S'morton Bret Alan Smith Jailed (2)

[AmazonGrace]

How do we know he hasn't been arraigned? Did someone post about it or did you check a court database or something?

The news coverage seems rather sparse.

[Burpies]

Their company also offers "Family Protection Consulting." [emoji20] 

What does that mean? Does that mean protection with guns? Evaluating the home for security, moat placement, alligator pits and such? Or does that mean something else?

[fundiefan]

1 hour ago, nickelodeon said:

Their company also offers "Family Protection Consulting."  

 

That's how they have always supported themselves, and why Alan is mostly a grafter with no skills. Whatever they can do 'from home' - without getting a real job, promoting themselves/their beliefs, whatever they can do to bilk Chritians out of money - is how they have always done it. The current list on that page is kind of pathetic; they are clearing scraping at anything they can possibly come up with to make a buck here or another buck there. It's a hodge podge of what they can get their kids to do and which of their religious / fucked up beliefs they think they can sell to someone naïve enough to buy.

It's why there is no money for Katie - her husband followed entirely in his father's footsteps and made any money he had by selling 'himself' (and no doubt his sons were being sold for their services, or soon would be with the oldest being 9) rather than doing something capable of supporting his ever growing brood.

[MamaB]

1 hour ago, fundiefan said:

 

It's why there is no money for Katie - her husband followed entirely in his father's footsteps and made any money he had by selling 'himself' (and no doubt his sons were being sold for their services, or soon would be with the oldest being 9) rather than doing something capable of supporting his ever growing brood.

Actually the elder bret smith had a government job I think. Or something with computers. 

His son was the only one without an actual job.

[fundiefan]

Maybe he did, but he doesn't now. And Alan has never done anything other than what his father or father-in-law (even his brothers-in-law) created for him to do. And I think it's clear the elder Bret Smith is planning on the same for the rest of his sons. Hopefully they grow up with more determination to actually make something of themselves and not like Alan did who grew up pretty convinced he need do nothing but impregnate his wife in order to be the special one and everyone else would provide because he's fucking Bret Alan Smith Jr.

[JMO]

The whole list of services is quite varied:

Agricultural Day Labor Pulling Weeds, Picking Produce, Demolition, Pivot Maintenance, etc.

Carpentry Framing, Trim, Decks, Siding, etc

Simple PlumbingAudio/Video TV Commercials, Video Productions, Audio Recording, etc.

Internet/Computers Simple Websites, YouTube Videos, Network Administration

Music Christian Music Performance, Instruction

Simple Auto RepairsAccounting Tax Returns, Payroll, Bookkeeping

Education Consulting Computerized Homeschool & Christian School Curriculum

Gunsmithing & Knife Sharpening

Vehicle MPG Analysis & Improvement

Family Protection Consulting

All Natural Vanilla Extract 

They will pick your strawberries, play a trumpet for your biblical wedding, change your oil, clean your rifle, set up a website, and give you a bottle of vanilla extract! 

BTW, based on what I've seen of this business website not to mention their recent youtube videos (there are some new bilingual ones from July), I would NEVER hire them for IT help.  

 

[fundiefan]

I can't imagine anyone hiring them for anything. If I am going to pay someone for something, I want them to be the best. Experts. Focused on that one thing so they know it inside out, have advanced knowledge and skill, all the things you look for when paying someone to do what you cannot do yourself. Not someone who has so many irons in the fire it takes a paragraph to describe their 'services' and they include the word 'etc' in those descriptions.

If I want a jack of all trades to just muddle through, I'll hire a kid in high school who isn't sure what he wants to do but it passable at many things. Or hell, give it a shot myself.

I can't play the trumpet (if the SMorton weddings are any indication, no Smith can do that either) but I could build a basic website if I had good books, do my own taxes if I am not itemizing deductions, etc....it's ridiculous the 'services' they are offering up as a business. I wouldn't trust my payroll or taxes or car repairs to someone who says they can do it all. I wouldn't trust anything to anyone who says they can do it all.

