[Vision2020] Idaho senator wants Rep. Mark Patterson to resign

Wed Dec 11 23:59:53 PST 2013

Apparently I'm one of the very few here on the viz who is actually stupid enough to believe in the 'rule of law'.  He was charged with rape.  He plead guilty to assault.  He was sentenced.  He apparently carried out his sentence and stayed out of trouble while he served his two years of probation (there's no info in the article why probation was chopped down from 5 years).  Case closed.

Now moving on to the concealed weapon permit, he failed to disclose his record which he was apparently required to do and thus his permit was yanked.  Did he actually break any laws by withholding information pertaining to his 'withheld judgement'?  If not, then case should closed on this issue as well since it's been dealt with accordingly.

So legally everything seems to be in order here and the brouhaha is  strictly in the political arena.  Democrats have political ammunition against this guy and Republicans are throwing him under the bus as is their nature.

Be careful what you wish for.  If he resigns, this only benefits the Republicans.

From: suehovey at moscow.com
To: scooterd408 at hotmail.com; thansen at moscow.com
CC: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Idaho senator wants Rep. Mark Patterson to resign
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2013 17:11:08 -0800

I’m with Janesta on this one. He claims he didn’t rape her, but he also 
wants folks to cut him some slack because, “I was a young kid.”  He was a 
man 21 years old, who the justice system treated just as they dealt with most 
sexual assaults at that time.  Plead guilty for intent to commit and leave 
town...Problem solved.  

Sueh

From: Scott Dredge 
Sent: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 4:04 PM
To: Tom 
Hansen 
Cc: viz 
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Idaho senator wants Rep. Mark Patterson to 
resign

<Tom asks 'To what crime is rape considered to be a "lesser 
charge"?'>
It would be a lesser charge to pre-meditated murder, but that's 
going in the opposite direction from the case at hand here.

<Why would 
a person plead guilty to a felony, unless he was guilty of that 
felony?>
Because pleading guilty to lesser charge of 'assault with intent 
to commit rape' and being offered a withheld judgement would result in a much 
less severe punishment than rolling the dice on a jury trial and coming up with 
snake eyes.  Same thing applies with the prosecution's case which is why 
they offered him up a sweetheart deal.  And maybe the victim didn't want to 
relive the traumatic event on the witness stand.  I'm pretty certain that 
rape shield was not in effect 40 years ago so the defense probably would have 
had free reign to humiliate her on cross examination and would have probably 
presented things to the jury that it was 'consensual role playing' and 'look 
here at exhibit A - this was the skimpy outfit she was wearing'.  From the 
brief write up in the article, it seems to me he raped the woman, yet he didn't 
plead guilty to it.

I hope this clears things up...

CC: janesta at gmail.com; vision2020 at moscow.com
From: 
thansen at moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Idaho senator wants Rep. Mark 
Patterson to resign
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2013 14:56:29 -0800
To: 
scooterd408 at hotmail.com

So, enlighten us, Mr. Dredge, please . . .

To what crime is rape considered to be a "lesser charge"?  Why would a 
person plead guilty to a felony, unless he was guilty of that felony?

"In May 1974, a then-21-year-old Patterson was charged with rape in 
Tampa.  A 46-year-old woman told police Patterson forced her to have sex 
twice and threatened to have his Doberman pinscher attack her if she refused, 
according to police reports."

Hmmm.

Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
http://www.MoscowCares.com

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"There's room at the top they are telling 
you still But first you must learn how to smile as you kill 
If you want 
to be like the folks on the hill."

- John Lennon

On Dec 11, 2013, at 2:40 PM, Scott Dredge <scooterd408 at hotmail.com> 
wrote:

  Maybe Sunil can weigh in on this one.  My 
  understanding is that pleading guilty to a lesser charge and along with a 
  withheld judgement means that you can check 'no' on a job application question 
  that asks if you've ever been convicted of a felony.  Obviously thats a 
  no-no for a concealed weapons permit.  I think the guy should just stay 
  put and let others force him out if they have the power to do so.  I 
  liked the way Larry Craig handled his situation by announcing that his 'plan 
  to step down' but then finishing his term.

  Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2013 13:41:56 -0700
From: janesta at gmail.com
To: thansen at moscow.com
CC: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: 
  [Vision2020] Idaho senator wants Rep. Mark Patterson to resign

  Wow!

The judge told him to leave town! Oh yes, go someplace else 
  and cause trouble. 

   Way "back in the day" ... being the late 60's and early 
  70's. Judge Felton would frequently tell men who committed a crime in Latah 
  County, to leave town, join the service, or, go to the pen,.. one incident I 
  recall in particular, was a group of recent high school graduates who imported 
  a bunch of Thai Stick, a potent form of marijuana.. anyway, he gave them a 
  choice of joining the service, or going to Boise State Pen for something like 
  5 years. One took the service, and left with an honorable discharge.  The 
  other, went to the pen, and came back to Moscow and was a successful 
  businessman until he passed away. 

Anyway, Patterson lied on his 
  concealed gun permit. By lying, he was trying to hide it. By trying to hide 
  it, to me, is the appearance of guilt. Appearance nothing, he PLEAD 
  guilty!  A rape for the woman NEVER goes away. I can tell you first 
  person. It does NOT. 

