By Jane Dunn
Ask Al Getler, Publisher of the Eagle Tribune about comedy and he will most likely point you to his web site promoting his weekend job as a ventriloquist and comedian. Ask Al Getler about reporting the truth and responsible journalism and he might try to distract you with a Three Stooges routine. But no one is laughing.
The truth is that Al Getler promotes the tabloid lies of the Eagle Tribune and the Derry News, lies and inaccurate reporting that destroy lives. “The Derry News and Eagle Tribune ran Police Logs of an arrest of a Londonderry, NH man back in 2009 that they continue to run online, an innocent man who was falsely accused of several crimes,” said Casey Clark, a close family friend of the man.
The issue is that a man was charged with crimes by the Londonderry Police Department brought by Jennifer Keller of Nashua, NH; a woman who was refused a rental apartment by the man and his fiancée because the man discovered that she had a criminal record, was a drug addict and worked as a stripper.
“Keller responded to an online ad that the man and his fiancée placed to rent their unit. The woman (Keller) and her mother Kimberly Kelly went to view the unit. The woman was refused the apartment after it was discovered she and her mother had a criminal record, that Keller was a drug user and a stripper,” said Clark. “After the man refused to rent the woman the apartment she gave him provocative pictures of herself and attempted to solicit him for a place to live. When the man refused she became angry and threatened him with physical violence,” Clark said.
The woman then filed assault and criminal threatening charges against the man through the Londonderry NH Police Department. The man provided evidence of what had happened to the Londonderry Police along with a Comcast Technician who was a witness to the events while doing work that day at the man’s house.
“The Londonderry NH Police Department failed to investigate the evidence in that case; evidence that would have exonerated the man early on and by all accounts attempted to railroad the innocent man,” Clark Commented.
The man was arrested; excessive use of force by the Londonderry Police was used during the man’s arrest leading to injuries to the man’s face. The man was held against his will and forced to hire an attorney to defend himself that cost him over $30,000 in attorney, investigator and legal fees.
“He and his family went through hell during this time as Al Getler of the Eagle Tribune and Jo-Ann MacKenzie of the Derry News ran their degrading and inaccurate Police Logs, statements that were proven to be false,” said Clark.
The charges against the man were dropped when Keller fled NH when pressed to testify. Keller fled to Indiana to work at JT’s a strip club there. Keller had attempted to file similar charges it was discovered by the man’s private investigator against three other men in the past five years, the Londonderry NH Police Department knew of at least one of these charges, yet they either failed or refused to investigate that evidence.
Chief William Hart and four of his officers and one detective are currently being investigated by the NH Attorney General's Office; Criminal Investigation Bureau regarding numerous violations surrounding this case. The officers and one detective include (Officer Glenn L. Aprile, Officer Jason M. Archambault, Officer Kelly W. Kulig, Officer James J. Freda and Detective Donald A. LaDuke). Chief Hart could not be reached regarding a comment for this article.
The criminal allegations against Chief William Hart and his officer’s range from abuse of power; violations of the Fourth Amendment, false arrest and detention and excessive use of physical force. All the charges against the innocent man have since been expunged by the Rockingham Superior Court; in essence the incident legally did not occur.
“With the man now having the arrest, charges and indictment expunged with no prior criminal record, it is a violation of NH State Law to even bring up the man’s name regarding this case or to discuss his case,” Clark said.
The NH law RSA 651.V.XII makes it illegal to report information on an individual who has had charges brought against them but where the charges were either dropped or a non-guilty verdict was reached and where the arrest and charges were later annulled and expunged.
“Basically Al Getler and Jo-Ann MacKenzie are in violation of this NH State law that makes it a criminal misdemeanor to communicate an expunged case under RSA 651.V.XII. As the information reported in the Police Logs are not correct and the information contained in these logs were downright lies by the Londonderry Police Department officers, and now being investigated by the NH Attorney General.
RSA 651.V.XII, reads as follows: A person is guilty of a misdemeanor if, during the life of another who has had a record of arrest or conviction annulled pursuant to this section, he discloses or communicates the existence of such record. The Police Logs from Al Getler, Publisher of the Eagle Tribune and Jo-Ann MacKenzie, Editor of the Derry News continue to be found online and clearly fall into this violation of NH State Law.
RSA 651.V.XII, reads as follows: A person is guilty of a misdemeanor if, during the life of another who has had a record of arrest or conviction annulled pursuant to this section, he discloses or communicates the existence of such record. The Police Logs from Al Getler, Publisher of the Eagle Tribune and Jo-Ann MacKenzie, Editor of the Derry News continue to be found online and clearly fall into this violation of NH State Law.
“Al Getler and Jo-Ann MacKenzie have purposely destroyed this man's life by reporting information about the unidentified man that he was falsely accused of back in 2009, the man was cleared of all charges and received an annulment by a NH Superior Court," said Clark. “Al Getler should be held accountable for his actions in destroying this man's life. He has lost everything because of this case and continues to be persecuted by the Eagle Tribune and Derry News. He lost his job, his house, his family, he could not find a job and the worst thing out of everything is the depression that followed where the man attempted suicide, it's disgusting what this man and woman and their so called news organization have done, I hope they are convicted of the misdemeanor," said Clark.
Clark also stated that she believed that Both Al Getler and Jo-Ann MacKenzie do not publish articles about bad cops being charged with crimes. Clark’s proof seems to be irrefutable.
"There was a case where Londonderry Police Officer Jason Archambault was arrested in Manchester in January of this year (2010) and charged with assault against his girlfriend. This is a charge that the public has a right to know about, yet even though it was reported directly to Al Getler and Jo-Ann MacKenzie, neither one ran the piece. It is obvious that they will not run stories about the police, the truth about the police, because as a tabloid, they are in bed with the police, that is clear," said Clark.
Clark also stated that she believed that Both Al Getler and Jo-Ann MacKenzie do not publish articles about bad cops being charged with crimes. Clark’s proof seems to be irrefutable.
"There was a case where Londonderry Police Officer Jason Archambault was arrested in Manchester in January of this year (2010) and charged with assault against his girlfriend. This is a charge that the public has a right to know about, yet even though it was reported directly to Al Getler and Jo-Ann MacKenzie, neither one ran the piece. It is obvious that they will not run stories about the police, the truth about the police, because as a tabloid, they are in bed with the police, that is clear," said Clark.
It seems Al Getler is more successful as a ventriloquist than he is as a publisher of a financially troubled tabloid.
This is not over. The NH Attorney General's Office is investigating the RSA violations by Al Getler and Jo-Ann MacKenzie.
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