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Monegan says he was pressured to fire trooper

Posted by Alaska_Politics

Posted: July 18, 2008 - 10:52 pm

By MEGAN HOLLAND
Anchorage Daily News

Former Department of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan on Friday said that since Gov. Sarah Palin took office, members of her administration and family pressured him to fire a Palmer Alaska State Trooper to whom her sister was involved in a bitter child custody battle.

Monegan said phone calls and questions from the Palin administration and the governor’s husband, Todd Palin, about trooper Mike Wooten started shortly after Monegan was hired and continued up to one or two months ago.

The governor herself also had a brief conversation with him about Wooten in February, Monegan said.

The new assertions from Monegan, who has been mostly silent on his abrupt firing July 11, conflict with what the Republican governor said earlier in the week. She said neither she never put pressure on the commissioner to fire her sister’s ex-husband and no one from her office had complained about Wooten. She has also said replacing Monegan with Kenai Police Chief Chuck Kopp had nothing to do with Wooten. She has offered little explanation for the dismissal.

A former political rival and current harsh critic of her administration, Andrew Halcro, has charged in his blog that the firing was because Monegan would not fire Wooten.

But Monegan says pressure came from those around Palin, including former Palin chief-of-staff Mike Tibbles, Department of Administration Commissioner Annette Kreitzer, and director of boards and commissions Frank Bailey.

Tibbles, who is now the campaign manager for Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, said Friday he couldn’t comment on whether he spoke to Monegan about Wooten.

Palin spokeswoman Sharon Leighow said Bailey never had such a conversation with Monegan.

Kreitzer could not recall, Leighow said.

Monegan, though, did not open a new investigation into the allegations or fire the trooper.

“They weren’t getting the message, and I think they were trying,” Monegan said. “The fact that they tried for better than a year while I was there is kind of indicative that somebody was trying to pressure something. Because they were trying different venues and different people.”

Todd Palin called a meeting with Monegan to specifically talk about Wooten shortly after his wife took office in December 2006, Todd Palin said on Friday.

Monegan says Todd Palin talked to him several times after that about Wooten. Todd Palin said, though, he couldn’t recall if he had any conversations with the commissioner about his ex-brother-in-law outside of that initial meeting.

“But I know I’ve never told him to fire trooper Wooten,” Todd Palin said.

The meeting occurred in the governor’s office, but the governor was not there, Monegan said.

Todd Palin showed Monegan the work of a private investigator the Palins hired. The Palins accused Wooten of drunken driving, illegal hunting and child abuse, among other charges.

The governor’s husband says the family was concerned about the governor’s safety. The Palins say that Wooten threatened to kill Sarah Palin’s father and made vague threats to her that he would “bring me down.”

Monegan said he told Todd Palin that he would look into Wooten. The then-commisioner, though, found that the allegations had already been investigated with an internal trooper investigation in 2005. All but two — an illegal moose killing and a Tasering of an 11-year-old — were found to be unsubstantiated. Wooten was disciplined.

In February, the governor brought up Wooten’s name to Monegan, according to Monegan. They were walking together to wish Sen. Lyman Hoffman a happy birthday. “I told her I needed to keep her at arm’s distance and she shouldn’t be involved,” he said. “She said, 'OK, that’s a good idea.’ ”

Bailey was the latest to contact him about Wooten, he said. He called a trooper commander, and several others, before the calls ended up in Monegan’s lap. Monegan called him back.

“ 'We can’t do this. This is not what we are supposed to do,’ ” Monegan said he told Bailey.

Col. Audie Holloway, head of the troopers, reached on Friday said the governor never spoke to him about Wooten. Nor did anyone in the governor’s office. But asked if anyone in the administration had, he said: “I can’t answer that.”

Todd Palin on Friday said he spoke to Holloway about Wooten after he saw Wooten on a snowmachine in April 2007. He gave Holloway a photo of Wooten on the machine, demonstrating what he thinks is a violation of his worker’s compensation claim.

Monegan says the troopers looked into it and found that it probably occurred but was not something that warranted a dismissal.