[JustAnotherMaiden]

Bret Smith Sr. is an air traffic controller. He is imminently retiring due to his health problems (heart condition). That is what I gleaned from Jacqueline's Facebook before it was deleted. But he definitely seems to have steered his son into the idea of creating a home business. That's the difference between the Smiths and the Mortons. The Mortons had a seemingly successful family construction business for their sons to join. 

[Lurky]

One of Captain Bret's businesses is selling products and online seminars all about how to start at-home businesses, so I'm guessing his sons were his experiments for that

[justwatching]

21 hours ago, SparkleMomma said:

I'm also in the camp of not judging their words. I feel it's obvious they are intending to show their public support. Unfortunately it's hard to know what to say in these situations- fundie or not. If Katie is managing to take care of herself and her children through all of this (while also recovering from birth), that seems pretty heroic. Does anyone know if the Morton parents are still stateside? I hope so for Katie's sake. 

I agree.  If I were in their position I would no doubt be numb.  I agree that it's unfair to judge their words at this time.

[JustAnotherMaiden]

21 hours ago, SparkleMomma said:

I'm also in the camp of not judging their words. I feel it's obvious they are intending to show their public support. Unfortunately it's hard to know what to say in these situations- fundie or not. If Katie is managing to take care of herself and her children through all of this (while also recovering from birth), that seems pretty heroic. Does anyone know if the Morton parents are still stateside? I hope so for Katie's sake. 

Jeanine Morton posted a photo from Calathora, the Morton compound, on Instagram today with Katie's oldest son in front of Wesley & Rachel's house. 

[Palimpsest]

2 hours ago, justwatching said:

I agree.  If I were in their position I would no doubt be numb.  I agree that it's unfair to judge their words at this time.

Numbness - granted.  Shock - granted.  Need for family to process - granted.

The ones that talk show their true colors.  They may be on the side of righteousness - or not.  They may be in denial - or not.  They may be in possession of the facts - or not. Those who have a modicum of common sense in these circumstances should shut up - or side with the victim(s).

All that said, I will judge them by their words.  How else can we try to understand what is going on in their little Fundie heads?

I'm all for giving people (even Fundies) the benefit of the doubt - and will try to understand if the optimists' hopes get sunk deeper than the Titanic.

Oh, and someone above asked - has Bret Alan Smith been convicted yet?  No.  Of course not.  It will be months, if not years, until this gets to trial.  

If he doesn't cop a plea first.

[JesusCampSongs]

9 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

How do we know he hasn't been arraigned? Did someone post about it or did you check a court database or something?

The news coverage seems rather sparse.

Usually, FJers other than myself are pretty on-the-ball with checking court records, which are public record and often available online. That said, there can be lag time between when something happens and when the records get posted, especially in small, sparsely populated, rural counties. Civil service workers wear many hats out in the woods. 

If the initial investigation is ongoing, he may not have been arraigned because the police and district attorney are still deciding what all to charge him with. Given the insularity of the family as well as the large number of potential victims, it could take a few weeks. He'll probably be in jail for that; I doubt anyone he's related to has the money or inclination to spring him.

[dramallama]

5 hours ago, JustAnotherMaiden said:

Bret Smith Sr. is an air traffic controller. He is imminently retiring due to his health problems (heart condition). That is what I gleaned from Jacqueline's Facebook before it was deleted. But he definitely seems to have steered his son into the idea of creating a home business. That's the difference between the Smiths and the Mortons. The Mortons had a seemingly successful family construction business for their sons to join. 

This is mind-boggling to me.  I am trying to imagine Cap'n Bret and all of his batshittery holding down a regular job with normal people as co-workers and supervisors and I just cannot fathom how he is able to suppress or hide his true self well enough to avoid being fired for constantly harassing everyone he encounters with the innumerable ways in which they are, doubtless, Doing It Wrong - from women in the workplace to co-workers who have their kids in GUBMINT SCHOOLS and so on.  

[Lurky]

So, I know nothing about USA justice systems.  What happens if the Georgia police decide there's a case too?  Is there 2 separate trials, if he doesn't plead guilty?  Or does 1 jurisdiction prosecute on behalf of the other?  Trying to work out how it impacts on the victims - can they, eg, give testimony that can count for more than one state?