He needs to buck up, quit making excuses, 
  be a man, and resign.
Janesta

  On Wed, Dec 11, 2013 at 12:09 PM, Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com> wrote:

    Question, Mr. Falen . . .

    What time constraint do you assign to the conviction of a felony, like 
    rape, at which time we should forgive our elected officials, forget that the 
    crime ever hapoened, and allow the convicted felon to carry a concealed 
    weapon? 

    Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .

    "Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
    http://www.MoscowCares.com

    Tom Hansen
    Moscow, Idaho

    "There's room at the top they are 
    telling you still But first you must learn how to smile as you kill 
    If you 
    want to be like the folks on the hill."

    - John Lennon

On Dec 11, 2013, at 10:43 AM, lfalen <lfalen at turbonet.com> 
    wrote:

      I am all for being tough on rapists, but this was 40 years 
      ago when he was young. Cut the guy some slack.
Roger

        -----Original Message-----
From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
To: "Moscow Vision 2020" 
        <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Date: 12/11/13 
        10:04
Subject: [Vision2020] Idaho senator wants Rep. Mark Patterson 
        to resign

        Courtesy of today's (December 11, 2013) Spokesman Review.

        ---------------------------------

        Idaho 
        senator wants Rep. Mark Patterson to resign
        BOISE - A state senator 
        Tuesday called for Republican leaders from Boise to seek the resignation 
        of Rep. Mark Patterson after his failure to disclose his guilty plea in 
        a 1974 rape case led to revocation of his concealed weapons 
        permit.
        Sen. Fred Martin, R-Boise 
        and one of District 15's precinct committee members, said he expects 
        officials from the southwest Boise district will assemble next Tuesday 
        to discuss Patterson's future in the Legislature, less than a month 
        before the 2014 session begins.
        However, another official 
        in District 15, which Patterson represents, said the situation is 
        "fluid" and no meeting has been finalized.
        Patterson has been the 
        focus of attention since the Idaho Statesman in November reported he 
        failed to disclose the 39-year-old guilty plea in a Florida rape case 
        when he applied for a permit to carry a concealed weapon, first in 2007 
        and again in 2012. Ada County Sheriff Gary Raney revoked Patterson's 
        permit in late October. Raney has said Patterson's record makes him 
        ineligible for a concealed weapons permit in Idaho.
        In an interview Tuesday, 
        Martin said he remains hopeful Patterson will resign voluntarily. If he 
        doesn't, however, Martin said a resolution has been drafted that demands 
        the first-term Republican lawmaker quit.
        "This behavior is not 
        acceptable," Martin said. "I feel confident that Legislative District 
        15's precinct committee people will do what is right for Idaho, the 
        Republican Party and especially voters of District 15. I also hope that 
        Rep. Patterson does what's right for himself and his family."
        In addition to not 
        disclosing the plea on his concealed weapons permit application, Martin 
        said Patterson's reaction to the situation has been 
        aggressive.
        Consequently, Martin said, 
        he was asked to organize security for Tuesday's tentative meeting 
        because some District 15 officials had safety concerns.
        Patterson couldn't be 
        reached Tuesday. Wade Woodard, Patterson's lawyer, didn't immediately 
        respond to a request for comment.
        Dan Luker, District 15's 
        secretary, said its executive committee has met and agreed that the 
        entire 15-person precinct committee should gather to discuss Patterson's 
        future.
        Still, Luker said no such 
        meeting has been finalized.
        "We'd have to have an 
        agenda and a location, and I can say, as of this moment, not all of 
        those pieces are in place to allow such a notice to go out," Luker said 
        Tuesday afternoon. "That may change in the future, but as of this 
        moment, that's the case. I don't know if we'll have a quorum, or whether 
        the meeting will happen or not."
        In May 1974, a 
        then-21-year-old Patterson was charged with rape in Tampa. A 46-year-old 
        woman told police Patterson forced her to have sex twice and threatened 
        to have his Doberman pinscher attack her if she refused, according to 
        police reports.
        Patterson served time in 
        jail before agreeing that July to plead guilty to the lesser charge of 
        assault with intent to commit rape, receiving a withheld judgment and 
        five years probation.
        Patterson was ordered to 
        leave Florida. Two years later, he was released from probation, records 
        show.
        Now, however, he says he 
        was innocent but pleaded guilty 39 years ago on the advice of his 
        attorney, expecting the crime would eventually be expunged from his 
        record.
        "I was a young kid," 
        Patterson has told the Statesman. "I was charged with a crime I didn't 
        do. My attorney told me to take the deal."
        Though Patterson lost his 
        concealed weapons permit, he can continue to carry a concealed weapon 
        because of 1990 law that exempts elected officials from having to obtain 
        a permit. Idaho is the only state that exempts elected officials from 
        the permit law. 
        ---------------------------------

        Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .

        "Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
        http://www.MoscowCares.com

        Tom Hansen
        Moscow, Idaho

        "There's room at the top they are 
        telling you still  But first you must learn how to smile as you 
        kill If you want to be like the folks on the 
        hill." 

        - John Lennon

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1994.

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