Todd Palin on Friday said he didn’t think his conversations about Wooten to Monegan and Holloway had any effect.
Wooten is still employed as a trooper in Palmer. He and his ex-wife and Sarah Palin’s sister, Molly McCann, continue to have a troubled relationship since their divorce in 2005. On Sunday, she called 911 because he would not hand over their young children to her, she said this week. She was scared, she said.

Wooten showed up at the governor’s picnic in Mat-Su on Friday. Todd Palin said he was gone when the governor got there. “He’s riding his high-horse right now,” Todd Palin said. “He thinks he’s untouchable (because of all this.)”

Monegan said he still isn’t sure why he was fired but thought that Wooten could be part of it. “I don’t know that it’s all of it. … I worked at the pleasure of the governor,” he said.

Monegan said he decided to say something after his week of silence because “I’m watching the stresses put on everyone I used to work with. And, these guys are good people,” he said. “This may be one of the few things, one of my last things, to support them.

“You know, they can’t fire me twice.”

Find Megan Holland online at adn.com/contact/mholland or call 257-4343. Reporter Sean Cockerham contributed to this story.

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12 July 19, 2008 - 8:02pm | black33

The coverup continues; it will fail in the end a la Nixon

Col. Holloway: "Can't" answer whether any member of Governor's staff contacted him. Translation: Yes, they did, as he had no trouble saying the governor herself did not.

Todd Palin: The governor’s husband says the family was concerned about the governor’s safety. The Palins say that Wooten threatened to kill Sarah Palin’s father and made vague threats to her that he would “bring me down.” “But I know I’ve never told him to fire trooper Wooten,” said Todd. So why did they dismiss the security detail if they feared for her safety (from a threat that allegedly was made in 2005)? And why did Todd repeatedly talk with Monegan about Wooten- what did he think his complaints would lead to, a promotion? And why did Todd stalk Wooten at school and other locations? Because he thought he was doing Wooten a favor? Translation: BS

Annette Kreitzer: "Kreitzer could not recall, Leighow said". Translation: Liar, Liar, pants on fire! She's smart. Of course she can recall.

Frank Bailey: "Palin spokeswoman Sharon Leighow said Bailey never had such a conversation with Monegan." This is the guy who allegedly along with Ivy Fry was using state resources to call delegates to the republican convention to try to get rid of Randy Ruedrich (quit smiling, Randy). Translation: Waterboard him, or at least give him a polygraph.

Mike Tibbles: "Tibbles, who is now the campaign manager for Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, said Friday he couldn’t comment on whether he spoke to Monegan about Wooten." Translation: Of course he could comment. He just won't comment, as Sarah Palin was about to endorse Ted Stevens.

Get these people, under oath, before an independent investigator. Their stories will change if they know they face jail time for lying.

July 20, 2008 - 8:24pm | tlamb775

Take note

b33 that Mr. Halcro has the DOJ visiting......

They visit here, the visit there and everywhere.

Trouble is Andrew and people like you think one thing while they will do another.

The Green/Hollis French inquisition has started off on the wrong foot when it is clear that politics are behind it with some bias (let's get Sarah) motives.

No mention of checking into Monegan, the adminstravitve investigation, etc, etc.....

It's all about the Governor. Me thinks Andrew may get a subpoena.

You have a possible loose cannon and an investgative unit that may not have done it's job.

And lawsuits settled out of court last year that dealt with a trooper being charged and cleared.

July 20, 2008 - 8:54pm | Darkstar

Thomas you are quite the Palin brown noser

You and Eddie are birds of a feather. You think Halro might get a subpoena? For what? Going through public records and presenting and the facts in an manner that doesn't present the Governor in a positive light? Get a grip man.

It's hilarious how you write the Green/Hollis inquisition is politically motivated "lets get Sarah," but somehow the fact Palin and her sycophants inappropriatly approached Monegan to fire Wooten--someone who was a thorn in the Palin/Heath/McCann's side--and then turn around and fire him for not doing their bidding as not an abuse of political power. What are you looking for a job as one of Sarah's minions? You'd be perfect. Just practice saying things like "I'm disappointed so-and-so would say that (the truth)," "I don't recall," or "to the best of my recollection I don't know." You are a shoo-in just smile and wave.

July 20, 2008 - 9:02pm | tlamb775

Mr. Halcro

can we see your computer and e-mails..........

Google trooper misconduct and see what you get.