[DaisyD]

As far as I know there will be trials in any and all jurisdictions that choose to press charges. They could potentially even convict him in absentia, though I don't know that they would. Frequently, it seems to me at least, states work together on that but each wants their own pound of flesh (so to speak). They will work out if his sentences (if he's convicted in more than on place) will be served concurrently or consecutively. *****

 

*****I'm not even close to being a lawyer. This is all from things I've picked up on poking around the aftermath of various famous cases. Please, anyone, correct me if I'm wrong.

[SpoonfulOSugar]

1 hour ago, Lurky said:

So, I know nothing about USA justice systems.  What happens if the Georgia police decide there's a case too?  Is there 2 separate trials, if he doesn't plead guilty?  Or does 1 jurisdiction prosecute on behalf of the other?  Trying to work out how it impacts on the victims - can they, eg, give testimony that can count for more than one state?

These are potentially two different jurisdictions, but both in Georgia.  Same laws, likely same charges, but because the crimes are in two locations, it does give the prosecutors two chances to get this man punished.

I believe, however, that the victim(s) would have to testify in each jurisdiction.  Plea bargaining is a common tactic where the defendant accepts "less" to avoid going to trial.  I expect that will be likely in this case.  I really expect he will be charged with as much as possible so they can bargain down.  I don't know if it is allowed to work across jurisdictions for a global resolution.  (It is to some extent in the federal court system.)

One difference I am aware of is the US justice system does not generally place a gag order on the participants prior to trial.  So the prosecutor and the defense attorneys both can talk to the media.  I believe the rules are much stricter in the UK.

I was trying to find a good explanation of the Georgia court system, but I haven't yet.  One thing to keep in mind is that some of the structure is dependent upon the particular state.  So while we might have a general idea, if we aren't Georgians, we may be puzzling some elements out, too.

(If you look at the article reporting the crime - towards the end it talks about "deadly sins" and indicates that the bail/bond for those is handled a bit differently.  That is not terminology I had seen before.)

[SolomonFundy]

Granny Scarlett is back with a serving of slow-cooker ham and beans, and some pictures of a visiting grandchild. Other than a linked video of someone performing a song called "In Brokenness You Shine", there's no indication of comment on Alan from her quarter.

It's hard to even guess when Alan may be arraigned. There is no legal instrument in place to guarantee that it happens within a certain frame of time. If other counties are seeking charges, it's very possible that it could take months. Since rape is included in Georgia law under its "Seven Deadly Sins" classification,  he is denied bond. According the the Moultrie Observer article we've all read, a Georgia State Superior Court Judge will have to grant bond, if it's given at all. He's facing a minimum of 10 years in state prison if he is actually charged. For anyone interested, here's a brief description of the Georgia SDS law (and pertinent sentencing):

Quote

Georgia's “Seven Deadly Sins” law was passed in 1995. The law mandates, for a first felony offense, a non-parolable sentence of at least 10 years in prison for rape, armed robbery, kidnapping, aggravated sodomy, aggravated sexual battery, or aggravated child molestation

If he pleads guilty, there will probably never be a trial. If he asserts that he is innocent, a trial is possible, but it's likely that he will accept a plea to avoid even more prison time. Alan is a young man, and spending 10 years in prison means that he could be out in his early 40s. If this goes to trial, and his victim(s) are forced to testify, it's entirely possible that he will be sentenced to far more time. I just don't see this ever going to trial.

The family seems to be rallying around Katie as opposed to rallying against the Ebil Gubment for Headship Kidnapping. That is very telling and strongly suggests that the charges are generally believed to be true within the family. My personal opinion is that circumstantial evidence is pretty damning, and Alan is facing at least 10 years in prison. If he is charged for more than one victim, or by more than one county, it's going to be closer to 20 years. He will serve every day of whatever he is sentenced.

