New Charges for Dillard & Staggs?

It's certainly been an eventful day for Chip Dillard and Tim Staggs. Both men were acquitted of all charges brought against them in Lauderdale County Circuit Court, but...and it's certainly a big "but"...according to Ashley Thusius of WAAY TV in Huntsville, more charges are forthcoming.

We have checked, and the two Florence men were definitely released from the Lauderdale County Detention Center this afternoon, with no new arrests recorded. How long it will take for these "pending" charges to materialize is anyone's guess. 

What are the charges? We're guessing drug related crimes, but that's just an educated guess. If that should be the charge, will a certain long-time bad boy from the eastern end of the county be one who testifies against Dillard? After three years since the original indictment and another year of drug accusations before that, this is turning into the never ending story.

If you want some very in depth information on the proposed Ag Center, be sure to visit the Ag Center Transparency Project page on Facebook. A detailed history of the endeavor has been posted:

Transparency Project

Which Lauderdale School Wants to Donate Next?

Human Trafficking? Or Just Pimping?

Several readers have asked the difference in Human Trafficking and Facilitating Prostitution. Not exactly a subject that comes up every day, is it?

If Chip Dillard and Tim Staggs arranged parties or meetings for their girls to meet Johns, that would be facilitating the act of prostitution. If they forced these girls to have sex with men for money which was then handed over to them, that would be human trafficking. We're sure there are gray areas in between that attorneys can shed light on, but the above description gives you the general idea. 

Disclaimer: Actual Staggs Girlfriend May Not Be This Attractive

That brings us to the girls. Are some more innocent than others? We have just read a TimesDaily account of testimony in which one young lady described having Dillard pay her fines and provide her with drugs. Was she surprised when he wanted sex in return? What did she think happened at "the mansion?"

That brings us to one of the most interesting aspects of this case. We've been told that as a last resort, Chip has people to shop in order to get off with time served. Until now, we've been pretty dubious of that claim. Apparently Tim Staggs wasn't the only one involved in at least prostitution. The question is: Were these unnamed men involved in making money from the efforts of these working girls?

And we're not just talking prostitution. If any of these women want to now claim they were forced to pose for pornographic photos, more dirty old men may be in for a surprise visit from investigators. 

Just think, if you feel like you need a shower after reading all this, just wait for the third week's testimony and stock up on extra-strength lye soap and a steel brush.

Chip Dillard's Sexual Assault Charge

When the initial indictment of Florence attorney Chip Dillard was handed down in May 2016, it included the charge of sexual assault. Certainly fondling someone quickly, even in public, is sexual assault, but this is definitely not the first image that comes to mind. Will jurors give him a pass for grabbing...well, whatever he may have grabbed?

Witness intimidation? That seems more problematic. Dillard has said he didn't mean anything by his off the cuff remarks. Still, an attorney sitting in jail would seemingly be more careful with his words if he were only joking.

Evidence tampering? This one seems like a slam dunk for the prosecution. Dillard undoubtedly had cell phones washed and then disposed of. How much time would one serve for that? 

More to the point, we've heard a few knowledgeable individuals say Dillard will walk with time served. If so, he will still have lost three years of his life. He will no longer have a license to practice in this state and might not be able to get one in any other state, at least for several years. 

And Tim Staggs? Will someone please take that man's Viagra away? And buy his wife a rolling pin?!!!

Chip Dillard: 1000 Days & Counting

Today marks the 1000th day of the incarceration of Florence attorney Edward Ray (Chip) Dillard. His trial is finally in progress, and the fast approaching verdict is anyone's guess.

Several who have been in attendance have stated the prosecution is not proving its case, but it's still relatively early in the trial. Human trafficking first, sex abuse and witness intimidation later. Are these the real reasons for Dillard's arrest?

On rare occasions, Dillard communicated with us about the cases of various clients. Others communicated to us about Dillard and his alleged drug use and smuggling into the Lauderdale County Detention Center. 

