From:
NewWorldOrderReport.com and the Troubleshooter Network
By Jonathan Elinoff, Troubleshooter Network
Click here to read Jonathan Elinoff's bio
A comprehensive explanation of what has been reported to date on this matter has now been disclosed to the public below.
The arrest of the former Arapahoe County Sheriff, Pat Sullivan, was first announced on November 29th, 2011, on the 5PM broadcast of CBS (KCNC) in Denver, Colorado. This is not, however, the first time this story broke to the public. Many people involved in the investigation are remaining quiet during this time because of the active investigation and trial about to start. With that said, the first time this story officially hit the public was on November 16th, 2011, almost 2 full weeks before the arrest even occurred. This was when I went on Keven Barrett's radio show with Hip Hop icon Professor Griff from Public Enemy.
Local news stations did, to their credit, interview me and include me in the reports on the Sullivan Scandal. The information, however, is still largely not disclosed or detailed anywhere to date. You can view some of the news interviews in this article below.
The reason the Sullivan story struck so many personal issues with me is that I have been a firm supporter in the reform of drug laws and decriminalization of marijuana as well as a more recent supporter of responsible gun ownership, aside from being intimately involved in the investigation itself on a magnitude of levels much of the mainstream media has somewhat ignored.
Bare in mind that there is a history of suspicious behavior reported by law enforcement and that media outlets brought fourth some of the information regarding many examples that Sullivan could have been arrested in the last year regarding his involvement with the meth scene. Sullivan's ability to beat an arrest previously seemed to scare many of the people who came forward to media during these last weeks since the arrest. It is now conceivable to understand why so many people didn't know "who to trust" in this situation because of Sullivan's long standing record as a community representative and responsible officer of the law concerned with safety. If these allegations are true, perhaps one should consider that even prominent media outlets ignored this story until enough information was gathered among different law enforcement to recognize the possible validity of these accusations.
Brian Maass, the local CBS investigative reporter, broke the story of the arrest on November 29th, 2011. Do media outlets recognize that Maass was handed the story by me in the weeks prior? Perhaps the politics of this story are such that a person like myself with a website associated with conspiracy pop culture is something mainstream media doesn't want to give attention to. Even though I work with Tom Martino and Peter Boyles, not to mention that KHOW is considered mainstream, perhaps it is because of my lack of journalist history in this town or maybe my time as a street activist or documentary film maker. Who knows?
Another reason I had such an interest in the story is because I personally once experienced the fear of HIV when I had a medical test come back as a false positive years ago (Thank God it was a false positive and I don't have HIV) so when I had learned of allegations against the former sheriff that he was engaging in unprotected sex with other males while possibly transmitting HIV, I took issue with that. These allegations brought to the Troubleshooter Network have not been confirmed, although many of the alleged victims in the "meth for sex scandal" have turned out to be HIV positive themselves.
Also, some of the allegations included sex with minors alerted many people who worked on the investigation so Martino and I came to the conclusion that this needed to be further investigated. Although an alleged sex tape was discussed in the media, the fact of the matter is that both Martino and I have not confirmed any allegations that minors were involved with Sullivan in the "meth for sex" scandal. None of the alleged victims were under 18 that came fourth to tell their story, although many of them say this started long ago when they were minors. To date, that has not been independently confirmed.
This was not just any story involving some police officer and alleged drug use. This was a former county sheriff, one of the most powerful figures in law enforcement, and not just any sheriff but one who was appointed to a Federal level task force under President Clinton's administration. Sullivan was a cyber-terrorism expert and participated in many Federal preparedness programs as well as a winner of the National "Sheriff of the Year" award. Sullivan also headed up the security for a massive school district in Colorado, Cherry Creek Schools, where many of the state's upper class youth attend. In terms of statewide recognition, Sullivan is considered a prominent figure with a lot of influence and power so these allegations have to be understood for their context if a decorated and widely influential figure in law enforcement who allegedly presented himself as someone trying to help young, male addicts while secretly feeding these people's addiction problems with what is known as one of the most dangerous drugs on the streets. Prostitution and HIV transmission are among the allegations. Sullivan was also accused of using his badge while retired, something that is considered very illegal.
