Pastner v bell

MidtownJacket

MidtownJacket

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MtnWasp said:
I'm guessing that Swartz is referring to some members of the press that were really quick to legitimize Bell's allegations by making it a sensational story but have as yet to give any print to Bell's conviction that has vindicated our coach and program.
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Thanks.
 

brandon_cox

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So what fate is in store for our friend Ronald Franklin Bell? He was convicted of 6 Class One misdemeanors; each is punishable by six months in jail. As far as I can tell, the Magistrate can sentence him concurrently, consecutively or some combination of the 2. (Concurrently means all the sentences are served at once while consecutively means you serve each one at a time. Some states limit the stacking of misdemeanor sentences but I haven’t found anything in Arizona law that prevents it.) The Judge could sentence him anywhere from probation to 36 months in jail.

There are 2 advantages Ron has going into sentencing. The first is that none of his offenses was a crime of violence. The second advantage is pecuniary and this is a big deal. Misdemeanor offenses in Arizona are not served in state prison but in the jurisdiction that sentences the defendant. Either the city of Oro Valley or Pima County is going to have to pay a lot of money to incarcerate him. It’s very tempting for the Judge to give him a lengthy sentence but slap a bracelet on his ankle and give him house arrest. That saves the taxpayers the cost of incarcerating him and frees up a jail bed, while at the same time making him pay (somewhat) for his crimes.

Before I get into Ron’s many disadvantages going into sentencing, permit me a brief aside. I’ve spent a lot of time in courthouses big and small and they all resemble small towns. Everyone knows everyone else’s business; they’re fueled by gossip. The most popular gossip is personal: which lawyer, judge, staff member, deputy (or everyone else) is cheating on their spouse/significant other, drinking too much, spending too much etc.

The other source of endless chatter is notorious defendants and litigants. Our close personal friend Ron is undoubtedly at the top of the list. Everyone who works in the courthouse or steps foot in it knows all about him: the dozens of times the cops have been called to his house for domestic violence, all the frivolous lawsuits that he’s filed, the crimes he’s been charged with, the lawyers he has tried to stiff out of their fees, all the incredibly stupid things he’s done, etc. People have been yukking it up for years with tales about what an utter scumbag Ronald Franklin Bell is.

The point of all of this is that the Judge who is sentencing Ron has heard stories about his antics for years. She knows stuff she wouldn’t know about an average Defendant and none of it is good. She knows that everyone on both sides of the judicial aisle hates his guts. You would be hard pressed to find anyone in Pima County who doesn’t want him buried under the jail. (sorry if I’m hurting your feelings Ron-Ron but it’s true). So there is that.

The Judge also knows that he’s a convicted felon who has spent years behind bars. She’s heard tapes from his last time in jail when he was verbally and mentally abusing his girlfriend. She also knows how serious the crimes he has been convicted of actually are. Many of you may have a hard time believing this but most lawyers and especially judges take their ethical responsibilities seriously. Judges are especially offended when the Ron Bells of the world suborn perjury, make up fake rape charges and directly undermine the legal system.

This deserves its own paragraph: CJP is still beloved in Arizona and that counts for a lot. Oro Valley is 12 miles away from the University of Arizona campus.

Ron was supposed to have been sentenced on July 19th but a continuance was granted (the public court records are terrible so it’s impossible to tell who requested the continuance or when the actual sentencing date is). While it is way more likely that Ron requested the continuance, it is theoretically possible that it was done by the prosecution so CJP could attend and give a victim impact statement. Judges ALWAYS let a victim testify about the physical, psychological, and emotional impact of the crime and what the victim feels is an appropriate sentence, Now that would be interesting.
 
New Old Guy

New Old Guy

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brandon_cox said:
So what fate is in store for our friend Ronald Franklin Bell? He was convicted of 6 Class One misdemeanors; each is punishable by six months in jail. As far as I can tell, the Magistrate can sentence him concurrently, consecutively or some combination of the 2. (Concurrently means all the sentences are served at once while consecutively means you serve each one at a time. Some states limit the stacking of misdemeanor sentences but I haven’t found anything in Arizona law that prevents it.) The Judge could sentence him anywhere from probation to 36 months in jail.

