It could happen to you…

Someone is out to get you. The next thing you know, you are charged with committing crimes.

You know you are innocent and that the police are corrupt, but NO ONE will do anything about it. The police lie. The judges smirk. It devastates your life, robs you of your money, and keeps you in fear of being sent to prison. We have to do something! Read all about it….

Kristi Devine was one of the first supporters of GRIP (Government Reform & Integrity Platform). She has agreed to sign the Contract with the Citizens of the United States.

This blog was written by Kristi Devine in response to an article in the Newburyport News:

My apologies for my absence in campaigning and being at Candidatesâ€™ Night. I am effectively under house arrest as I am not free to enter or exit my driveway without risk of arrest and incarceration. Nothing new. Just a little more outrageous and overt than usual.

holmes-lisa-200w

Police Chief Lisa Holmes

On March 30, 2011 I was in court with Officer Rivet for five false charges brought forth by him in conjunction with Chief Holmes that had been DISMISSED – – – TWICE. (police officers get time and a half for a minimum of three hours each time they go to court. Moreover, it’s been over two years since I filed a formal written complaint requesting an investigation into him, and that was before I knew he worked under L’Esperance in Salisbury an West Newbury at all times). After Officer Rivet LIED under oath about a number of things, the Clerk decided it should go to trial. Thus, I was arraigned, again, but most significant is the fact that if I get falsely charged with anything between now and my trial, I will go to jail for 60 days WITHOUT A HEARING. I then proceeded to go to an attorneyâ€™s office where we discussed the continuation of the pattern of West Newbury Police to continue the eleven year campaign of threatening my liberty and attempting to force me from the town, and various options were discussed of where to go from here so that I would not be incarcerated. All plans were put on hold when that evening, as I awaited news of a friend who was dying, my husband received the shocking news that his sister had three to four months to live. Plans were made to leave for New York forthwith, and that we would be doing so every weekend until her demise. I hope everyone is understanding of my lack of campaigning during this period. My sister-in-lawâ€™s wake, in NY, was the same night as Candidatesâ€™ Night, she did not make it through three to four weeks, let alone months.

The day before Candidatesâ€™ Night I spent ANOTHER day in court, the judge threatening me that I either had to get a lawyer or sign a waiver to my rights to a lawyer and that each of the five charges carries with is a two and a half year jail term. I signed the waiver stating that I wanted a lawyer but could not afford one and my application to be assigned a court appointed lawyer had been denied. I waited, as I had to, to go before the judge again, and when I did, he said he could not accept the waiver because I had written on it, and that I would have to come back on April 20, 2011 to sign it again. When I offered to sign another one right there and then he said no I would have to come back. He smirked.

Each time I go to court I wait hours and hours, paying attorneys for all this, while West Newbury Police get their time and a half and I get bankrupted. There is no more money for lawyers, and I can show hundreds of thousands of dollars for expenses for what these false charges have cost me over the years only to have EVERYTHING dismissed. What I canâ€™t show you is all the lies and things done by the police, in conjunction with the courts to destroy my family and me, unrelenting, that continue right up to the present, and the never ending paper trail of my begging selectmen to do something about the carnage of my family.

Selectmen at all times, including recently when FINALLY a meeting was scheduled to meet with the Chief, Town Counsel, and Chairman Atwood, turn a blind eye to the facts and the truth. The Chief refused to attend only after it was scheduled pursuant to her availability, and I learned of this only when I showed up to the meeting with a stenographer and 3 cases worth of evidence to enter to selectmen in conjunction with the Chiefsâ€™ responses. This was on March 16, 2011.

I have offered much, and will provide more in the way of showing the never-ending litany of police misconduct and abuse to the selectmen, but I have been willing to do so for the last eleven years, to no avail. What the townspeople should take away from all of this is that UNLESS the selectmen intervene, and demand accountability and integrity from their police, you are all at the whims of their malice and worse, because the courts donâ€™t care what is really going on beyond what corrupt police spoon-feed them. And has any town produced more of a monster than Lâ€™Esperance? And, as you can see, unlike all my false charges, arrests, and incarcerations only to have the charges dismissed, Lâ€™Esperance has yet to be charged for anything!

lesperance-david-200w

David L’Esperance

In my case, Lâ€™Esperance was the court Liaison for all crimes in West Newbury, Holmes, at all times his accomplice and supervisor.