It's certainly been documented that Dillard had arrests in both Georgia and here for being under the influence. Most feel good potions aren't cheap, and Dillard wouldn't have been the first attorney to provide clients with a little something extra while they were locked away. During this period, Dillard was assigned to defend one our perpetual bad boys who has now amazingly reformed...good for him.

However, at the time, this long-standing miscreant attempted to blackmail Dillard. Whatever happened, Chip spoke to the judge and managed to have himself taken off the case. Obviously many knew that Dillard had at least been accused of providing prisoners with drugs.

Drugs are certainly playing a part in the testimony of the six women who have accused Dillard and Tim Staggs of recruiting them to enter into a prostitution scheme, then forcing them to remain. Was this the impetus for prosecuting the wayward attorney?

It's been said online that all of Dillard's accusers were of age. Not true - at least one was underage when she was brought into the whole sordid scheme. Depending on how well she cleans up to testify, this won't look good for either man.

What were they thinking? No...what were they thinking with?

Tim Staggs?

The Judge Was Wrong - No Trial for Chip Dillard This Year

In August of this year, the combined trial of Edward Ray (Chip) Dillard and Timothy Wylie Staggs was postponed until December 10th. At that time, Judge Mark Craig set the new date and stated the trial would definitely begin before the end of 2018. Craig seems to have erred in his calculations.

On November 30th, Dillard was transferred back to the Lauderdale County Detention Center, presumably for the start of the trial. Staggs was already in residence. Now Dillard has been transferred out of the LCDC.

According to court records, the new trial date is February 11th, with a motion hearing scheduled January 22nd. In May, it will be three years since Dillard and Staggs were arrested on human trafficking charges.

Will we finally have a trial in February? That's anyone's guess at this point. By that time, Chip Dillard will have been incarcerated 33 months. He no longer has a license to practice law in Alabama. We have no firm idea how many, if any, states would allow Dillard to take the bar exam should he be found not guilty of the charges against him. His future isn't that bright, so why not have the trial and get it over with?

Beer/Food Stamps/Dillard Cover-Up?

Several weeks ago, we initiated the profanity filter on our Facebook page. We simply checked "yes" and didn't add or remove any words from the filter. Today we received a notice to approve a comment from someone who has always made sensible and conservative remarks. That was surprising in itself, but we wondered if we had missed such notices in the past. If so, we apologize...if your language wasn't that bad. What was our reader's word? Beer.

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We read the new president of Shoals Dems was concerned about food stamps in the area. He need not be; no one has received food stamps in years. Now, SNAP issued via EBT cards? That's a different story. 

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Our video of Alvin Holmes brought some more in our e-mail. It seems that Holmes doesn't care if Alabama allows marriage to consenting mules. This is our state legislature, folks. God help us.

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We see that the TimesDaily, via writer Tom Smith, has quite a few errors in its story on Chip Dillard. Dillard hasn't been in the Lauderdale Detention Center since May; he's spent two stretches in Franklin County where he met the inmate who testified against him concerning threats. Was the TD attempting to cover up? If so, we'd already published the inmate's name. It won't be long until he goes South, and we're predicting the same for Dillard who currently remains in the Lauderdale Detention Center.

Chip Dillard Seals His Fate?

Have you ever said “I could kill him/her?” Most of us have, yet we didn’t really mean it. It’s certainly not the wisest move to be sitting in a jail cell and announcing how easy it would be to kill witnesses against us as well as police officers who investigated our case.

Did Florence attorney Edward Ray “Chip” Dillard really behave so foolishly? According to Franklin County inmate Fredrick Terrell Helton, Dillard uttered the threats in his company, but later claimed it was all a psychological game to intimidate those who will oppose him in court, not actually harm them. Whom has he really harmed? Obviously himself, and we’ll be surprised if he doesn’t rate a new indictment due to his remarks.

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While they may look cold, summer has just begun for these little guys.