There are 2 advantages Ron has going into sentencing. The first is that none of his offenses was a crime of violence. The second advantage is pecuniary and this is a big deal. Misdemeanor offenses in Arizona are not served in state prison but in the jurisdiction that sentences the defendant. Either the city of Oro Valley or Pima County is going to have to pay a lot of money to incarcerate him. It’s very tempting for the Judge to give him a lengthy sentence but slap a bracelet on his ankle and give him house arrest. That saves the taxpayers the cost of incarcerating him and frees up a jail bed, while at the same time making him pay (somewhat) for his crimes.

Before I get into Ron’s many disadvantages going into sentencing, permit me a brief aside. I’ve spent a lot of time in courthouses big and small and they all resemble small towns. Everyone knows everyone else’s business; they’re fueled by gossip. The most popular gossip is personal: which lawyer, judge, staff member, deputy (or everyone else) is cheating on their spouse/significant other, drinking too much, spending too much etc.

The other source of endless chatter is notorious defendants and litigants. Our close personal friend Ron is undoubtedly at the top of the list. Everyone who works in the courthouse or steps foot in it knows all about him: the dozens of times the cops have been called to his house for domestic violence, all the frivolous lawsuits that he’s filed, the crimes he’s been charged with, the lawyers he has tried to stiff out of their fees, all the incredibly stupid things he’s done, etc. People have been yukking it up for years with tales about what an utter scumbag Ronald Franklin Bell is.

The point of all of this is that the Judge who is sentencing Ron has heard stories about his antics for years. She knows stuff she wouldn’t know about an average Defendant and none of it is good. She knows that everyone on both sides of the judicial aisle hates his guts. You would be hard pressed to find anyone in Pima County who doesn’t want him buried under the jail. (sorry if I’m hurting your feelings Ron-Ron but it’s true). So there is that.

The Judge also knows that he’s a convicted felon who has spent years behind bars. She’s heard tapes from his last time in jail when he was verbally and mentally abusing his girlfriend. She also knows how serious the crimes he has been convicted of actually are. Many of you may have a hard time believing this but most lawyers and especially judges take their ethical responsibilities seriously. Judges are especially offended when the Ron Bells of the world suborn perjury, make up fake rape charges and directly undermine the legal system.

This deserves its own paragraph: CJP is still beloved in Arizona and that counts for a lot. Oro Valley is 12 miles away from the University of Arizona campus.

Ron was supposed to have been sentenced on July 19th but a continuance was granted (the public court records are terrible so it’s impossible to tell who requested the continuance or when the actual sentencing date is). While it is way more likely that Ron requested the continuance, it is theoretically possible that it was done by the prosecution so CJP could attend and give a victim impact statement. Judges ALWAYS let a victim testify about the physical, psychological, and emotional impact of the crime and what the victim feels is an appropriate sentence, Now that would be interesting.
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Great analysis. Thanks. Maybe one of us should send a Pastner bobble head to the judge in case Josh cannot testify in person!
 

brandon_cox

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
323
brandon_cox said:
So what fate is in store for our friend Ronald Franklin Bell? He was convicted of 6 Class One misdemeanors; each is punishable by six months in jail. As far as I can tell, the Magistrate can sentence him concurrently, consecutively or some combination of the 2. (Concurrently means all the sentences are served at once while consecutively means you serve each one at a time. Some states limit the stacking of misdemeanor sentences but I haven’t found anything in Arizona law that prevents it.) The Judge could sentence him anywhere from probation to 36 months in jail.

There are 2 advantages Ron has going into sentencing. The first is that none of his offenses was a crime of violence. The second advantage is pecuniary and this is a big deal. Misdemeanor offenses in Arizona are not served in state prison but in the jurisdiction that sentences the defendant. Either the city of Oro Valley or Pima County is going to have to pay a lot of money to incarcerate him. It’s very tempting for the Judge to give him a lengthy sentence but slap a bracelet on his ankle and give him house arrest. That saves the taxpayers the cost of incarcerating him and frees up a jail bed, while at the same time making him pay (somewhat) for his crimes.