[Roux]

Georgia is pretty similar to where I am, but it varies county to county. Smaller counties may be included in a single circuit so it may take a couple months for the one judge in the circuit to have an arraignment day. However, a defendant can sign off on a waiver of arraignment and entry of plea to speed things along. This is pretty common. The separate counties will be in communication but will be separate trials and/or pleas. The county that is the second/successive county to try will decide if the sentences are concurrent or consecutive. As above posters have said (at least where I am) you plea in hopes of less time. This is done a lot by pleading to one charge in exchange for the prosecutor dropping other counts if it's multiple counts

[Lurky]

Thanks for the info, @SpoonfulOSugar, @SolomonFundy & @Roux.  I hope the Smith family are pushing him to plead guilty, so it means the victims don't have to re-live the abuse (though of course, they wouldn't necessarily have any control over him)

[JesusCampSongs]

1 hour ago, Lurky said:

Thanks for the info, @SpoonfulOSugar, @SolomonFundy & @Roux.  I hope the Smith family are pushing him to plead guilty, so it means the victims don't have to re-live the abuse (though of course, they wouldn't necessarily have any control over him)

Most prosecutors are pretty good about getting plea bargains in cases like this, usually through threats of additional charges (in theory, they can hit him with a separate charge for every single incident the victim can recall) or a longer sentence. I don't know what the sentencing guidelines for rape and incest are in Georgia, but here in North Carolina, he'd be looking at twelve to life, between the likely age difference, forcible act, and incest. I've worked with a few kids who were victimized by older relatives (unfortunately), and all of the offenders pleaded guilty and got at least 20 years. 

That said, I'm not sure that I'd be itching to get out of prison if I did something like that and got caught. Being a registered sex offender in the US is kind of the worst; it's nearly impossible to find housing and employment, and since they're automatically felons, they're also often ineligible for antipoverty programs (especially in conservative states). Huge numbers of them are homeless. At least in prison, you have somewhere to live, food to eat, and access to healthcare. 

[halcionne]

I'm not sure if it's an official site, since it's a dot com and not a dot gov, but I found a circuit schedule for the next few months. If I'm reading it correctly, Alan won't be able to seek bond until at least August 16, and the court won't be handling arraignments before October. The relevant venues are Moultrie and Colquitt; I have no idea where the other venues on the schedule are located.

http://www.southernjudicialcircuit.com/so0200cal.htm

[MamaJunebug]

On August 5, 2016 at 0:34 AM, snowgirl said:

*when the rescue ferrets take you on a side road. . .*

So I was just looking at links, and I found this

http://thedigitaltutor-com.3dcartstores.com/Terebinth-Contracting_ep_43-1.html

Apparently this link is for their air conditioning company.  However?

I don't understand the trumpet in the picture at the very bottom of the page.  I am confused why it would be there for an air conditioning business?

IIRC - and I may not - part of the sorry ceremony of the Alan/Katie wedding was that a guy rode or drove to where Katie was waiting and standing outside, (pitifully) blew a "let's go" tune on a bugle or trumpet.  At which K and her maids piled into a car and drove to the barn (again IIRC) where fancy-britches was waiting for his foot washing … oh, and the exchange of wedding vows of course  

…  barfing a little in my mouth as I recall watching the video …

[SparkleMomma]

I really hope this miserable excuse for a human pleads guilty (with a sentencing of no less than 18 years so all of his children are grown). I would like to hope that he wouldn't put his victim(s) through the trauma of testifying. But I'm sure if he took a plea deal, it would only be to save his own ass. I also really hope he's denied bond or doesn't even apply for it. I'm also curious if Katie could talk to or visit him. Of course she may not want to (I sure wouldn't.), but I didn't know if she could if she's considered a witness or whatnot. Surely he has no rights to talk to or have visitation from his children though.

[Mudgie]

I assume (as I honestly don't know factually how this process works) that the investigation is likely ongoing and I wonder the likelihood or chance of additional victims coming forward or being discovered. I assume things like his computer, phone etc either have been or will be seized to seek additional evidence as part of an ongoing investigation. 

Maybe I've simply seen too many crime procedural dramas on television, but I'm thinking perhaps that things like that are happening. Although he's been arrested that doesn't mean additional charges won't be brought against him later, it simply means that at this time they possessed enough evidence to warrant and arrest. 

Hopefully someone with factual knowledge can correct me or add to this.