It's being investigated all over the U.S.

July 20, 2008 - 9:48pm | Darkstar

Oooo, Halcro, Halcro everywhere!

You know Thomas, Halcro has his own blog; why don't you ask him there?

July 20, 2008 - 9:58pm | tlamb775

Not my question

it's what would be asked of him.

You see he was the one that posted the information and allegation that Palin had illegally obtained Wooten's AI report.

Now some may want to ask Mr. Halcro how did you come to that conclusion.........

July 20, 2008 - 11:04pm | AKSteveB

I realizes Halcro pisses

people off, with the whole "smartest kid in the room" thing, but ummm, the reality is .. he usually is! I'll never understand the hatred I see from some people in this state (and this country for that matter) for the intelligent and well educated. In terms of Palin, yeah, clearly he doesn't think much of her. I started out willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. I'm still not sure anything illegal happened here, but at the very least it is a classless PWT soap opera, and that is what you get when you buy into this idea that somehow "the common man/woman" has more on the ball than the educated and the successful.

July 21, 2008 - 12:47am | tlamb775

Sometimes

the educated and the successful make mistakes.

It's the common man that learns by his mistakes and it the educated and successful that find themselves in court over money laundering, tax evasion/fraud, bribes, etc, etc, etc.

And this is not to say Halcro has done this, but is done to make a point about your comments and while on the issue, Halcro certainly has made mistakes.

He was doing very well with AGIA and then he went off course.

But as he points out, the DOJ is checking the blogwaves and it's a safe bet that they are making notes.

I, being one of the common folk ain't pissed, just interested.

And why is it that when somone makes a common man's observation about Palin that may be objective, the anti-antianti-Palin folks accuse you of being part of the populist crowd.

Dan Fagan if you read this, could you come up with a name for the anti antianti Palin folks.

The Palinbots vs. the Halcro-bots? And who in the hell coined the term Palinbots in the first place.

July 21, 2008 - 11:30am | TheSdog

It does not appear that Halcro made a mistake here.

This issue from the perspective of Palin at its core is about abuse of power and the public trust. The details are a bit National Enquirer but that is not Halcro's fault.

You are trying to "John Kerry" Halcro.

July 21, 2008 - 1:02pm | tlamb775

Sdog

quite the contray, Halcro was doing fine with the AGIA angle.

If things are sent to you, you make sure they are true.

If they aren't and you infer that they are true, then you discredit yourself. On the issue of the AI report being unlawfully obtained by the Palin adminstration his statments look to be false.

His statments on Suddock's findings of fact, while true are questioned and the case has a judcial reassignment to it.

The agency that did the AI clearing Wooten has a history of clearing a Trooper that had lawsuits settled out of Court.

July 21, 2008 - 10:05pm | TheSdog

You're reading too

deep into it. Nobody out there will care about the minor details of which you speak. Want proof? If Alaskans paid even near to that close of attention, Palin would not be governor.

Halcro had the right political instincts on this one. You know very well the man does not miss details without calculating. This is going to end up being a huge embarassment for Palin.

July 21, 2008 - 11:41pm | Cartman3_15

"Minor details"?

Right. The truth is a minor detail.

Breath-taking spin, even by your standards.

You are wrong, Dog. Halcro made a mistake with this information. The facts bear it out. Pretending it ain't so, doesn't change what it is.

July 22, 2008 - 11:42am | rfn

Patience...

The truth will "out" when he responds to his subpoena.

What IS the proper plural of that word?

July 22, 2008 - 11:59am | Black3

Subpoenae,

but most usually just Anglicize it to subpoenas.

July 21, 2008 - 10:14pm | rfn

Even when an individual is correct

in making accusations many people look at the approach taken and form judgments about whether they'd like that individual as a neighbor. Or whether they'd trust them. Especially whether they'd vote for them for any office.

Right or wrong, the odds of ever achieving as much as 9% acceptance downstream are looking mighty slim.

Amazing how many former politicians achieved that status by poisoning their own well.

July 21, 2008 - 9:06am | pixieteeth

we are ALL the common man lamb

including or especially you. This isn't a Grimm's fairy tale and you aren't sir lancelot. This is plain, old, common, ordinary Alaska. And DOJ's aren't free and everyone hates to pay for governmint...remember?