Innocent until proven guilty is the term one might consider right now. As the lead investigator on this story, most of the elements which led to the arrest have not fully been understood or credited by many media outlets. This is probably due to the fact that it is still an active investigation so law enforcement has remained very quiet and the trial hasn't even started yet. Another good reason is because a lot of people don't want to talk about this. That is also not to mention that people are not asking any questions either. Seriously.
Current Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson stated what many news outlets confirmed which was that the arrest of Sullivan was an investigation launched on November 17th, 2011. The previous discoveries of attempted sting operations, 911 phone calls or police investigations never culminated into anything leading to an arrest for a reason. The lack of information due to police red tape as well as a breakdown in communication between jurisdictions also possibly contributed to this.
After confidential sources contacted law enforcement task forces in Colorado, the capability was available to law enforcement which was enough to conduct another attempt at a sting for an arrest. On October 4th, 2011, an Arapahoe County Investigator conducted a follow up to a 911 call in relation to Sullivan being at a house allegedly harboring meth addicts. This investigation had not been able to secure charges against the sheriff but was re-examined after other contacts were made to law enforcement on November 17th, 2011. Given Sullivan's claim to be helping addicts with recovery, according to many parents of alleged victims and because of Sullivan's historical experience on drug task forces, most people never questioned any of the activity around Sullivan being around meth users. A failed sting operation occurred almost a year before the successful arrest but these examples are all exactly the reason not enough evidence was ever obtained to make an arrest or prosecution.
No mention of the Sullivan case ever existed in the public until November 29th when he was arrested, right? Actually, almost 2 weeks prior, on November 16th, 2011, I went on Kevin Barrett's radio show to announce what I was working on because of threats I was receiving as well as concerns over my future career with radio. It turned out that decisions made at the time were for security concerns at the station and for my own safety. Some are suggesting that the radio interview conducted forced investigators to push for the re-examination of the case but actually, in my opinion, another reason I did the radio interview on the 16th was because on November 17th, 2011, the very next morning, investigators in Colorado from law enforcement task forces were handed information and cooperation from multiple individuals as a result of the work produced by the Troubleshooter Network and myself.
The real background to the story began with confidential sources contacting Martino and I, a handful who gave me the leads to begin with. One of them interviewed by Brian Maass at CBS, Mark Seibel, was one of these sources who Martino and I used as a lead on the investigation the Troubleshooter Network conducted. Due to a confidentiality agreement, his identity was not previously revealed, however, Seibel chose to go public on his own and disclose that he was the confidential source we mentioned in the interview Martino and I first conducted with Peter Boyles the morning after the arrest.
Seeing as Sullivan was on task forces to deal with drug problems in the community and because he pushed a gun control bill more than anyone else, if these charges turn into convictions, Sullivan himself would not be eligible for gun ownership while at the same time he was the person who campaigned on these laws. Perhaps this is an opportunity for the country to take a better look at their laws pertaining to drugs and guns.
Interestingly, Sullivan was also a prominent opponent of medical marijuana, and served as co-chair of Citizens Against the Legalization of Marijuana. The opposition group helped to keep MMJ legalization off Colorado voters' ballots in 1998.
Dave Kopel called the then-Sheriff a "Republocrat" in 1990 for his outspoken opposition to gun ownership by private citizens:
Republicans are supposed to support the Right to Bear Arms. Yet the most powerful enemy of the Right to Bear Arms in Colorado is a Republican, Sheriff Pat Sullivan of Arapahoe County. He refuses to grant licensed, trained citizens a permit to carry a gun for self-defense. He abuses and misapplies federal law in order to harass gun collectors. And in 1989, he tried to scare the Legislature into banning semi-automatic firearms. His tactics were classic bait and switch. Trying to outlaw semi-automatics, he passed out photographs of automatics -- weapons that had nothing to do with his bill.