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Did you notice the police officer who testified against Dillard at his bond reduction hearing works drug cases? Still no indictment against Dillard for supplying clients with pills. Theoretically, if the attorney general’s office is seeking life plus 270 years, more indictments are superfluous and a waste of our district attorney’s time and resources.

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Mega-churches? A reader has informed us the Church of the Highlands is coming to the Shoals. Will that organization, scheduled to begin worship services in Florence in February, purchase the Sweetwater Plantation property? We have to place it in the realm of possibility.

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Five-star generals? Yesterday we mentioned that there have been no such promotions since WWII. One of our readers pointed out that we were in error. Indeed, General Omar Bradley was the last to be elevated to that rank in 1950. Another reader pointed out that the U.S. still has supreme commanders, but none who ranks above a four-star general. We’re happy to make those corrections…and to have learned something.

Jail Mail & Who's Yo Shugah Daddy?

Does mail go undelivered at the Lauderdale County Detention Center? A detention center employee has informed us it usually does if there is no return address on the envelope. Cards or letters without a return address are deemed suspicious and may be tossed into file 13.

A friend has reported that mail sent to Edward Ray “Chip” Dillard has been subject to extra scrutiny—apparently due to the seriousness of his alleged crimes. So if you don’t want your name connected to anyone in jail, don’t send any mail.

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Speaking of Chip Dillard, who’s paying his attorney Robert Tutin? Tutin regularly represents high dollar clients, while Dillard is reportedly broke.

We also have to ask just how Tutin was selected to replace Dillard’s original counsel Dan Totten of Athens? Could it be that Tutin has connections to the attorney general’s office…connections that would make a deal that more likely?

If Dillard should make a sweetheart deal with the state prosecutors, he still may face local charges of smuggling drugs into the detention center, something he was reportedly blackmailed for by at least one enterprising young client. Deal or no deal, the trial date for Dillard and co-defendants Tim Staggs and Brett Mitchell is in December.

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Our National Anthem/Tuten to Defend Dillard?

National Anthem, The Panty Tree Again & Contacting the Rider

By: The Midnight Rider

National Anthem

Civil War

World War I

World War II

Korean War

Vietnam War

Desert Shield

Desert Storm

War on Terrorism

You may be wondering what the Rider is getting at with the above pictures. I want to remind people of the sacrifices that have been made to keep us free. As probably all of you know, recently there has been a NFL Player that refused to stand during the National Anthem. Is that his Right, yes? But it is DISRESPECTFUL!

He is free in this great country of ours to play football because of the people that have sacrificed. If he doesn’t like the National Anthem, hold a Press Conference, talk on the TV, or, here is an idea, write an editorial to Shoalanda Speaks.

Young children look up to “Sports Stars” wanting to be like them. Not standing for the National Anthem can cause a bad influence to a young mind. I think that all of his Sponsors should pull their money, see if he notices that. Where I come from, if he had not stood up during the National Anthem, my Team Players would have stood him up and then we would have had a “discussion” about it after the game.

This Country needs to stand together, not apart. The National Anthem should remind everyone of sacrifices.

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

The Panty Tree

It looks like the Rider has gotten something stirred up with my articles on the Panty Tree. This morning (9-14-16) on KIX-96, they had a lengthy discussion about the Panty Tree. They were asking people to call in if you had donated a pair of panties to the Panty Tree but they would not mention your name. RRIIGGHHTT!!

Contacting the Rider

Let’s try something new. If you have a question for the Midnight Rider or have a topic that I need to investigate, you can contact me via Shoalanda Speaks at shoalanda.speaks@gmail.com. They will forward it to me.

Until then……

I am and always will be, the midnight rider

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When Florence attorney Edward "Chip" Dillard was first arrested, we heard he had some help securing an Athens attorney to take his case. Now we hear he's being repped by Robert Tuten of Huntsville. We doubt that Mr. Tuten is defending Dillard out of the goodness of his heart.

