Mayor lied under Oath, then plead the 5th, in own Petition for Stalking Order –

Bellmont, IL. (ECWd) –

In an astounding performance by Mayor Gary Lance at the Wabash County (IL.) Courthouse this morning, Judge Dunn DENIED Lance’s Petition for Stalking / No Contact Order against a Bellmont, IL. Village Trustee and a village resident.

Initially, Mayor Lance filed petitions against 5 Bellmont residents, but in a conference prior to today’s hearing, Lance voluntarily withdrew three petitions.

During Lance’s testimony and cross-examination by Respondent’s Attorney, Jon Turpin, Lance testified under Oath to the following:

• That Judge Hudson, the Judge who granted the emergency stalking order, wrote the actual petitions for Lance, and Lance did not even read them (merely scanned over them), but did sign them. He stated this under Oath at least 4 times.
• Lance plead his 5th Amendment Right against self-incrimination when asked if he used the village tracter to scatter rock on his private property.
• Lance denied, at least three times, that he used the village tractor on his private property (watch video of him using tractor HERE).
• He never felt threatened, was never attacked, nobody entered his property, and does not know if he was ever stalked.
• He thinks nobody should be able to take pictures, unless they are news media.
• He didn’t know using the village tractor was against the law.
• He only told me to leave because I had out of state license plates.
• People were gathered 150 yards away, and he was sure they were talking about him, but he doesn’t know if they said anything.
• He has never seen the videos he complains about in the Verified Petitions for Stalking Order.
• People drive by his house (but he lives on the only main street in town).
• One person drives his tractor-trailer by his house (but the village passed an Ordinance prohibiting large vehicles on side roads).
• He is upset someone made a video of him using the village tractor on his private property and showed the video to the world.

In his denial, Judge Dunn referenced the ACLU v. Alverez case out of Cook County (the case which struck down a prior eavesdropping law as unconstitutional when it comes to recording police officers in the performance of their duties) – which cites to the First Amendment, the right to speech and the right to receive speech (hear others talk). Also that is applies equally to all people, media and private people, and that if a person can see it with his eyes, he can record it (unless other things come into play like harassment, etc.).

Attorney Jon Turpin did an outstanding job defending his clients in this case.

This first video, Mayor Lance refuses to comment on the decision to deny his application for Stalking / No Contact:

This video is of an interview in Bellmont, IL. with Village Trustee Jon King:

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