July 21, 2008 - 1:08pm | tlamb775

Some might argue

Halcro is trying to play Sir Lancelot. And DOJ's certainly aren't free, tell that to Bill Allen, Rick Smith, Pete Kott, Vic, Cowdery and others.

I think they may agree. Question, who is paying the DOJ out of Washington to make visits to Halcro's website?

July 21, 2008 - 1:26pm | pixieteeth

Do tell...

It is referred to in the vernacular as "The News". There is a great deal of tension among the power hungry and power mongers lately. They should write the checks.

July 20, 2008 - 8:26pm | rfn

It will cost far less

to send the inquisitors to Australia than to bring 12 kangaroos here to serve as a jury.

July 19, 2008 - 10:14pm | TheSdog

b33

The amazing thig here is that all the people you mention think they are untouchable.

Even if they are innocent or wrongdoing, which is doubtful, the statements they are making are digging the hole. any lawyer will tell you that the best thing to do is to keep your mouth shut in a situation like this regardless of where the truth lies.

This all goes back to the "shoot first and ask questions later" style of The Palin and her administration. They do not think. They never look at details. And most of all, they allow it all to lead to bad decisions.

July 19, 2008 - 10:17pm | rfn

I believe the phrase

"....on advice of counsel...." has been used by the rabid to suggest things nefarious despite the wisdom of the advice and the intelligence of those heeding it.

11 July 19, 2008 - 2:51pm | TheSdog

The Palin

and everything she has been involved in should be immediately called into question. She and her administration are not above abusing their power and using it to do favors.

Could it be that the TC bid was given favor for her buddy former TC employee Marty Rutherford?

Is it not obvious that Irwin practices the same kind of character assassinaton that The Palin does?

The way this administration uses government to attack critics is reminiscent of the way Clinton handled his bimbo eruptions and used the IRS to clobber organizations and individuals critical of him.

The legislature should consider the events going on carefully. It is likely that this sorted affair is a surrogate marker for how everything has been done by this administration. ACES was mainly a product of a runaway legislature but AGIA remains a baby born of Palin's inner circle of "open and transparent take a stand" zombies. The legislature should consider that before they get us on board the TC Titanic.

July 19, 2008 - 11:23pm | lecjb

I don't think the

REAL sdog would actually misspell the word "sordid."

October 10, 2008 - 12:18am | megal_1

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July 20, 2008 - 10:28am | TheSdog

Actually

I meant "sorted" in this case because on all the angles right now. It is admittedly difficult to make a moral judgement yet although it does not look good. It would premature to use "sordid."

By the time this is said and done and sorted out my suspicion is that we will have an octupus with its tentacles tangled upon itself.

10 July 19, 2008 - 12:14pm | _Syrin

No More PA_IN

I asked the question months ago about Todd's official title

Get your very own CD, Mug, t-shirt and stickers, While supplies last
No More PA_IN

July 19, 2008 - 1:59pm | c_staatsburg

How PA_INfully delicious....

Oh, Syrin. Please post the hyperlink so we can be the first to rejoice in the coming of a new day after of the self-professed reformer who became the tyrant gets exposed to the light. The US founding father Thomas Paine was so right in cautioning those would be saviors or tyrants to remember that the will of the people comes from God through the people; not from the Palin to the people. God views very disfavorably on those who try to take the sword of justice into their own hands. I rejoice in the fact that eventually the prideful, arrogant, and vain are their own undoing. We must step back now and let the legislature do their investigation and the judiciary do theirs. Then we can look forward as the unified people of Alaska to nuture leaders who lead with wisdom. compassion, fairness, and Constitutionality.
NO MORE PA_IN indeed!

9 July 19, 2008 - 7:32am | pete_moss

I dunno

Maybe wooten was at the picnic picking up his kids? Imagine that!

8 July 19, 2008 - 7:17am | Aklabwalker

Todd Palin is stalking Wooten.

