It never would have happened if the Globe hadn't let John Hacker slip through its fingers.
During his last months at the Globe, Hacker, who has always had a reputation as the hardest working reporter in the area, had made deep in-roads in his coverage of McDonald County. If he had still been at the Globe, undoubtedly the Globe would have been all over the filing of sex charges against Rev. Raymond Lambert, his wife and her brothers (Lambert's stepbrothers) in connection with the cult-like Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church.
The story was first broken in The Turner Report, but the first in-depth coverage was offered by John Ford of the Neosho Daily News. As far as I can tell, the Globe has still had not had any coverage of the filing of charges. (Lambert and the others have still not been arrested. According to the Daily's coverage, they are scheduled to turn themselves in Monday.)
Let's take a look at this case:
-We have charges of child molestation filed against four top officials in an area church.
-Some of these charges date back to the 1970s, meaning that if if they turn out to be true, this is something that has been going on for a long time.
-We have McDonald County Prosecuting Attorney Steve Geeding allowing accused child molesters to decide when they are going to turn themselves in. Is this the regular practice in McDonald County?
-We have numerous references to a "compound" where the Lamberts and Eplings lived and stories have circulated for years about the cult-like influence of the late Cecil Epling, the father of three of those charged, Paul Epling, Tom Epling and Patricia Lambert, and the stepfather of Rev. Raymond Lambert.
This is the kind of a story that the biggest newspaper in this area should have been all over, but it has been strangely silent. Fortunately, I have no doubt McDonald County residents will be well served by John Ford's continuing coverage in the Neosho Daily News.
5 comments:
Steve Geeding is a disgrace. To allow an accused child molesters to decide when to turn themselves in is outrageous! No wonder more people don't come forward when molested.
So,when did we start letting our criminals decide when they go to jail? What I want to know is what makes them so much better than all the other child molesters,rapist and killers?Why did they get to enjoy another weekend of freedom?This is crazy!They disgust me! I live very close to them and I have small children.I'm very disappointed about the way our law enforcement has handled the whole situation.
I believe it was up to the judge himself about when the criminals could turn themselves in. Things would be much better in McDonald County if good ole Bob Evenson and the judge weren't fishing buddies. Don't get it yet? Evenson is the dumbass attorney for these child molesters, so undoubtedly, he and the judge had made a bargain while they were out fishing...its too bad because it looks like this thing is going to explode into the media and make McDonald County officials look like the criminals themselves.
Who I saw representing them tonight on the news was Duane Cooper. IF the good old fishing buddies, as you put it, set this up as to when to allow child molesters to turn themselves in that is outrageous. Vote the judge out and the worthless prosecutor while you are at it because I believe he was in on it, too. Sounds a little like the Newton County attorneys I know work. Go to lunch with each other, kick back with a few drinks after work, then decide what is right for your client. Stinks like a skunk to me.
John Ford has long been a favorite of mine....always has an enjoyable column, writes very well and is also a great reporter. Rogers also is a good writer but lets face it....Todd Higdon and Buzzy Ball need to disappear. They have no talent. I imagine Todd got his job by someone being a buddy of his banking daddy (that we don't care to read about ..or the rest of his famiy) and Buzzy inherited his position also because of his daddy. Time for them to go away...the faster the better.
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