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| English Village in Mountain Brook |
The Birmingham suburb of Mountain Brook frequently is cited as one of the 10 wealthiest communities in America. But two recent events, one well publicized and the other not covered at all, lead us to suspect something nasty is going on in the city's police department.
Mountain Brook is known in these parts as "The Tiny Kingdom." Folks who don't live in the kingdom, and might be a tad bit jealous, are fond of telling "Brookie" jokes. A sample: How many Brookies does it take to change a flat tire? Four--one to call daddy and three to mix drinks.
That one never fails to get a laugh at middle-class social gatherings in the Birmingham area. But there is nothing funny about recent actions of the Mountain Brook PD.
The first involves the death of a jogger who was struck and killed by an off-duty Mountain Brook police officer. The other involves a woman who seems to be the target of a curious harassment campaign by Mountain Brook officers. What is this woman's "crime"? Through no fault of her own, she seems to have gotten cross ways with one of Birmingham's elite law firms--and one of the firm's high-profile clients.
Does the Mountain Brook PD have the time, and the inclination, to intentionally harass a woman on behalf of a powerful law firm? How can this woman, who spends much of her time taking her two teen-aged daughters to school, band practice, ballet lessons, etc., incur the wrath of Birmingham's suburban elites?
We will address those questions in a moment. But first, let's consider the sad story of Sundeep Caplash, 38, who was struck and killed while jogging in Mountain Brook on the morning of January 31. An off-duty Mountain Brook police officer, who has yet to be named, was driving the vehicle that struck Caplash.
Law enforcement officers announced on Tuesday that Caplash was at fault in the death. Who handled the investigation? The Mountain Brook PD itself, with assistance from the Alabama State Troopers. Reports The Birmingham News:
Cpl. Steve Smith of the Alabama State Troopers, who assisted Mountain Brook police with the investigation, said Caplash was at fault for running with traffic rather than against, not wearing reflective clothing, and running in the street when a sidewalk was available.
It does sound like Caplash contributed to the incident. But was he the only one at fault? Consider this information from an article about the incident in the print edition of The Birmingham News on February 1, 2011. (I have not been able to find this version of the story in an online search or in the archives at al.com.)
(Caplash) and one of his training partners, 42-year-old Jackie Breland, were running eastbound on Montevallo Road just after 6 a.m.
They were near Canterbury Road when a motorist traveling in the same direction, who police haven't publicly identified, struck Caplash from behind.
The impact catapulted Caplash past Breland, who was running in front of him.
"It must have been a pretty hard hit," said Breland's husband, Ben Breland. "It knocked him well past her."
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| Sundeep Caplash |
The driver was identified the next day as an unnamed Mountain Brook police officer. And here are a couple of obvious questions:
* How fast was the vehicle moving in order to catapult an adult male well past his running companion?
* Was the officer distracted by something that caused him not to see the joggers?
Speed limits in the area where the accident occurred tend to be very low, in the 20 to 40 mph range. Was the officer speeding? If he was, then Caplash was not totally at fault.
From personal experience, I know what it's like to come upon joggers who are running in the wrong direction, with traffic instead of against it. It can be aggravating because you know someone is putting themselves in danger. But I've found that if you are driving at a safe speed, and paying attention, you aren't likely to hit the jogger. I've not come close to hitting anyone in such circumstances, and I hope it stays that way.
So why was Sundeep Caplash, in spite of mistakes he might have made, hit hard enough to cause fatal injuries?
It appears we aren't the only ones who have questions about the investigative findings. Consider this paragraph in The Birmingham News story:
Caplash's father, Dr. Vijay Caplash, on Monday said he needed to speak with his lawyer before commenting.
That sounds like the Caplash family is not satisfied with what they are learning about the investigation. We suspect those concerns are well grounded.
What about the woman who is being harassed by Mountain Brook police? She will remain unnamed for now, but her problems seem connected to litigation with a client of the Birmingham law firm Bradley Arant. The client, Ted Rollins, is CEO of Campus Crest Communities, which recently issued a $380-million IPO on Wall Street and is the defendant in multiple discrimination lawsuits. Rollins happens to be a member of one of America's wealthiest families, the folks behind Orkin Pest Control and other enterprises.
Mountain Brook police repeatedly have stopped the woman in recent months for driving with an expired tag. She recently received notice from Mountain Brook Municipal Court that there was a warrant for her arrest and her driver's license had been suspended.
Why is all of this curious? The woman, during this time, has been driving a vehicle that she is allowed to use but does not own. Who does own it? Paperwork in her possession indicates the vehicle belongs to the Bradley Arant firm, a woman named Holly Rollins (Ted Rollins' wife), or both. When the woman tried to renew the tag at the Jefferson County Courthouse, after being stopped several times, she was told she couldn't do it--only Holly Rollins or someone from Bradley Arant could do it.