There are two sides to every story and to date we've only heard one side. How is it that Todd just happened to see Wooten and take a picture? How did Todd know Wooten was in a limited duty capacity for an employment injury? These are none of his business and rarely does this kind of information filter up to the ceo. This is one of those circumstances when the guy is your brother-in-law and in a heated custody battle with a family member.
Attacking Monegan is priceless. There's no doubt the Palin's went out of their way in an effort to get Wooten fired but what they don't understand is that Monegan couldn't be a part of it. You see, troopers have a collective bargaining contract and for Monegan to get involved would have certainly tainted an investigation of Wooten or at least the integrity of the discipline if warranted.
This isn't to say that Monegan didn't have a higher level capacity role in the matter. If removal was being considered (economic capital punishment) Monegan's role is to ensure a fair and unbiased investigation or in other words it was necessary for him to concurr or not with the supervisors decision in the matter. Apparently the level of discipline that was metted out was equal to the crime committed. So what's the big deal?
Having said this I think Wooten's strategy has benefited him in pointing out exactly who the Palin/Heath clan really are and it can only help him during the custody case.

7 July 19, 2008 - 5:59am | xcsg

Palin's family interest is not the state's best interest

Kudos to Walt Monegan for standing firm against what appears to be a Palin family vendetta against Trooper Wooten. Palin's family interest is not the state's best interest. Wooten may be a jerk, but you need to make employment decisions based upon the facts and due process. The amnesiac Kreitzer who supervises personnel and laber relations hould know that, though she is a prime example of someone appointed due to connections rather than qualifications.

If Monegan were to fire Wooten without sufficient cause and due process the state would incur financial liability in defending a poor personnel decision and then fund a settlement. That's not the state's best interest and Kreitzer should know that.

July 19, 2008 - 1:38pm | Stags_Leap

Palin is incapable of governing

the writing was on the wall 12 months ago...with her little MatMaid fiasco...also involving Todd. At least she is consistent.

Shame on the Palinbots for trashing the name of a State Trooper instead of making Palin accountable for her gross judgment errors. Shame on you all.

The end result of your vindictive harassment of Trooper Wooten has created a wedge between the law enforcement community and the Governor's Office -which hurts all Alaskans. How about Palin taking ownership for her mistakes...and her outrageous lies to the public?

6 July 19, 2008 - 2:26am | lotsofpipe

Wooten should have been fired long ago.

He's an Alaskan State Trooper for crying out loud. That used to mean something. Maybe the meaning was lost on Monegan. He too deserved to be fired. How could the head State trooper keep Wooten on after all the lawbreaking horse crap he was doing, and that's just the stuff they caught him doing. If Wooten wasn't protected by a union he would have been axed a long time ago. What a dirtbag!
Monegan you are a lightweight. You should have resigned if you weren't up to the task of cleaning out these psycho troopers instead of protecting them. I'm glad the Gov. fired your sorry ass.

July 20, 2008 - 1:02am | Black3

If you could read a calendar or

be bothered to learn any facts, you'd discover that all the known bad acts by Trooper Wooten took place prior to 2006. DPS under Commissioner Tandesky gave him ten days suspension without pay for those charges that could be sustained. That is pretty serious discipline for a Trooper and essentially says that Trooper will never be promoted and if he misbehaves again will be a former Trooper. If Trooper Wooten has engaged in misconduct since that discipline, it has not come to light.

So, let's say Monegan was given a charge by the new administration to clean out some bad apples, presuming there are some, among the Troopers. Wooten has already been disciplined for his known bad acts. What does Monegan do, take a mulligan? You don't need a union on that one, a court would both undo whatever you did to him AND award him damages.

The only really interesting question is who reduced Wooten's suspension from ten days to five and when? If that has come out yet, I haven't seen it. Things like that are normally done as grievance resolutions and technically only Admin, not DPS, can do them. I can easily see how Admin, not knowing the underlying story, would agree with the union to drop it to five days to save the cost of processing the grievance, probably arbitrating it as well. It costs five to ten thousand dollars minimimum to WIN an arbitration, much more to lose one. I can also see how a new commissioner and a new administration might want a "clean slate" with the union and clean up all the grievances left over from the nasty old Murkowski administration and, not knowing the circumstances, make that deal. Time and PRA requests will tell. This stuff is all so simple when you don't know what the Hell you're talking about.

I neither know Monegan nor much give a damn about him; I always knew every commissioner was going to make me happy at least once: I knew I was going to their going away party. In the scheme of things, commissioners, like Governors, are just another temp that blows through.