Before I get into Ron’s many disadvantages going into sentencing, permit me a brief aside. I’ve spent a lot of time in courthouses big and small and they all resemble small towns. Everyone knows everyone else’s business; they’re fueled by gossip. The most popular gossip is personal: which lawyer, judge, staff member, deputy (or everyone else) is cheating on their spouse/significant other, drinking too much, spending too much etc.

The other source of endless chatter is notorious defendants and litigants. Our close personal friend Ron is undoubtedly at the top of the list. Everyone who works in the courthouse or steps foot in it knows all about him: the dozens of times the cops have been called to his house for domestic violence, all the frivolous lawsuits that he’s filed, the crimes he’s been charged with, the lawyers he has tried to stiff out of their fees, all the incredibly stupid things he’s done, etc. People have been yukking it up for years with tales about what an utter scumbag Ronald Franklin Bell is.

The point of all of this is that the Judge who is sentencing Ron has heard stories about his antics for years. She knows stuff she wouldn’t know about an average Defendant and none of it is good. She knows that everyone on both sides of the judicial aisle hates his guts. You would be hard pressed to find anyone in Pima County who doesn’t want him buried under the jail. (sorry if I’m hurting your feelings Ron-Ron but it’s true). So there is that.

The Judge also knows that he’s a convicted felon who has spent years behind bars. She’s heard tapes from his last time in jail when he was verbally and mentally abusing his girlfriend. She also knows how serious the crimes he has been convicted of actually are. Many of you may have a hard time believing this but most lawyers and especially judges take their ethical responsibilities seriously. Judges are especially offended when the Ron Bells of the world suborn perjury, make up fake rape charges and directly undermine the legal system.

This deserves its own paragraph: CJP is still beloved in Arizona and that counts for a lot. Oro Valley is 12 miles away from the University of Arizona campus.

Ron was supposed to have been sentenced on July 19th but a continuance was granted (the public court records are terrible so it’s impossible to tell who requested the continuance or when the actual sentencing date is). While it is way more likely that Ron requested the continuance, it is theoretically possible that it was done by the prosecution so CJP could attend and give a victim impact statement. Judges ALWAYS let a victim testify about the physical, psychological, and emotional impact of the crime and what the victim feels is an appropriate sentence, Now that would be interesting.
Click to expand...
So, I posted above about what our good buddy Ron Bell could expect when he’s eventually sentenced in the Oro Valley Municipal Court for his six Class One misdemeanor convictions. This should be a prequel to that post because a way more interesting story may be how he got there in the first place. I’m going to take you down a small rabbit hole, but it makes for a very interesting set of events (at least to me, as a lawyer). But I’m not going to bury the lede: despite his angelic face and demeanor, COACH JOSH PASTNER IS A VERY BAD MAN.

Remember back when CJP hired a couple of lawyers and sued Ron and Jen for defamation? At the time it was a very sound legal strategy. Any somewhat normal, mildly sane person would cut his losses, apologize to Josh and make his very expensive and dangerous legal predicament go away. I’m sure Ron was offered that opportunity in the beginning. But, famously, Ron went totally insane: he orchestrated a counterclaim with a pathetic rape charge by Jen He got a small sugar high in the beginning, with a few headlines and morons like Gary Parrish giving him some oxygen.

The next step in any civil suit is discovery: you send out Interrogatories, Requests for Production of Documents, schedule the deposition of witnesses, etc. By this time CJP had put together a legal dream team, headlined by arguably the best civil lawyer in Arizona, Scott Palumbo (http://www.palumbowolfe.com/attorney-profiles/scott-i-palumbo-2/). Armed with an unlimited budget, Scotty P and his legal team of Dobermans didn’t appear to have much trouble totally destroying Ron and Jen’s risible rape counterclaim.

Most critical to this story - because the criminal charges emanated from this - the security guard Ron was counting on to commit perjury, Chris Morgan, admitted under oath during his testimony that he lied about witnessing CJP fondling Jen before a game on Nov. 22, 2016. Meegan later confessed that he wasn't working that day and was out of the state. He further admitted that he made the allegations "in exchange for an offer of a portion of an anticipated civil monetary settlement/judgment." Scotty P, to Ron’s dismay, played total hardball with Morgan: tell the truth or we’ll sue the snot out of you as well. Unlike Ron, Morgan gave it up, confessed his role in the caper and was able to walk away.