When the woman sought assistance from Bradley Arant lawyer Dawn Helms Sharff and the firm's client, Ted Rollins, her requests were ignored. The woman finally received a new tag, roughly five months late. By then she had received citations regarding a tag that she could not renew on her own. And now she has notice about an arrest warrant.
Motor vehicle and traffic laws are covered under Code of Alabama, Title 32. I don't claim to be an expert on this section, but my research has not turned up a provision that holds someone accountable for failure to renew a tag on a vehicle they do not own. In fact, it appears that a person cannot lawfully renew a tag on such a vehicle. So why is a Mountain Brook resident being threatened with arrest over a vehicle that appears to belong to the Bradley Arant law firm--and for which the law firm apparently had responsibility for tag renewal?
Shouldn't the Mountain Brook PD be seeking the arrest of Dawn Helms Sharff, Walter Sears, or some of the other fine attorneys at Bradley Arant?
These questions, plus the curious findings in the death of Sundeep Caplash, make it appear that the Mountain Brook Police Department is an organization with something to hide.
[Photos: city-data.com; al.com]
18 comments:
Let's not forget the role of the Mountain Brook PD in the "suicide" of Major Bashinsky. The folks at MBPD are exposing themselves to some serious legal liability by going along to get along with the local oligarchs.
Rob:
That's a very good point, one I should have raised in the diary. The Mountain Brook PD was up to its neck in the Bashinsky "investigation." By the way, I think it is almost exactly the one-year anniversary of the medical examiner's ruling that the Bashinsky death was suicide. I have a number of posts coming up about that finding.
Something really smells about this entire deal with Caplesh. And it has a pasturesque aroma.
This has to be the first time I have heard of a jogger in Alabama, especially in the well-to-do enclave of MB, where you see joggers all the time (ding ding) being blamed for their own death.
This explanation of it was Caplash's fault is a non-starter.
Was Mr. Off Duty distracted? Of course he was to have hit Caplash so hard. Eyes were not on the road.
RSH you also make a good point.
Pasturesque aroma? I love that one. Max, mind if I steal that from you some time?
As you wish.
The officer's car did not stop after impact for 20-30 yards. Speeding. Also he HAD on a reflective jacket that came up "missing" after being cut from the body. I had seen something orange on the ground in one of the TV broadcasts. I don't know if it is a jacket. Video is online.
Regarding the lady with the expired tag: In Alabama, if one is driving a vehicle with an expired tag, the driver is the person ticketed. It is the responsibility of every driver who is in control of a motor vehicle to be familiar with its current status of registration and have a copy of that registration on hand. The driver is also responsible to make sure that all lights, markers and safety equipment are in proper working order. To undertake driving a vehicle with an expired tag isn't really any different than driving a car missing the seat belt. If the front passengers get caught not wearing the seat belts, who gets ticketed? On the matter of a warrant: If one gets a ticket and that ticket isn't payed within the required time then a traffic capias is issued. That applies to everyone. Please note, I'm not taking sides but rather clearing up a matter of traffic law. I'm not a police officer or an attorney and I don't live anywhere near Mountain Brook.
Regarding the lady with the expired tag: In Alabama, if one is driving a vehicle with an expired tag, the driver is the person ticketed. It is the responsibility of every driver who is in control of a motor vehicle to be familiar with its current status of registration and have a copy of that registration on hand. The driver is also responsible to make sure that all lights, markers and safety equipment are in proper working order. To undertake driving a vehicle with an expired tag isn't really any different than driving a car missing the seat belt. If the front passengers get caught not wearing the seat belts, who gets ticketed? On the matter of a warrant: If one gets a ticket and that ticket isn't payed within the required time then a traffic capias is issued. That applies to everyone. Please note, I'm not taking sides but rather clearing up a matter of traffic law. I'm not a police officer or an attorney and I don't live anywhere near Mountain Brook.
What a pile of BS! Sounds like somebody got a ticket or two.
What a pile of BS! Sounds to me like somebody got a couple of tickets and don't like the popo!
Sounds to me like somebody is awfully sensitive about open and honest discussions of the Mountain Brook PD!
Re: The tragic death of the young and wealthy East Indian jogger/husband/father/banker who was killed by the very same cop who stopped Hazelrig for going 112mph in a 55-zone (must be a small PD? or a small world!)
Google for "Dead Bankers." Over the past 5-6 years or so, there's been a string of bankers (&/or people in the financial industry) mysteriously dropping dead, going missing, being murdered, or "suicided." Evidently it has become such a phenomena that the "mainstream media" even picked up on it.
