SHELBYDOG
07-23-2009, 09:09 PM
Stanley told TBI of intern sex
Met extortion suspect to facilitate arrest by police
By Richard Locker (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
A Tennessee investigator says in an affidavit that state Sen. Paul Stanley, R-Germantown, told him he was having "a sexual relationship" with an intern in his office and had taken photographs of her in his Nashville apartment.
That affidavit came on the heels of an attempt to blackmail Stanley, beginning with a text message that arrived on his cell phone at 6:55 a.m. April 8:
"Good morning sir, how are you this fine day? McKensie and I have been talking and I feel that I have a video and some pictures you might be interested in seeing. This is her boyfriend, that guy you met outside Walgreens."
"McKensie" is McKensie Morrison, 22, and the text is from her boyfriend, Joel Palmer Watts, 27. Morrison is an Austin Peay State University junior from Dickson, Tenn., who worked as a legislative intern in Stanley's Senate committee office.
And the pictures were of Morrison, some nude, "in a bedroom, it appeared, in provocative positions, poses," Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Doug Long testified at a preliminary hearing here Monday for Watts, who is charged with trying to extort $10,000 from Stanley in exchange for the pictures and video.
Long wrote in an April 14 sworn affidavit: "During an interview with Stanley, he advised Morrison was an intern in his legislative office. Stanley subsequently advised he had developed a sexual relationship with Morrison, during her internship. During the interview, Stanley acknowledged taking a photograph(s) of Morrison in Stanley's apartment."
Stanley, R-Germantown, contacted the TBI soon after that early morning text and asked for help. At the TBI's direction, he arranged a meeting the next day behind a suburban Nashville restaurant to pay Watts the money. Watts was arrested when the money changed hands.
On Wednesday -- a day after news of the events of 31/2 months ago surfaced -- Stanley resigned as chairman of the powerful Senate Commerce, Labor & Agriculture Committee.
Stanley, 47, who is married and has two young children, indicated he does not plan to step down from the Senate.
At the conclusion of Monday's preliminary hearing, General Sessions Judge Dianne Turner bound Watts over to a Davidson County grand jury on a single charge of extortion. She dismissed a separate charge of theft that the TBI had filed against him April 10.
Stanley, who did not return reporters' calls Wednesday for more comment, testified briefly at Monday's hearing after Long read aloud from the transcripts of an exchange of text messages between Watts and Stanley April 8-9.
Long said he began working with Stanley a few hours after the first text message from Watts and after the senator contacted TBI officials.
Among his first texted replies to Watts, the senator wrote: "I want to talk and get this resolved," and later, "If I give you money, how can I be sure of what I'm getting?"
Later on April 8, Long testified, Watts told Stanley he had offered the images to a Nashville television station for $7,500. He also texted, "I love my ex-girlfriend" and promised to destroy all copies of the images that he had after giving a photo memory disk to Stanley.
The next day, when the two were trying to set up an exchange, Watts texted Stanley that Morrison "is sacred, leave her out of this."
The senator responded: "I know she is sacred. I don't want her hurt."
In Monday's hearing, Watts' public defender, Jennifer Hall, asked Stanley if he had a sexual relationship with Morrison, but before he could answer, prosecutors objected and the judge ruled that it was irrelevant at that stage.
Stanley issued a statement Tuesday night saying, "Unfortunately, I am the victim and a witness to a crime in an ongoing investigation. At this time, I have been advised by authorities and the district attorney's office not to comment."
On the witness stand Monday, Stanley was asked whether he had offered the $10,000.
Stanley responded: "I don't negotiate with criminals. That's why we're here today. I didn't offer to give him anything. He demanded."
Although the legislative internship program does have a policy against sexual harassment, there is no policy in place forbidding consensual relationships between interns and legislators, said program administrator Donna Morgan.
"We wouldn't be in the business of telling adults what to do in their free time," she said.
Morrison did not return reporters' e-mails or phone calls Wednesday.
-- Richard Locker: (615) 255-4923
Staff reporter Ryan Poe contributed to this story.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/jul/22/state-sen-paul-stanley-will-resign-powerful-commit/
Stanley, 47, who is married and has two young children, indicated he does not plan to step down from the Senate.