As a law enforcement official, Sullivan of course carried a firearm to protect himself, yet he believed that the same right should not be extended to ordinary citizens. Likewise, he now faces allegations that he carried illegal drugs for his personal satisfaction, but believed that even terminally ill patients should not be permitted to use marijuana for pain relief.
Could it be time to stop treating punishment and fear as the solution to the sickness that is addiction, and begin focusing on healing communities? In Portugal, decriminalization had a provably positive effect, reducing overdose deaths and causing a sharp drop in HIV transmission by way of needle-sharing. Aversive measures and deterrents have yet to cure any disease, from cancer to obesity to alcoholism to drug addiction. Treatment and prevention may not work perfectly, but they work and they don't remove productive citizens or retired law enforcement heroes from their families or communities.
It is important to present facts and not speculation. The town is caught up in a lot of fuss about this matter, and yet, most still don't know what the news has reported, since much of the information has been leaked or disclosed by confidential sources or has only been made available after the Sullivan arrest. A clear picture can now be seen as to the timeline of events. This article will constantly update with the most up to date facts released by media outlets.
Patrick J. Sullivan Jr., a 68-year-old former Arapahoe County Sheriff, was arrested on November 29th, 2011 under the suspicion that he tried to trade methamphetamine for a sexual encounter with an adult male. Other media outlets have reported on the possibility of minors being sexually assaulted after numerous alleged victims came forward. None of the alleged victims are underage, however some of them are alleging that this started when they were underage. Also reported by media is possibility that some of the victims allege HIV transmission from Sullivan. No confirmation of HIV transmission with Sullivan has been made at this time by documented medical evidence or sources, even though the allegations have been made.
Documents reveal that on October 4th, 2011, a South Metro Drug Task Force case was assigned to Agent Matt Hanagan for "probable cause," according to the Sullivan arrest affidavit. The deputy who responded had worked for Sullivan and knew who he was. This was one of the documented starting points of the investigation ending in an arrest, which all began with a September 911 call. A concerned person trying to remove an "old man" from his house was alleging that the man was harboring prostitutes and contributing to his roommates' meth addictions. The "old man" that was allegedly doing this turned out to be Pat Sullivan. Further down in this article are videos of this information including interviews local media outlets conducted with this person.
The Denver Post wrote that Sullivan told detectives he was on a meth drug task force and was simply helping recovering addicts get clean. He also said he worked for the state health department's drug treatment office. A spokesman for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said there is no record of Sullivan working there, or of the department having a meth treatment program.
Fox31 reported the ultimate irony that the one-time national Sheriff of the Year sat in a jail that was named after him - the "Patrick J. Sullivan, Jr. Detention Facility" and was held on a $250,000 bond.
Arapahoe County Chief Judge William Sylvester doubled the bond for the county's former sheriff, Patrick Sullivan on November 30th, 2011. Prosecutor Karen Pearson would not comment on why she sought to increase the bond and Sylvester offered no explanation. He issued a mandatory protection order preventing Sullivan from having contact with any potential witness in the case.
On December 1st, police arrested a man they believe may be one of the suppliers of methamphetamine for former Arapahoe County Sheriff Pat Sullivan. A friend of the alleged supplier says he'd seen Sullivan many times.
On December 2nd, a man contacted NBC affiliate 9News and alleged to have seen the former sheriff using meth with his boyfriend:
On December 4th, the parents of a young man, who Sullivan befriended before he was arrested for allegedly trading drugs for sex, told the 9Wants to Know investigators that Sullivan told them he was helping their son and others fight meth addictions.
"He was telling us all the positive things he was doing for these young men. He said he was volunteering his time with them," Dennis Wiley told 9Wants to Know. Wiley and his wife, Katherine, met Sullivan during the summer when they say Sullivan stopped by their house to pick up their son who had come by for a visit. Like many men Sullivan is alleged to have hung out with in recent years, their son is gay and addicted to meth.