About half-way through the years of that occurring, many Chiropractors & Doctors began experiencing the same, mysterious deaths, gone missing, being murdered or "suicided." There's a wife of a doctor in Florida who has a health blog & she has been keeping track of that since they knew some of those doctors. I think her name is Erin but don't quote me.
Prior to that, circa post-9/11 era, it was the string of Scientists who experienced the same mysterious deaths, gone missing, being murdered or "suicided." Using an archived search engine would probably bring up some of those old lists.
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Continued...
As for fishy police depts., they, the judiciary, politicians, successful businessment, doctors, the whole lot, are notorious for being full of Freemasonry. The higher degrees are the ones who swear oaths to lie for each other.
"You must conceal all the crimes of your brother Masons, except murder and treason, and these only at your own option, and should you be summoned as a witness against a brother Mason be always sure to shield him. Prevaricate [falsify], don't tell the whole truth in his case, keep his secrets, forget the most important points. It may be perjury to do this, it is true, but you're keeping your obligations, and remember if you live up to your obligation strictly, you'll be free from sin."
--Edmond Ronayne, "Masonic Handbook," page 183.
“All Masons above the third, or Master's degree, are sworn to keep inviolate the secrets of a brother, murder and treason excepted, up to the seventh, or Royal Arch degree. In the oath of this degree the candidate, as we shall see, swears to keep all the secrets of companion of this degree, murder and treason not excepted.”
--The Character, Claims and Practical Workings of Freemasonry [1869] by Rev. C. G. FINNEY [1792-1875], Late President of Oberlin College, Ohio, and former Freemason. See also his article, “Why I Left Freemasonry."
Since you're already suspicious, keep digging. Start asking every officer, cop, judge, politician, doctor, dentist, etc., if they are a Mason or member of any other secret society. If they are honest enough to say Yes, then ask what degree? You may be able to help the deceived suckers wake up!
The lower rung guys probably wouldn't lie about it since they are so "proud" of it. But the higher up guys know what the real game is & they keep it from the "trainees" unless & until they have "proven themselves worthy" for more "secrets."
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Continued...
I came across your blog because it's the first that shows up at the top of google when searching the Hazelrig name (definitely an odd name, William Cobb Hazelrig). His & a few other names came across my path recently so I was curious who/what they were all about.
One of those "find anybody" sites says he's about 61 now. Would that be about right? His bio at the University of Montevallo Board of Trustees page makes him sound like a saint vs. a drunk (per your other article). It also said he was married to Lynn Snow with four kids & four grandkids, but she's probably the same Lynn S. Hazelrig who divorced him in 2005, per one of your other posts. So either they got back together, or that Uni page is way out of date (even though it mentioned the year 2012).
Anyway, let's hope he got some rehab and quit drinking and driving!
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As for being booted out of your Uni job, that happens often enough, too. If you are male & white, &/or have been known to expose unpopular truth of any kind, you get your character assassinated & then booted. The FemiNazis who, from what I hear from other booted-ex-professors, have taken control of many of the colleges/uni's, are the ones kicking out the white males, and even moreso if you're hetero.
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And who knew Alabama was such a corrupt place overall. Wow! ;) Pretty disgusting all around. Has it gotten any better since you wrote these older posts? I know somebody who plans to move there. Yipes.
Thanks for insightful comments. Last time I checked Mrs. Hazelrig had withdrawn her divorce complaint. Chip Hazelrig is part of a group that has bought and supposedly updated an older resort in north Florida, I think in Panama City. Wally Nall and Harold Ripps are among those who are, or have been, involved with that property. If my memory is correct Bob Riley was, maybe still is, part of a Masons group that has been known for excluding blacks. Need to check records to see if Chip Hazelrig has more DUI's on his record.
I think the resort in Florida is Edgewater Beach and Golf Resort in Panama City. Here is URL to its Web site:
http://www.reservations.com/hotel/edgewater-beach-and-golf-resort-by-the-resort-collection?gclid=Cj0KEQiA_eXEBRDP8fnIlJDXxsIBEiQAAGfyocgbeBp8-iUC17d5_C4Dx5wsPkqvQkvhsYo0xH-HGh0aAqfI8P8HAQ
Here is another URL for Edgewater. It's part of Resort Collection. Haven't done a lot of research on that group, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's roots are in Mountain Brook:
http://www.resortcollection.com/about-edgewater-beach-resort/
Resort Collection's corporate offices are in Panama City. Not sure if Hazelrig & Co. have an interest in only the Edgewater property or in the whole group of properties.
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