Eventually, the civil suit settled with each side dismissing their complaint. By then, the recanted testimony of Chris Morgan was huge news and it was commonly accepted that Josh had done nothing wrong and Ron was a scumbag of the highest order. Getting a judgment against Ron would have been a waste of time; he was undoubtedly judgment proof (ie had no visible assets they could collect against) and a huge civil verdict wouldn’t have been worth the paper it was printed on.( Lots of other fun stuff happened in the interim, like Ron getting extradited back to Georgia and all of his incriminating jail conversations being leaked, but that’s a conversation for another day.)

To understand the brilliance of the Josh’s hardball legal strategy, you need to understand what the Municipal Court of Oro Valley is, and isn’t. This is a typical city court: it primarily handles traffic court cases, marriage licenses, granting police warrants etc. It has one full time judge and no full-time solicitors (prosecutors). While it technically has complete misdemeanor jurisdiction it doesn’t exercise it in any meaningful way. To put it simply, this is not a court that has the capability, expertise or desire to prosecute complicated criminal cases, especially one with out of state witnesses.

Step one of the plan was getting Oro Valley to charge Ron with six Class One misdemeanors in the first place. Normally that would be nearly impossible, but when you have an extremely popular victim (CJP) and an extremely powerful and well-connected lawyer representing him, anything is possible. Let’s just say some serious strings were pulled. (It also didn’t hurt that Ron’s crimes and conduct were so despicable.)

Here’s the part that literally made me literally laugh out loud. How do you suppose the understaffed Oro Valley Solicitor’s Office was able to handle this complicated prosecution? Well, if you go to their website, the prosecutor is listed as….Scott Polumbo! Yes, CJP got his lawyer appointed as the special prosecutor for Oro Valley. Brilliant! Since Scotty P handled the civil case he knew the facts and testimony more intimately than any prosecutor ever would. Ron-Ron never stood a chance. Guilty on all charges!

So now we wait. We’re flying blind on the timing for sentencing and what’s occurring in the interim. The last case activity on the Oro Valley website reads 8/6/2021 Memorandum Filed. That could literally mean anything. What we do know is that Ronald Franklin Bell is once again in a world of hurt and it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
 
MidtownJacket

MidtownJacket

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brandon_cox said:
So, I posted above about what our good buddy Ron Bell could expect when he’s eventually sentenced in the Oro Valley Municipal Court for his six Class One misdemeanor convictions. This should be a prequel to that post because a way more interesting story may be how he got there in the first place. I’m going to take you down a small rabbit hole, but it makes for a very interesting set of events (at least to me, as a lawyer). But I’m not going to bury the lede: despite his angelic face and demeanor, COACH JOSH PASTNER IS A VERY BAD MAN.

Remember back when CJP hired a couple of lawyers and sued Ron and Jen for defamation? At the time it was a very sound legal strategy. Any somewhat normal, mildly sane person would cut his losses, apologize to Josh and make his very expensive and dangerous legal predicament go away. I’m sure Ron was offered that opportunity in the beginning. But, famously, Ron went totally insane: he orchestrated a counterclaim with a pathetic rape charge by Jen He got a small sugar high in the beginning, with a few headlines and morons like Gary Parrish giving him some oxygen.

The next step in any civil suit is discovery: you send out Interrogatories, Requests for Production of Documents, schedule the deposition of witnesses, etc. By this time CJP had put together a legal dream team, headlined by arguably the best civil lawyer in Arizona, Scott Palumbo (http://www.palumbowolfe.com/attorney-profiles/scott-i-palumbo-2/). Armed with an unlimited budget, Scotty P and his legal team of Dobermans didn’t appear to have much trouble totally destroying Ron and Jen’s risible rape counterclaim.