5 July 19, 2008 - 1:03am | TedMalloy

On What Basis Does Monegan Disregard Palin's Concerns?

Seems to me that IF Wooten was deemed a security threat to Palin & family -- in fact, especially if deemed so by Palin & family, and especially if Palin was in line to be Veep -- Monegan should not have disregarded those concerns. Custody proceedings in divorce are very emotionally driven events and what if Wooten was legitimately deemed a threat to the physical safety of Palin -- and Monegan disregarded that threat, after Wooten's repeated expressions of that threat to the Governor's safety "to bring Palin or Palin family down". Not knowing all the facts, and looking at these things as "IFs", wouldn't Monegan's disregard of that threat be a legitimate concern to the Governor and/or future Veep candidate.

In other words, the fact that Wooten had a personal and/or familial connection to Palin does NOT mean that Palin and/or Palin family is not entitled to deem that Wooten is a threat who should be considered. So, Palin and/or Palin family's motivation was not out of revenge etc., but legitimate concern for the Governor's safety being ignored by Palin's own chief law enforcement official.

I'm not saying this was the case; but if it was, Palin (and Palin family) would certainly be entitled to have their concerns for the Governor/Governor's family's safety acted on by Monegan, especially because she's Governor and especially because she may be Veep, and especially because those custody and domestic issues are emotionally powerful on someone in Wooten's position with his track record.

If the above has validity, Monegan therefore put Palin in a bind by Monegan NOT acting on those concerns -- again, NOT out of revenge (and if anything Palin et al. would have had to act with some constraint because of the optics) but out of legitimate concerns, not only having bearing on Palin in her own right, but as Governor and possible future Veep. What was Palin to do (if, in fact, those concerns were real and Monegan repeatedly failed to act on those concerns)?

(I smell a political motivating factor or connection on the part of Monegan's side, not Palin's -- especially since I've read some thumping from left wing, progressive, political sources on these recent events -- and now the unions have injected themselves in this.)

July 19, 2008 - 8:51am | black33

That dog won't hunt

A. She's not going to get selected as VP.

B. If John McCain actually selected her, they have something called Secret Service. If Wooten was deemed a threat, they would visit him and have a chat.

C. Monegan said they looked into it; Wooten was not a safety threat to Palin. At the time Todd says Wooten said he would bring "Palin down", she was not governor; she was a "hockey mom."

D. If the Palins thought they were really threatened, did they call the Wasilla police? Did they ever try to get a restraining order keeping him away from Sarah Palin?

E. "Bringing down" can mean "bring down" as in Palin "bringing down" Frank Murkowski, or trying to "bring down" Randy Ruedrich. Todd et al were worried not about safety, but her political career. She was writing her e-mails and filing her complaints just before she filed for governor in 2005.

F. If as Governor Palin was concerned about a threat to her personal safety, why did she get rid of her AST security?

July 19, 2008 - 7:21am | chasm

Monegan

could not have injected himself in this mess. If he had, the mess would still be there but now Monegan would be in the thick of it. Palin and those around her should have known that Monegan could do nothing without ruining himself. He warned them to stop what they were doing.

Palin and her supporters will now be digging out any dirt they can find on Monegan, even if they have to make it up.

July 19, 2008 - 7:27am | Aklabwalker

You are very correct. Unfortunately, Palin supporters don't

understand this. To suggest Monegan is attempting some sort of political posture with this is so Green, something the Palins routinely accuse Lyda of. Is this Sara Palin post partem? Maybe she should take some time off.

4 July 19, 2008 - 12:25am | predictable

Not good...

After reading the allegations you can't help but point out that maybe Mr. Wooten has some problems with his private life and obviously is going through a rough divorce situation.

But nowhere do I see that AST has documentation of an aggressive out of control employee. I feel for the families involved and unfortunately things sound heated, but quit wasting your time in office taking care of family vendetta's. I'm sure that a number of public safety employees have rough home life's, but I these individuals don't let it effect their positions when on the job.

No wonder this gas line is taking years to reach fruition....we're busy playing "Prom Queen".

July 19, 2008 - 7:33am | Aklabwalker

What problems is Wooten having that maybe if Sara, Todd, mom

and dad butt-out couldn't solve? There's two sides to every story and we're only hearing one.