"Sullivan said he came to our house to pick up Josh after [Sullivan] had dinner with his wife," Dennis Wiley said. The Wileys said they invited Sullivan into their home and talked for an hour and a half on their patio.
"We were quite pleased that someone in his position had somehow connected with someone who desperately needs help, who is homeless. We'd been unable to help him," Katherine Wiley said. The Wileys said Sullivan introduced himself using his full name and talked about his years in law enforcement and his time as director of security for the Cherry Creek School District. "Looking at Mr. Sullivan's career, I said, 'This is the man who can come in and help our son.' I really did believe the possibility that Pat could have helped," Dennis Wiley said.
Months later, he says his son had not beaten his meth addiction.
After learning of Sullivan's arrest for allegedly trading sex for meth, the Wileys are skeptical that Sullivan ever helped their son. They worry he might have told other parents the same thing. "Now we look back and say, 'Oh my God. What were we thinking?' Now I believe there was no possibility that was ever going to happen," Katherine Wiley told 9Wants to Know. "It was really a cruel joke," she said.
Sullivan's bond was reduced from $500,000 to $50,000 during a procedural hearing December 5th, 2011. The judge decided to lessen the amount largely because of Sullivan's decorated history in law enforcement and the military. Sullivan was named national sheriff of the year in 2001 and received widespread attention in 1989 for saving the lives of two deputies, according to Centennial Citizen.
District Judge William Sylvester also heard arguments about reducing bail from defense attorney Kevin McGreevy, who cited Sullivan's nearly 20 years as sheriff along with his military service and a clean criminal record.
"His public service is being used against him," McGreevy argued about the request by prosecutors for $500,000 bail. "Given the amount of good he's done, not just for Colorado but for Arapahoe County ... (I ask) that his bond be reduced to $50,000."
Prosecutor Karen Pearson opposed the move, citing community risk.
Sylvester acknowledged Sullivan's clean criminal record while lowering bail and placing conditions on his release. Sullivan was forbidden from having firearms or consuming alcohol or illegal drugs, and from harassing witnesses or victims in the case.
Sylvester also granted McGreevy's request for a gag order to prevent prosecutors and law enforcement from talking about the case.
Sullivan was released from jail December 6th, 2011, after posting $50,000 bond on the exact same day that 9News in Denver reported a "highly regarded" recommendation from former Arapahoe County Sheriff Pat Sullivan helped a man with no prior experience in security get a high school security guard job. The 27-year-old adult film star, who was found dead in the South Platte River on January 26th, worked as a security guard for Overland High School. It was reported that Sullivan had bonded Sean Moss out of jail just 12 days prior to being found dead. Allegations by Sean Moss's boyfriend included a shocking statement that Sullivan may have been with Sean the night before he was found dead.
Sullivan will be in court next for a preliminary hearing January 31st. The judge on December 5th also ordered participants in the case not to comment publicly. The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office is spearheading an ongoing investigation and it is possible more charges may be added.
On December 8th, 2011, 9Wants to Know investigator Jace Larson spoke to a 29-year-old man about his contact with Sullivan, which he says began at an ice skating rink in Vail 20 years ago, at age 9. The man said Sullivan approached him again when he was 14. By then, the man had moved to Denver from Vail, and says Sullivan picked him up on the side of the street when he was a teenager. 9Wants to Know confirmed through multiple sources that the man reported these allegations to local law enforcement, which are now investigating whether Sullivan had inappropriate relationships with underage people.
On December 9th, 2011, as the task force continued its investigation into Sullivan and accusations that he traded meth for sex with young men, a persistent question remained whether Sullivan was involved with illegal drugs while he was sheriff. At least one man alleges that this was true. The man, who did not want to reveal his identity, says he first met Sullivan in the early 1990s while Sullivan was sheriff. "He knew the guy I was with,” he told FOX31 Denver, referring to Sullivan. He says he and his roommate were drug dealers.