If what a member of the extended Bray family told us several years ago is true, Tuten charged a fee of 400K to represent Christie Bray Scott at her murder trial. Good help obviously ain't cheap...

Chip Dillard Bond Update

A Word from Tony Logan/Update on Chip Dillard

From Tuscumbia Police Chief Tony Logan:

I am so glad that Shoalanda Speaks has helped the Tuscumbia Police Department to keep the case of Elbert Davis in the media. Mr. Davis was an awesome man and his death was a loss to the entire City of Tuscumbia. Please if you know something or someone involved come forward and help us solve this case and bring closure to his family.

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Also congratulations to Katie Logan on her recent win in Tuscumbia municipal elections. She will be an asset to the city.

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Returning to Lauderdale County, most of our readers have probably seen a news story about a notorious madam being returned to the Lauderdale County Detention Center only a week after she was shipped south to begin a prison sentence. Why?

We're pretty sure it wasn't due to a judge having a change of heart concerning her sentencing for drug crimes. She's known to be testifying in a case for the Alabama Attorney General's office, but if anyone had simply needed to speak with her, they could have done that in the DOC lockup. No, logically, she was brought back by the boys in Montgomery to testify before the grand jury. As former Florence police chief Rick Thompson once said, that's only a theory. Is it a plausible theory?

PNS is reporting that Florence attorney Chip Dillard has been returned to Lauderdale County from the Franklin County Detention Center. Since his trial on human trafficking charges isn't until December, why now? Only another theory, but new indictments come to mind. We'll be following this closely.

Chip Dillard Returned to Lauderdale

Did Chip Dillard Have Accomplice(s) in Drug Smuggling?

From a reader:

I know Chip Dillard sold pills to two inmates. XXX and XXX were his clients and they then sold these pills to other inmates in work release. I was there last year. These guys decided they could blackmail Dillard and he let them go as clients. He may not be the only one doing it but he was the only one I knew about.

If true, and we don’t doubt that it is, it’s very interesting, but the state will probably never prosecute Dillard for these alleged crimes. It would mean separate preparation for a trial (Dillard’s human trafficking case is being handled by the attorney general’s office), and if convicted, Dillard would be serving a concurrent sentence. In other words, the state/county would gain nothing from prosecuting this case, but would lose financially.

We have previously heard from well-placed sources that Dillard was being blackmailed by some of the women who will be testifying against him in the human trafficking case. We have to ask why, if true, he was seemingly much more afraid of these women than the two druggies who attempted the same thing?

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From a Rogersville reader:

The Rogersville Police Department actually consists of five full-time officers (including Chief Holden), plus a reserve force. (I know that the 'two officers ' info came from a reader.) Also: Richard Herston's challenger's last name is spelled 'Hagood' -- James Hagood. (The Times Daily misspelled it 'Haygood' when they listed all local municipal candidates.) Councilman Hagood may be on the council's police committee; he may even be the chairman. (I'm not sure if the council's committees in fact have chairpersons, in fact or de facto). Still, I don't know that I would say the police chief 'reports' to the committee. (The council's committees act as liasons and provide oversight, certainly.)

Apologies to Mr. Hagood for misspelling his name. We indeed remember when Hagood accused current mayor Richard Herston of stealing his political signs in a previous campaign.

Perhaps the term “honest politician” is an oxymoron, but are there no persons with integrity to step up to serve the town of Rogersville?

Two Lawyers with No Licenses to Practice

In the U.S., an accused person is presumed innocent until proved guilty. Or is he? Say what you will about attorneys, state bar associations are notoriously strict concerning whom they license. Recently two local attorneys have been in the news, both charged with various sexploits. 

Edward Ray “Chip” Dillard now faces over a score of charges related to a local human trafficking scheme. If you check the Alabama Bar Association’s website, you will no longer find Dillard’s name among those licensed to practice in this state. A confidential source has told us Dillard’s Athens attorney Dan C. Totten advised him to surrender his law license immediately after his arrest.

