am getting very sick, I want to throw up on him, and so, I gave him an honest answer. I looked him dead in the eye and told him that I did not trust him or any other member of the PCSO and he should give me my husband and let us go! He did and we left.
The dogs love their “Aunt Nene” (Irene) so she had no problem getting them into her truck for a ride. We headed inside to get clothes, medications, and other essentials. Deputy “Slammin’ Sammy” meets me at the top of the stairs and starts yelling at me, “you are a liar”, “you are only pretending to cooperate”, and “they tell better stories than you do!” He followed me into the house and continued to scream at me. When we packed enough, I told Irene I was going to go to the bathroom and then we could leave. Slammin’ Sammy ran into the bedroom and got right in my face yelling at me that I was not going to the bathroom without him. In spite of the pain it would cause me, I was never going to let that lecherous and foul man in the bathroom with me. He was absolutely rude. I am a victim here. There is no need to treat me in such a crude manner, yell at me, or berate me the way he was doing. As we were leaving, Slammin’ Sammy shoved me hard and put a piece of paper into my chest. He almost shoved me down the stairs. I gained my balance with help from Irene who wanted to take Sammy’s head off for hurting me. I ignored the paper he shoved into my chest. I folded it and put it away. I had no reason to think that it was significant.
It is flashback time again! Remember Sammy Slattern from the year 2004? This is the deputy who never did a thing when he was assigned by Sheriff Brown to be our liaison and set up a crime watch for Brazos Rock Road subdivision. He earned the nickname “Slammin” by being a ruffian and a bully who does not properly identify himself as a cop. We will get to more of that later when we discuss other victims of the PCSO.
Irene drives off and Robert P and I are in the van backing out of the driveway when Deputy Allain stops us. The PCSO wants both Robert’s cell phone and mine. They don’t care if it leaves me with no way to communicate. I signed the receipt for my confiscated phones at 0405 hours August 30, 2008. I asked the PCSO what they planned on doing to lock up my house whenever they decided to leave. They had no clues, so one of them took my keys and promised to lock the house for me. I have been up all night. I am getting really sick. I had to stop halfway up Bennett road and ask Robert P to drive, because I simply could not drive safely anymore.
Back to the Station for Bilbay's Theory
Robert P got us safely to his house and I laid down to rest. I barely touched the pillow and Bilbay was at Irene’s door wanting me to come to the station to get Robert as they were through with him. He is ticked off because I haven’t answered my phone. We arrive at the station and instead of getting Robert; Bilbay takes me into their interview room to question me. He is berating me because he cannot find the barrel of the rifle that shot Robert. He claims that I had 20 minutes to go find it and hide it before we fled for our lives. He is yelling at me telling me what I do everyday. He is dead wrong in his assumptions. I do not know how long it takes to walk from the house to Ulisi. I do not take timed walks in the woods up the creek bed. I do not leave my house for days at a time. I have a disability. I carefully plan my weekly shopping trips. None of the truth matters to this jerk. He has a theory. He finally asks me why I am not babbling over to talk to him. He truly did not expect my answer. It is close to daylight, I am getting very sick, I want to throw up on him, and so, I gave him an honest answer. I looked him dead in the eye and told him that I did not trust him or any other member of the PCSO and he should give me my husband and let us go! He did and we left.
At the Hospital
Two deputies from PCSO arrive at the ER. They are Bilbay and Robert Moore. Bilbay takes me into a room, puts a guard on me, and refuses to let me out until I give him a written statement and submit to some test on my hands. Bilbay has a hard time reading and following the instructions on the unidentified test kit. I told Bilbay I was too worried about my husband and my dogs to write him anything. He didn’t care. For over two hours he wouldn’t let me out of that examining room at the hospital. When Bilbay finally let me go, Robert Moore wanted to search my truck. Robert Moore inventoried everything in the truck and then confiscated it all with the help of the Fort Worth CSI. He took my Sony video camera, my 35mm Pentax still camera, my pistols, a duffel bag, and a baseball cap. He cleaned out the truck and left nothing behind. None of this property has been returned to me.
The PCSO deputies insist we must go back to the station in Weatherford. I want to head to my Hurst house as it is closer and it is well past midnight. Robert has been shot and I have Crohn’s disease. We are very tired and ill, but we have to go all the way back to Weatherford as the PCSO deputies would not let me have my husband. Robert barely knows what he is doing at this point. He can’t make any sensible statements. The doctor gave him something pretty stiff for the pain and he was under the influence of that drug. He could barely stay awake sitting in a chair in the waiting room. The PCSO confiscated all of Robert’s clothing. They expected him to leave the hospital wearing only one open in the back hospital gown with no underwear and barefoot. Their inhumanity disgusted me and I made the PCSO wait while I went and got a second hospital gown and a pair of those footed socks. Robert was so happy on the painkiller he didn’t object to being dressed with his “backdoor” showing.