Police served a search warrant at a bathhouse that was linked to former sheriff Sullivan December 15th, 2011, according to news reports.
On December 16th, 2011, FOX 31 Denver reported that Tom Martino and the Troubleshooter's lead investigator, Jonathan Elinoff, were handed a VHS tape by a source refusing to identify himself. Martino and Elinoff were able to view the tape, which the source had thrown at Elinoff after flagging him down on the road while driving to work. Elinoff pulled into a parking lot to the waving man, asked a few questions and received what Elinoff was told was a sex tape allegedly showing former Sheriff Pat Sullivan engaging in sex acts with a minor. The tape didn't positively identify anyone, but was handed to authorities anyway.
Listen to KHOW, AM630 Radio Station in Denver for the most up to date information related to the investigation.
Officials could face conflict of interest in Sullivan case:
Pat Sullivan's History and National Recognition:
In 1989, Sullivan was hailed as a hero after he rescued two deputies after crashing his truck through a fence and protecting them while they were loaded into the vehicle. Arapahoe County Deputy Daniel Thomas and Deputy Arthur Hilton were treated at a hospital for gunshot wounds and shrapnel wounds from flying glass.
During the rampage, Eugene Thompson Jr., described by authorities as a 20-year-old man with an insatiable appetite for cocaine, killed two women with a semiautomatic machine pistol, raped another woman, and wounded two deputies.
Sullivan was a revered and respected member of the law enforcement community having serve in various branches for 40 years. His career began as a Littleton police officer and dispatcher in the 1960s. He joined the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office in the late 1970s as captain and by the early-80s he was appointed as sheriff, according to CBS4.
He was named under-sheriff in 1983 and appointed sheriff six months later, after Sheriff Ed Nelson died of a heart attack. He went on to win four elections.
In the 1990s he played a prominent role in the Columbine school shootings during the event as well as headed an investigation into Columbine after.
Sullivan had a storied law enforcement career and was named Sheriff of the Year by the National Sheriffs' Association in 2001.
Sullivan was a nationally expert on cyber-terrorism and other law enforcement issues. He participated in a statewide meth task force in 2000.
When Sullivan retired in 2002, led the security department at Cherry Creek School District until 2008.
The Cherry Creek School District issued a statement Dec. 2 confirming that in 2007, Sullivan provided a recommendation for Sean Moss, a man who was later found dead in the Platte River with meth in his system. Moss worked at Overland High School for 13 days. Sullivan served as the district's security director from 2002 until 2008, after retiring from the sheriff's office.
Former sheriff Sullivan faces 4 charges:
Elinoff and Martino believe that law enforcement were already looking into this and that they were very respectful to the information. With the news media often times only reporting on when an officer of the law does something bad, attention is often not given when law enforcement does an outstanding job.
Elinoff used as many as a dozen sources and informants on the investigation, but it all started with one confidential source who was previously trying to alert authorities so that something could be done. CBS reported that the source did, in fact, alert representatives of the matter as far back as a year ago.
According to CBS, the Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett was allegedly warned of Pat Sullivan by someone as far back as March of 2011 or possibly earlier:
Why are so many news outlets "unsure" of when the Sullivan investigation truly began?
News outlets are not sure exactly when this investigation by authorities into Sullivan started, only that we know when it culminated into an arrest.
For example, Dillon Grilley, a 25 year old local, told CALL7 Investigator Theresa Marchetta of local ABC affiliate after the sting where the former Sheriff ended up being arrested: “He repeatedly warned Sullivan that he would call the police if the ex-sheriff didn't stop coming to his Centennial home to visit two roommates described as drug users. But Sullivan allegedly kept coming back to the home, two or three times daily, and disappearing behind a bedroom door with the two men. Grilley said he feared the 68-year-old Sullivan had drawn his roommates back into drugs because he said he saw the two men smoking methamphetamine in the house and found glass pipes in the home. Grilley said he never saw Sullivan use drugs at the home. Grilley told Sullivan he was calling police.