Dillard was booked on the new charges Thursday, raising his bail to $750,000.00 cash. In other words, you will more likely see porkers soaring over the Shoals before you’ll see Dillard walking around as a free man before his trial, now scheduled for December 12th.

Likewise, Dillard’s co-defendant Timothy Staggs was returned to jail on similar new charges. It remains to be seen if he can come up with $100,000.00 more in cash. Several local crime aficionados have contacted us with their predictions concerning the fate of Dillard and Staggs, the term “state’s evidence” running through most of these communications.

Who will flip first? If stories are true that many of these women were bused into Tennessee to participate in parties similar to those alleged to have taken place in Florence and another Shoals town, there may be federal charges in the offing…and a chance for both Dillard and Staggs to name those in a larger network.

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Dillard isn’t the only Florence attorney whose name no longer appears among those licensed to practice in Alabama. You’ll no longer find the name of Donald Tipper among the ranks of licensed lawyers in the Shoals.

Tipper is currently under indictment for the first degree rape of a client. He’s no stranger to criminal charges, having been arrested for possession of cocaine during a traffic stop several years ago. For whatever reason, these charges were dropped, and Tipper continued on his merry way until his February arrest for rape.

At least eight women have agreed to testify that the married Tipper either paid them for sexual favors or bartered legal services for the same. Now Tipper has requested the testimony of these women be excluded as irrelevant to the case. We do agree that being an absolute sleezeball doesn’t make one a rapist. If the case comes to trial, there should be standing room only in the courtroom.

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Shoals Democratic Club Meeting

Monday July 18th, 2016 

Speaker is Dr. Jess Brown

Location: Operating Engineers Hall, Dr. Hicks Blvd. 

Florence, Alabama Time: 6:00 p.m. for food and 6:30 p.m. Event

A Little about Dr Brown:

Recently retired professor of government and public affairs from Athens State after 34 years in the classroom. Dr. Jess Brown has served as a commentator and analyst for mass media in Alabama for a generation. Has conducted exit polls for all of the network affiliated TV stations in Huntsville. Has been a guest on all of Huntsville's TV stations, but appears mostly on Channel 19. Appears often on Channel 19's public affairs show, Leadership Perspectives, and is a weekly guest on the region's dominant talk radio show, The Dale Jackson Show. Is probably the best known professor for political commentary in the Tennessee Valley region of the state. Has served as an election night analyst for every election cycle since the Reagan-Carter election of 1980.

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Excel Computers owner and former Florence City School Board member Jim Fisher has thrown his hat into the ring for District 6 council member. He will be facing incumbent Andy Betterton and Bob Hill in the August 23rd election.

Sheffield/Questions about Sex Trafficking Case

Yes, we’ve heard it all before: Shoals area officials say (fill in the blank) will be the economic salvation of the area. Yet for the past 40 years, whether it be TVA’s Yellow Creek or a DreamVision scam, nothing major has ever prospered in the area, if it even arrived in the first place.

Now that could change. Big things are reportedly happening in Sheffield. Yes, Sheffield. Is it too good to be true? We hope not. If proposed plans come to fruition, Sheffield could indeed become the real center of the Quad-Cities. If you’re a praying person, now’s the time to do it.

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Has there ever been a human trafficking case in the Shoals? If there has been one before Florence residents Chip Dillard and Tim Staggs were charged last month, we can’t recall it. Obviously the nature of the case and the high profile of one of the arrestees have created much interest in the proceedings. It’s also provided fodder for the rumor mill which has been in overdrive since the announcements of the indictments and arrests. So what’s true and what isn’t?

* Some of the female victims were underage? False. The current ages of the victims range from 21 to 31.

* Tim Staggs is a licensed bail bondsman? False. There’s no record of Staggs being licensed to act as a bondsman. In other words, he provided cash to bond the victims out from both Lauderdale and Colbert County correctional facilities. As to who came up with this lovely scheme, we don’t know.