Most critical to this story - because the criminal charges emanated from this - the security guard Ron was counting on to commit perjury, Chris Morgan, admitted under oath during his testimony that he lied about witnessing CJP fondling Jen before a game on Nov. 22, 2016. Meegan later confessed that he wasn't working that day and was out of the state. He further admitted that he made the allegations "in exchange for an offer of a portion of an anticipated civil monetary settlement/judgment." Scotty P, to Ron’s dismay, played total hardball with Morgan: tell the truth or we’ll sue the snot out of you as well. Unlike Ron, Morgan gave it up, confessed his role in the caper and was able to walk away.

Eventually, the civil suit settled with each side dismissing their complaint. By then, the recanted testimony of Chris Morgan was huge news and it was commonly accepted that Josh had done nothing wrong and Ron was a scumbag of the highest order. Getting a judgment against Ron would have been a waste of time; he was undoubtedly judgment proof (ie had no visible assets they could collect against) and a huge civil verdict wouldn’t have been worth the paper it was printed on.( Lots of other fun stuff happened in the interim, like Ron getting extradited back to Georgia and all of his incriminating jail conversations being leaked, but that’s a conversation for another day.)

To understand the brilliance of the Josh’s hardball legal strategy, you need to understand what the Municipal Court of Oro Valley is, and isn’t. This is a typical city court: it primarily handles traffic court cases, marriage licenses, granting police warrants etc. It has one full time judge and no full-time solicitors (prosecutors). While it technically has complete misdemeanor jurisdiction it doesn’t exercise it in any meaningful way. To put it simply, this is not a court that has the capability, expertise or desire to prosecute complicated criminal cases, especially one with out of state witnesses.

Step one of the plan was getting Oro Valley to charge Ron with six Class One misdemeanors in the first place. Normally that would be nearly impossible, but when you have an extremely popular victim (CJP) and an extremely powerful and well-connected lawyer representing him, anything is possible. Let’s just say some serious strings were pulled. (It also didn’t hurt that Ron’s crimes and conduct were so despicable.)

Here’s the part that literally made me literally laugh out loud. How do you suppose the understaffed Oro Valley Solicitor’s Office was able to handle this complicated prosecution? Well, if you go to their website, the prosecutor is listed as….Scott Polumbo! Yes, CJP got his lawyer appointed as the special prosecutor for Oro Valley. Brilliant! Since Scotty P handled the civil case he knew the facts and testimony more intimately than any prosecutor ever would. Ron-Ron never stood a chance. Guilty on all charges!

So now we wait. We’re flying blind on the timing for sentencing and what’s occurring in the interim. The last case activity on the Oro Valley website reads 8/6/2021 Memorandum Filed. That could literally mean anything. What we do know is that Ronald Franklin Bell is once again in a world of hurt and it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
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angry bad man GIF
 
CuseJacket

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Love coach's comments.
Love that Ken Sugiura put pen to paper on this.
Hate the situation and hope the perpetrator and story get put behind bars swiftly so that coach and the program can move forward undistracted.
 
orientalnc

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CuseJacket said:
Also, imagine going out and winning an ACC Championship, all while dealing with someone trying sabotage your career, in the middle of a pandemic. That is fortitude.
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It is hard to grasp the fact that not very long ago a lot people wanted TStan to fire him. I am glad that train has left the station. I just hope we can keep him.
 
MidtownJacket

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Another bit of press about this: https://www.dukebasketballreport.co...an-arizona-courtroom-ron-bell-jennifer-pegley

Coach is a good guy who had some bad bounces and I am glad the program stuck by him and circled the wagons. We need more of that as a fan base. Our lads and ladies are part of the Institute and we should all be there to hold them up and support them. Not saying turn a blind eye to wrong behavior but starting with a presumption of innocence and turning our torches and pitforks outward not inward.
 
LargeFO

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MidtownJacket said:
Another bit of press about this: https://www.dukebasketballreport.co...an-arizona-courtroom-ron-bell-jennifer-pegley

Coach is a good guy who had some bad bounces and I am glad the program stuck by him and circled the wagons. We need more of that as a fan base. Our lads and ladies are part of the Institute and we should all be there to hold them up and support them. Not saying turn a blind eye to wrong behavior but starting with a presumption of innocence and turning our torches and pitforks outward not inward.
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I gotta admit I chuckle a bit when *Duke* of all places is questioning someone's people skills being odd. Have they met any of their legion of weird-acting ex-players? lol
 
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