Why would he or should he, it's starting to seem like a fad now with R-senators.....
Met extortion suspect to facilitate arrest by police
By Richard Locker (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
A Tennessee investigator says in an affidavit that state Sen. Paul Stanley, R-Germantown, told him he was having "a sexual relationship" with an intern in his office and had taken photographs of her in his Nashville apartment.
That affidavit came on the heels of an attempt to blackmail Stanley, beginning with a text message that arrived on his cell phone at 6:55 a.m. April 8:
"Good morning sir, how are you this fine day? McKensie and I have been talking and I feel that I have a video and some pictures you might be interested in seeing. This is her boyfriend, that guy you met outside Walgreens."
"McKensie" is McKensie Morrison, 22, and the text is from her boyfriend, Joel Palmer Watts, 27. Morrison is an Austin Peay State University junior from Dickson, Tenn., who worked as a legislative intern in Stanley's Senate committee office.
And the pictures were of Morrison, some nude, "in a bedroom, it appeared, in provocative positions, poses," Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Doug Long testified at a preliminary hearing here Monday for Watts, who is charged with trying to extort $10,000 from Stanley in exchange for the pictures and video.
Long wrote in an April 14 sworn affidavit: "During an interview with Stanley, he advised Morrison was an intern in his legislative office. Stanley subsequently advised he had developed a sexual relationship with Morrison, during her internship. During the interview, Stanley acknowledged taking a photograph(s) of Morrison in Stanley's apartment."
Stanley, R-Germantown, contacted the TBI soon after that early morning text and asked for help. At the TBI's direction, he arranged a meeting the next day behind a suburban Nashville restaurant to pay Watts the money. Watts was arrested when the money changed hands.
On Wednesday -- a day after news of the events of 31/2 months ago surfaced -- Stanley resigned as chairman of the powerful Senate Commerce, Labor & Agriculture Committee.
Stanley, 47, who is married and has two young children, indicated he does not plan to step down from the Senate.
At the conclusion of Monday's preliminary hearing, General Sessions Judge Dianne Turner bound Watts over to a Davidson County grand jury on a single charge of extortion. She dismissed a separate charge of theft that the TBI had filed against him April 10.
Stanley, who did not return reporters' calls Wednesday for more comment, testified briefly at Monday's hearing after Long read aloud from the transcripts of an exchange of text messages between Watts and Stanley April 8-9.
Long said he began working with Stanley a few hours after the first text message from Watts and after the senator contacted TBI officials.
Among his first texted replies to Watts, the senator wrote: "I want to talk and get this resolved," and later, "If I give you money, how can I be sure of what I'm getting?"
Later on April 8, Long testified, Watts told Stanley he had offered the images to a Nashville television station for $7,500. He also texted, "I love my ex-girlfriend" and promised to destroy all copies of the images that he had after giving a photo memory disk to Stanley.
The next day, when the two were trying to set up an exchange, Watts texted Stanley that Morrison "is sacred, leave her out of this."
The senator responded: "I know she is sacred. I don't want her hurt."
In Monday's hearing, Watts' public defender, Jennifer Hall, asked Stanley if he had a sexual relationship with Morrison, but before he could answer, prosecutors objected and the judge ruled that it was irrelevant at that stage.
Stanley issued a statement Tuesday night saying, "Unfortunately, I am the victim and a witness to a crime in an ongoing investigation. At this time, I have been advised by authorities and the district attorney's office not to comment."
On the witness stand Monday, Stanley was asked whether he had offered the $10,000.
Stanley responded: "I don't negotiate with criminals. That's why we're here today. I didn't offer to give him anything. He demanded."
Although the legislative internship program does have a policy against sexual harassment, there is no policy in place forbidding consensual relationships between interns and legislators, said program administrator Donna Morgan.
"We wouldn't be in the business of telling adults what to do in their free time," she said.
Morrison did not return reporters' e-mails or phone calls Wednesday.
-- Richard Locker: (615) 255-4923
Staff reporter Ryan Poe contributed to this story.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/jul/22/state-sen-paul-stanley-will-resign-powerful-commit/
Stanley, 47, who is married and has two young children, indicated he does not plan to step down from the Senate.
Why would he or should he, it's starting to seem like a fad now with R-senators.....