#117 "The Black Panther Betrayal" Online Book.

Back home in Alachua County, I soon called Dr. David Maehr and told him about the animal climbing a tree in Aucilla on the Gulf Coast. I asked him what would be more likely: a panther or a bear. David Maehr replied, "If it were being chased by dogs, a cat would be more likely to tree right away. But if there weren't dogs chasing it, a bear is more likely whether it is a cub or an adult." David's voice was much more thoughtful after I told him about the treeing. I think that was because he saw I was spending substantial time checking out a report of a black panther sighting and getting something interesting to happen. It could have been a panther going up that tree, and, horrors!, it could have been a black panther since the animal Wayne Folston saw was black.
Toward the end of the month of May, 1999, Wayne and I rendevoused again in Perry to look for the black panther in the Aucilla Game Management Area. We drove arond some but spent most of our time fishing in the sinkholes. I caught what Wayne said was a spotted sunfish but was called a stumpknocker in Florida. I told him about my wish to have the funds to do more extensive field research on the black Florida panther issue. At dusk, we left the woods, and Wayne headed back to Tallahassee. His partying words to me were, "If you have just one sighting, you could probably get a grant."
I then decided to drive down to the public boat landing on the Ecofina River which empties into the Gulf of Mexico. This was where JR of the nearby JR's Store had told me that he had seen a black panther. The road to the landing was long, about ten miles. There were no houses, just camps, and finally a campground and lodge at the landing which were closed. I saw deer all the way in. To Be Continued.
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Bullets from Two-Guns: Tasha went to the Alachua Sheriff's Office to ask about my guns. It took an hour and a half, but the worker finally ascertained that they were there though she did not see them visually. She said it would take her supervisor to clear that. We want to give Lon my guns instead of having them waste away at the Sheriff's Office. The worker told Tasha that she should contact Judge Glant's secretary and ask for a hearing on the matter. Tasha commented to me, "Of course, the Stouts and Starlings will be there, saying they are terrified about the guns being released." She's probably right for I don't expect them to stop their lying. However, the Stouts might decide they had better lay low for if this issue remains hot, someone of integrity and power (surely they aren't mutually exclusive)is going to read the statements made to the court, and see how absurd and impossible they are.
You may remember when Lloyd Vipperman was allowed by the court to ask more specific questions of the Stouts, they refused to answer his calls. They knew they couldn't explain away the absurdity and impossibility of their charges. That's when they referred my case to mental health court, something they had no authority to do but they were cops and were being represented by a state attorney right out of law school. Of course, Lloyd Vipperman strongly objected to their devious, unauthorized behavior to the judge. Shortly after that, the State Attorney's Office was willing to make a Deferred Prosecution Agreement with me, and the young State Attorney was no longer working at the State Attorney's Office. I could have told her that her high-handed methods would get her into trouble eventually. Months before, I had called her to ask if she wanted to hear my side of the story. She replied, "I'll hear it from your lawyer," and with that, hanged up without even bothering to say goodbye. Surprisingly, I learned that she was a graduate of the University of Florida Law School and had interned with the first lawyer I hired. I'm blocking on his name, but he talked very respectfully to me even though what he said was not at all respectful. I'll explain in my next posting.