Still, taxpayers were paying for the county Web site, on which Paschall tried posting political endorsements -- before Jeffco commissioners told him to back down. Who knows what's next? Bad behavior is a cherished tradition in this county, though; it produced Hall of Shame favorite John Stone, Jeffco's former sheriff. So Paschall's got some big shoes to fill.
7. Rick Stanley. Misunderstood advocate for the right to bear arms. Beacon of constitutional truth. And now, inmate of Adams County Jail. Following months of repeated alarms and alerts to his posse that his arrest was imminent, the armed activist was taken into custody after a short chase on October 18 by members of Denver's SWAT squad and federal agents. The former Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate (platform: gun rights and nothing but gun rights) had been arrested last year for openly wearing a .357 revolver at a Thornton community event; he was later convicted. After an appeal failed, Stanley took matters into his own hands -- skipping a sentencing review and sending what prosecutors described as threatening notes to two of his judges. Now Stanley, who's set to serve time in Denver after finishing his stint in Adams, faces two felony counts of attempting to influence a public official; he has two dates in court early next year.
Kenny Be
Kenny Be
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From behind bars, Stanley (somehow) continues to transmit the Stanley Scoop, his electronic missives. "I am currently an inmate in the Adams County Detention Facility," he says in a recent e-mail, "and I am here charged with two rules violations. The alleged major charge is 'failing to lockdown in a timely manner when ordered.' Section 2B of the ACDF Inmate Rules exonerates me of this charge stating, 'lockdown means you will go inside your room or to your means, you will go inside your room or to your cot and remain there until told otherwise.' Nowhere in the 'inmate Lockdown Rule Section,' does it detail in the rules that an inmate lock themselves in, or even close the door. Deputy Dominguez, my accuser, admitted in his report, that each time lockdown was called for, Stanley was in his room (cell), each time a warning was given to him. The alleged minor charge is Failure to obey a direct, 'lawful' order of a staff member."
Sigh. Many paragraphs later: "I follow the rules," he says. "I have been cooperative in all 'lawful orders' given to me, and I have conducted myself in a manner of one who adheres to the rules in the inmate handbook. While I am used to unlawful treatment from the Adams County law enforcement and judicial branch of government, these actions are wrong, as is my incarceration here for exercising my Constitutional right to openly carry a weapon openly anywhere in Colorado, as well as filing a pleading with the courts, petitioning judges for redress of grievance and free symbolic speech rights. I am a political prisoner, denied my freedom and liberty for the crime against the state of -- 'EXERCISING MY CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS...'"
You can lock him up, but you can't shut him up.
8. Daryl Gardener. There have been plenty of pro-sports jerks in this town. But it takes someone special to make "that little man up there" seem sympathetic.
Where to begin? A guy accepts a $5 million bonus as part of a seven-year, $34.8 million contract to play football, then hurts his hand in a late-night pancake dust-up before the season even begins. He misses some games, and then, when he returns, he plays so poorly that Coach Mike Shanahan suspends him right there and puts together a low-light reel to show the team. Rather than leave bad enough alone, the 6'6", 295-pound refugee from the Redskins goes on a tirade on KRFX with DJs Lewis and Floorwax.
"Right now, I have to believe it was a sabotage for me to react, in order for them to suspend me for the year, or for conduct detrimental to the team," Daryl Gardener told the radio audience. "It was a setup, because things weren't quite right." Then the "little man" quote (about Shanahan) netted the eight-year veteran another suspension, this time for two games -- and a loss of some $600,000 more in salary -- before the cruel end came.
To no one's surprise, Shanny gave him the rest of the year off so that he could get treatment for a "non-football illness" and unspecified personal issues. "I'll let them stay with him, and I'll respect that," Shanahan said. "I'm hoping the best for him and that things get taken care of."
The player's agent affirmed that the issues weren't drugs or alcohol. Hmmm...maple syrup, maybe?