And so I ask my opponents who claim Transparency and Accountability, what beyond your efforts to paint me as the problem have you done to clean up your police department and avert lawsuits for the police misconduct rampant in your police department?

What have you done to EVER respond to any of my letters or formal written complaints to investigate what has gone on in this town under YOUR WATCH? What have you done to investigate those crimes committed by Lâ€™Esperance against your community? What have you done to investigate ANYTHING of what can no longer be denied as egregious police misconduct? How many others suffer in silence because of the retaliation I have endured because YOU WONâ€™T DO YOUR JOBS?

If not you, then WHO is responsible for the honesty and integrity of our police department? How is this town well served, and the citizens safe when the worst of crimes are committed by those who where badges and carry guns?

How do YOU spell Lâ€™Esperance and sleep at night?

Why do you continue to cover for police misconduct in the face of the truth and the facts? What does that say about YOUR INTEGRITY?

Kristi Devine

“The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who do nothing about it.” – A.E.

Update to Kristi’s Blog:

Reader:

As someone looking to be an informed voter, I don’t really see (based on your three posts) where you stand on all the issues. Obviously, investigating corruption in town seems to be a priority for you. But what’s your stance on the current budget issues in the school district? What’s your opinion on the CPA tax surcharge? How do you think your contempt for the town police department will help or hinder your ability to serve on the BOS? Will your ‘house arrest’ [I wasn’t sure if that was literal or figurative–working on little sleep, sorry!] prohibit you from serving on the board? Other than the corruption within town, how do you plan, if elected, to make the toWN a better place during your term? What specific improvements will you recommend regarding the issues that I’m passionate about–I understand that your having an ongoing issue with the police, but that does not directly impact me [I’ve never had a negative interaction with the WNPD]. What will impact me is, as I’ve mentioned, what happens to our school district, the CPA tax surcharge status, etc.

Kristi:

THANK YOU for asking. I have been sent a questionaire that requests much the same, and will respond under a different forum, but YES, rooting out corruption, and leaders with a lack of integrity, honesty, accountability and transparency is my #1 issue/concern, primarily because I think EVERY important decision should be predicated on that, AND THEN dealt with accordingly. I have worked hard toward that end, much of what is unknown to people in this town, because all my efforts here have been either ignored or hidden, but I have expanded on what I have been doing in between false charges and arrests in a newspaper I intend to distribute in the near future.

But I can’t emphasize enough that all good government and decisions need to be devoid of corruption, and ALL corruption starts in our own backyards and works it’s way UP. It should be of concern to everyone that we have an honest and open government, because without that, there is no hope for an upstanding police department, and most especially Chief, and can just as well corrupt other departments. And even when you are not directly affected by, for example, the police, you are most certainly being indirectly affected. That all of this malicious prosecution of me is funded by taxdollars is but one example of the government waste related to corruption, but think of it in terms of what you don’t know of what these same people are doing elsewhere, but even worse the monies siphoned or taken away from other much needed programs.

The short answer to all your questions is that while my number one priority might appear to be corruption, that translates into a lot of different areas of where it can be replaced by integrity thus far better decisions made, and money saved, as a result.

Oh the money, not just I, but YOU would have if not for the corruption and inherent waste, but I will give more specific answers when the forum permits. (you never know when this could dissappear, and there are many who never read the blogs = (

Separately I will provide my email and phone number so that anyone can contact me about their issues, opinions, or questions though I don’t know if it will go through to posting.

Reader:

People should be very saddened, and very concerned of what Ms. Devine obviously continues to go through. If anyone watched the Salisbury meeting where Ms. Devine, and a dozen others spoke of the corruption of L’Esperance, and realize he got his start here with twenty years of being a police officer, AFTER he was charged for embezzlement by the credit union he served on the board of, you really have to wonder what these selectmen are thinking and doing with everything else that goes on in this town. Time for people to wake up, and stand up against what has been allowed to go on with the Devines, the police, and the selectmen. If we don’t demand accountability, we won’t get any, despite what it says on Kemper’s flyer. By the way Glenn, would you mind listing the “concrete steps to make government more transparent and accountable . . .” you took that you list as “Among His Accomplishments…”

Kristi:

From a different article: “Selectmen announced they have signed a three-year contract for police Chief Lisa Holmes”

Well that certainly explains why none of my phone calls to Atwood have been returned and why I have gotten no response to any letters or other asking about independent investigations into matters that should be of serious concern, especially in light of what has now been shown to be true of L’Esperance . . .