* Dillard, Staggs, and co-defendant Brett Mitchell will undoubtedly be found guilty? False. While we hear the Lauderdale DA’s office says the case against Dillard and Staggs is a slam-dunk, a local judge has commented that the evidence against Mitchell won’t hold up in court. We can probably expect a plea on some sort of misdemeanor in that case.

* Staggs, if convicted, will get probation due to his age? False. It’s true that Staggs will be 84 in two weeks; however, the severity of his crime mandates a prison sentence. The state prison system has room in the Hamilton Aged and Infirm unit for at least one more, and the Attorney General’s office will fight any request for probation.

* Dillard threatened one witness with “assault or murder?” True. At least that is the wording in the indictment against the Florence attorney. He’s not accused of some oblique statement that it wouldn’t be in her best interest to testify, but in actually threatening at least bodily harm if not worse if she provided a statement to the grand jury.

* There will be more indictments in the case? Making an educated guess, that statement is true.

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Don’t forget the Lauderdale Rabies Clinic continues through Saturday. Click on the ad in our sidebar for dates and times.

Municipal Elections/Elzo Jeremiah Robins

Do municipal elections matter? We think they do. Learn what you can about the candidates and, above all, vote.

If you live in Florence, you should have received an invitation to a First Friday reception featuring mayoral candidate Susan Goode. Unfortunately, many readers have reported to us that they didn’t receive the mail-out until Friday, some not even bringing in their mail until arriving home after the start of the event.

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More online solicitation: Two days ago we blogged about a career criminal who’s now soliciting young girls over Facebook. Here’s another one that has actually been indicted; unfortunately, Elzo Robins hasn’t yet been captured. Surely some of our readers know where he is:

Elzo Jeremiah Robins

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As far as we know, there have been no new indictments or arrest warrants issued in the Chip Dillard/Tim Staggs sex trafficking case. It’s been reported that two new search warrants have been issued. The Lauderdale Grand Jury meets again in about two weeks. Expect more fireworks then.

In the mean time, here’s a pic of one of the sweet innocents allegedly dragged into the Florence attorney’s scheme:

Is this the North Florence McDonald's?

Get Your Lawyer Jokes Here!/Tim Staggs

AL.com’s John Archibald was recently asked why there was so little interest in the Mike Hubbard trial. He replied the lack of interest was due to the proceedings now going on for three years and so far not one mention of sex. We guess that’s at least one good point for Hubbard.

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We mentioned yesterday that the Reginald Brett Mitchell case had been assigned to Gil Self, a witness in a related case. We’ve been informed that the case has now been transferred to Mike Jones’ docket. Jones is also presiding judge in the Tim Staggs and Chip Dillard cases.

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The Shoals legal profession has certainly been the brunt of jokes this past week. We understand that the area will be getting satellite offices of two well known firms—the nationally known law firm of Dewey, Cheatem, & Howe, as well as that Birmingham icon of Brashly Arrogant.

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We’ve certainly had a great number of readers ask us why attorney Chip Dillard can’t make a 500K cash bond. It’s our opinion it would be difficult for almost anyone to come up with that amount of cash, but we’ll address Dillard’s personal situation as we know it.

For years, Dillard was in the U.S. Army; in other words, he wasn’t making the big bucks. After the military, he has set up two practices—that means starting almost from scratch each time. He’s been in and out of rehab many times—that’s not cheap. Reportedly his lifestyle wasn’t cheap either.

We can find no record of Dillard owning any property in either Lauderdale or Colbert Counties. At the time of his arrest, his official address was an apartment in north Florence that reportedly belonged to a relative.

You can expect to see flying monkeys before you’ll see Dillard make bail…and we’re sure that’s what Luther Strange and his office wanted. As for Staggs, that’s a totally different story, albeit one that the TimesDaily is, for whatever reason, not reporting.

Read it here: Tim Staggs to Skip Country?