Police interviewed Sullivan in September after a man called 911 alleging the former sheriff had been providing meth to the man’s roommates. According to court documents, during the interview Sullivan claimed he worked for the Colorado Heath Department and was helping the men kick their drug habits – an incident that resulted in one of the felony charges against the former sheriff.
Sheriff Grayson Robinson, who was Sullivan's under-sheriff for many years, stated to local NBC affiliate 9News:
Robinson had sent "a letter Robinson sent Sullivan three months ago asking him to surrender the badge he was able to hold onto after retiring from the department. Robinson says on Sept. 20, Sullivan claimed to be a police officer and even flashed his badge during an incident inside a Commerce City home. The sheriff says that was one of the first times they grew suspicious that Sullivan was up to no good. Robinson sent Sullivan a letter which read, in part, "Effective immediately, the credentials of the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office, currently in your possession, are revoked. The building pass, commission card and deputy sheriff badge in your possession... must be surrendered to my office immediately... you have no authority as a Peace Officer. Any item in your possession... that reflects any insignia of the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office should be considered to have memorial value only."
That story appeared to look like it ended with a letter from Sheriff Grayson Robinson to Pat Sullivan asking for his badge, not the start of any investigation. As it turns out, an investigation into the issue was started on October 4th, according to an arrest affidavit, by Agent Matt Hanagan which then lasted the next 54 days until an arrest was made on November 29th, 2011.
It turns out, a much clearer picture has been made reviewing all the publicly available information from law enforecement.
Peter Jones, a writer for The Villager, wrote on December 8th, 2011:
According to current Sheriff Grayson Robinson, the investigation into Sullivan began last month when deputies received what the official describes as “sketchy allegations” against his predecessor. “We began to look into it right away and found that the different individuals who came forward began to demonstrate some credibility,” Robinson said. “That credibility turned into probable cause fairly quickly.”
Accusations of Sullivan’s decades-long double life surfaced in the days after the former sheriff’s arrest. Court records indicate his past associations with drug users – including an incident in which he bonded a meth addict out of jail after an arrest back on January 14th, 2011, where just 12 days later the person he bonded out was found dead floating in a river here in Colorado next to Coor's Field. Detectives at the time claim they interviewed Sullivan as a person of interest but could not determine the cause of death other than drowning. After Sheriff Sullivan's arrest, all of a sudden, the closed case on drowning turned into a re-opened case possibly considering homicide. Perhaps it was because the announcement of Sullivan bonding out an addict, Sean Moss, later found dead included allegations by the Moss's boyfriend at the time that Sullivan was allegedly seen with Moss the night before Moss's death.
A CBS report by Brian Maass stated that authorities had a failed sting operation almost a year before he was successfully arrested November 29th, 2011. The understanding from documents related to the failed sting almost a year before the actual arrest state there was not enough evidence for a case. Did the authorities continue investigating Sullivan after the failed sting? Based on current records available and even statements by the Task Force, it is unclear what happened at that time.
Local NBC affiliate 9News stated: "...the investigation into Sullivan, 68, started with a traffic stop in Englewood on November 17. The man who was stopped consented to a search of his vehicle and police found drugs inside. The man then told police he had information about a high-profile figure. Sources tell 9Wants to Know that detectives were asked to come down to the Englewood Police Department in the middle of the night to hear the man's story."
Former Denver Police Detective and now Private Investigator Gary Salazar was advising Martino's investigator Jonathan Elinoff most of the time when overwhelming or dangerous situations occurred. Salazar had connected Martino's investigator to Lt. Steve Wilson who then transferred the investigator to Detective Mark Woodward with the Denver Police Department. The FBI's Safe Street's Task Force made contact at this time and Elinoff met with an Agent of that task force.
Former sheriff Sullivan: 'I can take it until the truth comes out':
Listen to KHOW, AM630 Radio Station in Denver for the most up to date information related to the investigation.