July 19, 2008 - 11:46am | AK_Lady

Mike Wooten's only "problem"

is his ex-wife's family.

July 19, 2008 - 12:15pm | Cartman3_15

Denial.

It's not just a pipeline anymore.

Is it seriously your contention, despite the wealth of documentation to the contrary, that this is a model trooper who is the innocent victim of overreaching authority?

By extension, is it your contention that the people of Alaska are well-served by this trooper?

Oh, please, do tell. The expected refusal to do so, or a response that deflects will speak for itself.

July 19, 2008 - 12:29pm | Aklabwalker

Wooten was corrected for his behavior

and it isn't an issue but the Palin's think it is. That he killed a moose our of season? This happens all the time by accident...ask Jeff King; even though the issue is game unit the same logic applies. How did the state resolve this? Palin doesn't tell us this.
The taser thing. Parents sometimes act stupid right along with their children. I know I have and it's fun. He was probably 5 for so at the time and wanted to know what it was like to fire a gun. After several months I finally gave in and let hime fire my 357. After he fired the gun he said guns aren't nice. Where did I go wrong? I don't use ear protection because I can't hear but this was no reason to not protect my son's ears. In fact my son is a pretty good young man now so it didn't hurt him; in fact it strengthened our bond.
So the bottom line is this, Wooten's not the problem and we're never going to know all of the facts regarding his employment. You also have to look at the good things he's done. In other words the glass is half full to some people and half empty to others.
This is going to hurt the Gov unless she comes clean and soon.

July 19, 2008 - 12:34pm | AK_Lady

Aklabwalker

FYI: He didn't kill the moose out of season. He shot the moose for his wife (who was right next to him) because she was too emotional to do it.

July 19, 2008 - 12:58pm | Aklabwalker

AK_Lady, thanks.

So we're down to just tazin the son. What's the story behind that?
FWIW, if this is the best the Palin's can come up with then they're hurtin McCanns' chances for custody because this doesn't really spell out the better, more suitable parent if you ask me.
So maybe we're on to Palin's strategy but not one I'd use.

July 21, 2008 - 3:21pm | aktraveller

Don't forget the driving an official vehicle while drinking

That was part of what he got disciplined for. Open container in that too.

July 19, 2008 - 2:07pm | AK_Lady

Like most 11-year-old boys

he wanted to know what it felt like to be tased. Payton's mother was in the house when it happened. If Molly was truly concerned you'd think she would have called the police. But she didn't.

The Palin/Heath clan filed 36 allegations against Trooper Wooten. Does anybody know how many were filed before the divorce proceedings began?

July 19, 2008 - 3:10pm | rfn

Like most 14 year olds

that "little boy" in New Hampshire wanted to know what sex was like. His teacher helped him comprehend. She doesn't teach any more. But, once she got out of jail, they DID marry. I wondered where they moved......

July 19, 2008 - 3:18pm | TheSdog

rfn

Are you referring to the Pamela Smart case or some other NH case?

Or are you mixing up stories.

July 19, 2008 - 3:29pm | rfn

As I recall

the teacher's name was Mary K. LeTourneau. She was pregnant with the the first child of the relationship with a then 13-year old (note the correction, I looked it up and had recalled the 14-year figure incorrectly) case went through the courts in 1997. The teacher did jail time and, shortly after her release (the boy was, by then, of legal age) they married this year and now have two children.

Yes, I am being a bit unkind in not posting a link. There are several stories from major credible news sources easily available to those who are interested enough to check it out. I just want to see whether some folks are actually interested and, if so, are capable to doing anything other than kvetching. At the moment I doubt it.

The case at hand is being presented as though a child asking an adult to do something totally irresponsible and potentially dangerous should get a free pass. The LeTourneau matter suggests that may not be such a good idea. But, hey, different strokes....depends, I guess, on where you live. New Hampshire is rather strait-laced compared with The Valley.

July 19, 2008 - 3:37pm | TheSdog

You are mixing up stories

The LeTourneau case took place in Washington State. And she did marry kid when she got out of jail.

Pam Smart is still serving a life sentence after the 15 year old who she slept with knocked off her husband at her request.

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