Meeting the Sheriff
We got the privilege (?!) of meeting Sheriff Fowler. He is a big man. He patted me on the knee and said, “Don’t worry hun, I’m convinced it was a pure case of self-defense.” He claims he has never heard of a single incident on Brazos Rock Road. He dismisses the complaint that some of his deputies are dirty with a gruff, “Impossible, not on my watch.” (So much for the Parker County Sheriff’s Complaint Department!) Fowler has questions about Brazos Rock Road. The PCSO has repeatedly refused to patrol Brazos Rock Road because it is a private road. The PCSO will not enforce any law on a private road. For example, when our realtor put up a for sale sign on tracts 7 - 10, the neighbors dumped a hollowed out 30-foot long travel trailer on the road in front of the property. Our real estate contract was for one year and that junk trailer sat there for 8 months. Sorry, it’s a private road is all I ever got out the PCSO!
I am worried about the life of my dogs. I tell Fowler I want to go home and save them and pack an over night bag for Robert and I. I need my medication. I missed my last dose. They are not done with Robert and we are not allowed to see him before we head for the house to get the dogs. We arrive at the house to a three-ring circus. There is every deputy on the force combing the roadside with flashlights. My house is roped off with that black and yellow police line tape and there are people everywhere. There are very few identifiable deputies. Only a handful wore uniforms and badges. I had no way of knowing who the rest of those people were or why they were there. No one introduced himself to me. NO ONE. No one showed me a badge. NO ONE.
Two deputies from PCSO arrive at the ER. They are Bilbay and Robert Moore. Bilbay takes me into a room, puts a guard on me, and refuses to let me out until I give him a written statement and submit to some test on my hands. Bilbay has a hard time reading and following the instructions on the unidentified test kit. I told Bilbay I was too worried about my husband and my dogs to write him anything. He didn’t care. For over two hours he wouldn’t let me out of that examining room at the hospital. When Bilbay finally let me go, Robert Moore wanted to search my truck. Robert Moore inventoried everything in the truck and then confiscated it all with the help of the Fort Worth CSI. He took my Sony video camera, my 35mm Pentax still camera, my pistols, a duffel bag, and a baseball cap. He cleaned out the truck and left nothing behind. None of this property has been returned to me.
The PCSO deputies insist we must go back to the station in Weatherford. I want to head to my Hurst house as it is closer and it is well past midnight. Robert has been shot and I have Crohn’s disease. We are very tired and ill, but we have to go all the way back to Weatherford as the PCSO deputies would not let me have my husband. Robert barely knows what he is doing at this point. He can’t make any sensible statements. The doctor gave him something pretty stiff for the pain and he was under the influence of that drug. He could barely stay awake sitting in a chair in the waiting room. The PCSO confiscated all of Robert’s clothing. They expected him to leave the hospital wearing only one open in the back hospital gown with no underwear and barefoot. Their inhumanity disgusted me and I made the PCSO wait while I went and got a second hospital gown and a pair of those footed socks. Robert was so happy on the painkiller he didn’t object to being dressed with his “backdoor” showing.
Meeting the Sheriff
We got the privilege (?!) of meeting Sheriff Fowler. He is a big man. He patted me on the knee and said, “Don’t worry hun, I’m convinced it was a pure case of self-defense.” He claims he has never heard of a single incident on Brazos Rock Road. He dismisses the complaint that some of his deputies are dirty with a gruff, “Impossible, not on my watch.” (So much for the Parker County Sheriff’s Complaint Department!) Fowler has questions about Brazos Rock Road. The PCSO has repeatedly refused to patrol Brazos Rock Road because it is a private road. The PCSO will not enforce any law on a private road. For example, when our realtor put up a for sale sign on tracts 7 - 10, the neighbors dumped a hollowed out 30-foot long travel trailer on the road in front of the property. Our real estate contract was for one year and that junk trailer sat there for 8 months. Sorry, it’s a private road is all I ever got out the PCSO!
I am worried about the life of my dogs. I tell Fowler I want to go home and save them and pack an over night bag for Robert and I. I need my medication. I missed my last dose. They are not done with Robert and we are not allowed to see him before we head for the house to get the dogs. We arrive at the house to a three-ring circus. There is every deputy on the force combing the roadside with flashlights. My house is roped off with that black and yellow police line tape and there are people everywhere. There are very few identifiable deputies. Only a handful wore uniforms and badges. I had no way of knowing who the rest of those people were or why they were there. No one introduced himself to me. NO ONE. No one showed me a badge. NO ONE.
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