Please tell me, do selectmen feel no responsibility for the integrity of our police department, and if not, where do they feel integrity and the truth is important.

Also, I was promised that Selectmen would ask the Chief point blank, if it was her who placed the annonymous vulgar phone call to my home answering machine, and, then we agreed that based on her reply, we would take it from there. And so I ask, what was her answer?

Reader GrumpyOldGuy57 wrote:

I don’t know what is or isn’t factual in Kristi Devine’s posts. If 20% of what she says true, this town has been run more like a banana republic than part of the U S of A.My main concern is… The whole L’Esperance affair points a damning finger at W. Newbury officials, including those in office, now seeking office and holding key posts like Police Chief.WHY is there no investigation? WHERE is the media, doing their job as watchdogs for the citizens, holding public officials accountable? Where is the State DA? FBI?ANYBODY??Have all levels of government completely ceased to function in its most basic role of protecting us from… GOVERNMENT?

Kristi:

Grumpy, the answer to your question is YES, all have completely ceased to protect us. I can prove what’s true, and I can prove that no one cares. I went to the DA, AG, US Atty, Ethics Commission, Inspector General, FBI, State Rep Stanley, and all media after repeatedly going to the selectmen – – – six plus years ago, before L’Esperance’s promotion, and before he became Police Chief.

No one cared, and NO ONE would look at any evidence then, and now. They have bigger fish to fry, and the selectmen have their own agenda. That is exactly when and how I learned how imperitive it is to get honorable selectmen, because nobody else is going to hold anyone else accountable until – – – maybe, it’s way too late and all damage has been done. PLEASE google stories on Millville, Mass about their police department and how selectmen handled it. I provided this information to selectmen during that period and recently, begging that they get that attorney to investigate. (I called him myself, but he only represents municipalities.) Everything that has gone on here could have and would have ended before it began back in 2000 if selectmen did WHAT THEY SAID THEY WOULD DO (KNOWLES, O’SULLIVAN, CUSHING), or did anything about the fact that after all the false charges, arrests, incarceration, and exile of a stay at home mom were dismissed- (KEMPER, KNOWLES, and CUSHING). Instead they have perpetuated the lie that I am crazy to justify their doing NOTHING about what they ignored.

As I mentioned above, recently, when I had prepared to introduce all sorts of evidence THROUGH the police chief, TO the Selectmen, she refused to show, and thereafter she was awarded her ‘new’ three year contract. The evidence relates to her participation in L’Esperance’s ‘activities’, (and as his supervisor), and to what is currently going on.

Seems that nobody cares.

Look to all the other RECENT police misconduct that abounds and tell me, if not the selectmen, than who will do anything about them, even after they have been on paid leave for years. And L’Esperence still gets his pension. Think that money could be put to better use, especially after we put him, and LISA through LAW SCHOOL?

LawlessAmerica:

Why doesn’t the Newbury Port News do a complete expose? Why don’t the Selectmen hold a public hearing? After all, Kristi is a candidate for office. The citizens must hear the truth. If the Selectmen won’t hold a hearing, maybe Kristi should hold her own. If I were Kristi, I would get permission to use a public facility large enough for a good crowd, and I would put on a case against the corruption. I’d invite the Police and the Selectmen to come and defend themselves. It would be an exciting time. It would show all the voters what needs to be driving their vote in this election.

Kristi:

Lawless, please see my response to Grumpy. A public hearing is exactly how other towns would have handled this years ago, and none of this, and much, much more could have gone on, at great financial costs to all. But we had a Town Counsel, then made into Town Counsel/Town Clerk who ‘influenced and advised’ how all this should go down, his only interest covering for the Police Chief, first and foremost. I was hopeful things would be different with the new Town Counsel, but appointed officials are beholden to those that get them there, first and foremost… Same OLD, same OLD, with track records that if the truth were known, the town would be clamoring for an independent investigation into everything. (though I think townspeople think it costs less this way. It does not.)

PLEASE NOTE:

We are going to tell the whole story of what happened to Kristi. Stay tuned. In the meantime, you might find it educational to read about the Chief of Police who she has complained about: