DHS/STATE HOSPITAL EMPLOYEE SENT TO PRISON FOR 35 YEARS - HAD HISTORY OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE THAT WAS MISSED IN ARKANSAS STATE POLICE BACKGROUND CHECK

LAWRENCE JAMISON RUSSELL

You probably recently read about or saw the news reports concerning Russell getting a 35 year term for kidnapping and brutalizing three women, raping two of them, in separate incidents in 2017. 

Russell spent 11 months in jail before pleading guilty to three counts of kidnapping, three counts of second-degree battery and two counts of rape after his attorney, Jimmy Morris, negotiated the sentence.

JIMMY MORRIS - LAWYER THAT HAS DEFENDED RUSSELL IN SEVERAL CASES

Russell is one of several DHS/ASH employees that have been involved in criminal actions that have lead to arrests and convictions.

We have reported about some of those matters in this post.

 
Russell was able to get a job with DHS in spite of his conviction for domestic battery in 2014 from an event in 2013.
 

Records obtained from DHS indicate that he did not report incidents involving domestic abuse.

 And the Arkansas State Police search for his criminal history came up blank.

It was not his first time for issues with domestic violence. There was one back in 2011 that occurred in Saline County with a now former wife.

In December of last year, Russell got in a little trouble in North Little Rock when he was arrested for the charges that got him 35 years in prison.

Russell also had an arrest and conviction for disorderly conduct back in 2006.

Russell has had issues in the past paying child support even though he appears to have no trouble paying lawyer Morris fees for defending him in criminal matters.

Russell work for Youth Home from  June of 2009 until hired by DHS to work at the Arkansas State Hospital.

And before that he worked for Pinnacle Pointe Hospital from April 2005 to October 2010. 

Notice how Russell stated that his job at Pinnacle Pointe was leading groups about not using violence to handle anger. What a crock of shit.

We wonder if he abused any female patients at those facilities give his background and deviant criminal bent towards females?

Human Resource Departments at both of those facilities refused to respond to voicemail messages about Russell.

We found that Russell had at least two Facebook accounts. One was under the name of "Scrumptious Laurence J. Russell (Breathtaking Laurence)". 

Lets hope that DHS and the Arkansas State Police do a better job of checking criminal histories. Taking a look at the public records on CourtConnect and just entering a person's name in Google and seeing what pops up is a start.

ANOTHER ESCAPE FROM THE ARKANSAS STATE HOSPITAL - ARE CHANGES IN SECURITY NEEDED?

ARK. STATE HOSPITAL INMATE JAMES BARRETT MAKES A WEEKEND JAUNT TO MEMPHIS - MOTEL SIX KEPT THE LIGHTS ON FOR HIM

Another escape from the DHS/Arkansas State Hospital ("ASH") has citizens questioning the security procedures and leadership of ASH Police Chief Perry Wyse.

ASH POLICE CHIEF PERRY WYSE

Readers will recall that earlier this year another inmate escaped from ASH with the assistance of a hospital employee. The pair was captured in Las Vegas.

You can read about that by clicking here, here, here, here and here.

James Barrett,  who escaped from the Arkansas State Hospital Saturday was captured by U.S. Marshals yesterday at a Motel 6 in Memphis, TN.

Barrett was being held at the State Hospital since November of last year pending trial on a rape charge in Faulkner County.

According to a report from ASH, Barrett is a veteran who suffers from PTSD stemming from his service in Afghanistan.

Apparently his escape and evasion training from the military played a part in his escape from ASH along with their lacking security procedures.

Barrett escaped Saturday evening by using a chair to climb over a fence during fresh-air time.

Further reports indicate he was in the car of an unidentified woman in Memphis.

Police chief Perry Wyse at the State Hospital said the escape remained under investigation, but to questions of whether Barrett's companion assisted him, he said, "No assistance by anyone. 

  

DHS FLAGGED BY LEGISLATIVE AUDIT FOR ILLEGAL ACCOUNTING PRACTICES

DHS DIRECTOR CINDY GILLESPIE INDICATES THAT AUDITORS ARE #1 IN HER OPINION

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports today that several divisions of the Arkansas Department of Human Services have failed repeatedly -- and in one case purposely -- to properly track spending and manage some federally funded programs, legislative auditors reported Friday.

Human Services Department officials blamed high staff turnover and technology changes for many of the 20 deficiencies found in an annual audit report on expenditures of federal awards. 

DHS MOUTHPIECE MARCIE MANLEY CLAIMS WORKERS ARE LEAVING LIKE RATS FROM A SINKING SHIP

Lawmakers on Friday called the report "shocking," "concerning" and "egregious," questioning whether the state may owe money to the federal government for the more than $126 million in questioned costs flagged by auditors.

The article reported that some infractions had not been corrected since they were first discovered in 2016.

Tami Harlan, deputy director of the Medical Services Division, said the decision was made to pay providers because many were threatening to pull out of the Medicaid program because of the payment lapses caused by the system glitches.

TAMI HARLIN - DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE DHS MEDICAL SERVICES DIVISION

"We were at the point where children, our Medicaid people, were not going to get services," Harlan said. "We were concerned that providers were going to start turning them away."

Lawmakers also grilled department officials about another auditor finding -- that the department "knowingly" reported inaccurate Children's Health Insurance Program expenditures for the quarter that ended in March 2017.

The agency under-reported spending by more than $10.4 million for the quarter because of a communication breakdown between the Medical Services and accounting divisions.

"Because of this breakdown, managerial accounting purposely reported expenditures from the previous quarter and would knowingly adjust the report at a later date," the report reads.

That finding was problematic for lawmakers.

"How do you knowingly report inaccurate expenses?" said Rep. Fred Love, D-Little Rock.

ARKANSAS STATE REPRESENTATIVE FRED LOVE ASKED ABOUT DHS COOKING THEIR BOOKS

Misty Bowen-Eubanks, the department's interim chief fiscal officer, was asked whether she could assure legislators that the state won't get into financial trouble with the federal government, said it wasn't likely, based on the early stages of the reconciliation process.

MISTY BOWEN-EUBANKS - DHS INTERIM CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

"Early indications show that we will not be in a situation where we owe back money," Bowen-Eubanks said. "In fact, we may be able to make additional withdrawals."

We seriously doubt any top DHS employee could or would tell the truth if their life depended on it.

No wonder DHS is in the bad shape it is in and the citizens of the state and the clients DHS serves suffer due to failed DHS leadership.

Perhaps a new governor can make some much needed changes at DHS.

PSYCHO PSYCHOLOGIST EXTRADITED BACK TO ARKANSAS - BEING HELD IN PULASKI COUNTY JAIL WITHOUT BOUND HER FORMER PATIENT BACK IN STATE HOSPITAL

Michelle Messer, the DHA/ASP psychological examiner that provided inmate/patient Cory Chapin with contraband (cellphone and vaping device) and "eloped" with him for a road trip to Las Vegas has been returned to the state from Nevada authorities.

We correctly predicted that the pair would be going to Las Vegas, as that is where Chapin had been openly "hiding" when he escaped last year.
 
You can read our previous posts about Messer and Chapin by clicking here, here, and here. 

Messer is being held without bond in the Pulaski County Detention Center and has a video arraignment set for this morning for both misdemeanor and felony charges filed against her.

Chapin was re-admitted to the State Hospital on April 10th.

DID ARKANSAS STATE HOSPITAL PATIENTT/INMATE CORY CHAPIN USE HIS "POWERS" TO SEDUCE PSYCH EXAMINER MICHELLE MESSER?

DID CHAPIN PUT MESSER UNDER A SEDUCTION SPELL?

Runaway DHS/Arkansas State Hospital Patient/Inmate Cory Chapin and now former DHS/ASH employee Michelle Messer are in the process of being extradited back to Arkansas to face various misdemeanor and felony charges regarding contraband (cellphone and vaping device) Messer provided to Chapin and his escape.

That process could a take a week or more. 

It will be interesting to hear what Messer has to say about this ordeal.  

Will she claim that she was seduced by Chapin (it has been reported by other news sources that she is a lesbian and was living with another female).

While Crazy Cory Chapin was on the run from the Arkansas State Hospital in 2017 and could not be located, he posted a shitload of content on the internet. 

Chapin made hour long live-streams on Facebook, constructed a website, started a GoFundMe page and posted videos on a YouTube channel.

 

A lot of his ramblings mention that he has special abilities and knowledge.

Chapin has a video posted on his YouTube channel titled "How to be a fuckin G... Seduce Anyone, Fuck bad bitchez".

Maybe Messer will claim that Chapin seduced and brainwashed her to provide him with the cellphone and smoking device then help him escape a second time from DHS/ASH custody once the contraband was discovered.

We understand that Pulaski Court Judge Morgan "Chip" Welch flew out to Vegas to present Chapin with an award for the "Arkansas Escapee of the Year".

PULASKI CO. CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE MORGAN "CHIP" WELCH  GIVES ESCAPE AWARD TO CHAPIN

Welch is up for re-election and will not miss an opportunity to get some free publicity and a photo to circulate on social media.

Stay tuned for continued coverage.