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John Eric Armstrong - Ellis County Texas Corruption Victim - Part 8

This is Mark Griffith, an attorney in Waxahachie, Texas.  John Eric Armstrong's parents paid him $20,000 green cash money to represent their son.  He pocketed the cash and tried to have John Eric declared insane against his vehement demands.  John Eric Armstrong is not now and never has been insane.  He has never been convicted or charged with a crime before -- not even now.  It's an incredible story - Part 8...

This is John Eric Armstrong - Ellis County Texas Corruption Victim - Part 8 -- His story in his words:

Mark Griffith (Attorney) 7/7/2020 -- 11-4-2020

Mark Griffith helped the Ellis County District Attorney in their attempt to coerce me into taking their plea deal by not confronting Judge Cindy Ermatinger about the indictment not belonging to anything or the absence of probable cause in the case altogether.  Mark Griffith did not confront Judge Cindy Ermatinger about fraud (no arrest + no official complaint + no affidavit of probable cause = not legal.)  He did not confront Judge Cindy Ermatinger about the three arrests without probable cause made by the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office.

Additionally, he did not confront the courts about me being the victim of Lauren Kersh’s violent crime, and that there is proof.  Mark Griffith allowed the Ellis County District Attorney and Judge Cindy Ermatinger to proceed past the second pre-trial and threaten to take me to trial in November on their false indictment.  Mark Griffith also kept me in the dark by not giving me copies of the documents from my case as well as giving me wrong legal information (he covered for them).

I did not want Mark Griffith from the beginning for two reasons.  First, it was rumored that Mark Griffith was friends with former Ellis County Sheriff Johnny Brown, who I reported to the Waxahachie Daily Light newspaper in 2016.   Mark Griffith represented Sheriff Johnny Brown when he got into his drunken fight at Whataburger.

Second, Mark Griffith is an Ellis County defense attorney.  I know from working for Ellis County that the defense attorneys are all friends with the state attorneys and judges.  Defense attorneys in Ellis County will not stand up to the Ellis County District Attorney.  Anyone who wants to win a case in Ellis County hires an attorney from out of town (Dallas).  

I didn’t know what to do.  I knew what they did was fraud, but I didn’t know how they made it work.  I knew that I needed help from law enforcement, however, Ellis County was threatening to take me to trial.  So, I needed an attorney.

I asked my parents to hire me an attorney if I got arrested again.  I recommended they go with an attorney from Dallas but to use their best judgment.  My parents went with Mark Griffith because he has the reputation for being the best defense attorney in Ellis County.

Court Transcripts 7/9/2020 (103654 CCL)

These transcripts belong to the Emergency Protective Order with the cause number 103654CCL.  These transcripts prove my innocence and Ellis County’s guilt by their own admission in court.  Both the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office and Stephanie Lauren Kersh admit that from the beginning (6/9/2019) I have not done ANYTHING.  This means that I am innocent, and the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office never had probable cause against me.  This means that Lauren Kersh did not have a justified cause to pull a gun on me and threaten to kill me.  This means the Ellis County District Attorney doesn’t have any witnesses against me for any crime or an EPO.  This was heard in civil court and they wanted a permanent emergency protective order.  I never agreed to participate in this.  I was taken from my cell and placed in front of a computer screen.  The Judge was Judge Jim Chapman.  This court date took place two days after my arrest.

My attorney, Mark Griffith, didn’t do anything special as an attorney.  He just asked simple straightforward questions pertaining to the elements of stalking, harassment, and emergency protective orders that establish probable cause.  I don’t know why the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office or Kersh answered the way they did.  It may be that they were caught off guard or trying to play it off as an honest mistake.  Like they’re trying to bow-out or withdraw before they get into big trouble.  Either way, they admitted they were wrong.  It was a violation of due process to be issued an EPO in the first place as I had not been arrested or charged with any crime, and it was a violation of my right to due process to be in the courtroom as an EPO could not exist against me because I had not been charged with a crime.

Judge Jim Chapman granted a two-year protective order for Lauren Kersh that did not belong to an arrest for any crime (no reason for a protective order).  He used the Ellis County District Attorney’s false indictment to justify it, granting a protective order against a person that had just been proven innocent in his courtroom (fraud).

Mark Griffith questioned both Lt. Shane Thompson of the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office and Stephanie Lauren Kersh (their alleged victim).  Mark Griffith asked both Shane Thompson and Lauren Kersh if I had threatened Stephanie Lauren Kersh with bodily injury or death at any time directly or indirectly.  Both answered no.  Mark Griffith was very specific asking both if I had ever threatened violence, rape, if I ever attempted to break into Kersh’ house or vandalize her property.  Both answered no.  

Both Shane Thompson and Lauren Kersh were asked if I had done anything to harass Lauren Kersh at any time (from the beginning) directly or indirectly.  Both answered no.  Both Shane Thompson and Stephanie Lauren Kersh were asked if I had threatened bodily injury, death, or harassed Lauren Kersh directly or indirectly in the phone call that I made to Lauren Kersh.  Both answered no.

Both Shane Thompson and Lauren Kersh were asked if I threatened bodily injury, death, or harassed Stephani e Lauren Kersh directly or indirectly in the letter (the 14-page letter) I mailed to Lauren Kersh.  Both answered no.  Mark Griffith asked Stephanie Lauren Kersh several questions pertaining to fear.  Lauren Kersh stumbled around in her speech but the best she could come up with is that she is afraid of the unknown (a personal problem).  Even though

Lauren Kersh was already caught on camera lying about telling me not to come back to her house, this would have been the time for her to reassert her claim.  When my attorney questioned her about fear, she could have simply lied again and said that she told me not to come back and I did.  This would have helped to establish a legitimate claim of fear and a reasonable cause to pull a gun on me.  She didn’t do this, reaffirming once again that the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office and Lauren Kersh are liars who can’t keep their story straight.

This proved that there were no witnesses against me for any crime.  Ellis County Judge Jim Chapman allowed the Ellis County District Attorney to enter their false indictment as evidence.  Mark Griffith objected and later told me Judge Jim Chapman wasn’t supposed to allow that.  I had just been proven innocent in his own court, not only of the emergency protective order, but the felony offense of stalking as well.  There was no probable cause for me to even be in Judge Jim Chapman’s court.

Judge Jim Chapman dismissed court and then granted Stephanie Lauren Kersh a two-year protective order against me (the victim) for nothing.  These transcripts prove (re-affirm) that Lauren Kersh never had an excuse to pull a gun on me and threaten to kill me.  They prove that every one of my arrests was made without probable cause.  These transcripts prove that I HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING.

Mark Griffith -- July 2020 -- September 2020

Mark Griffith was gung-ho about winning a trial indicating this would be an easy win.  Mark Griffith stated that Ellis County would be the ones on trial here as they had to give an answer for everything that they did.  Mark Griffith was gung- ho up until about four weeks before my October court date to place me on the trial docket.  Mark Griffith suddenly changed his disposition in October stating that he didn’t think he could win a trial or, that it would be risky (a toss-up).  Mark Griffith tried to have me declared incompetent in November.

After the hearing in July, I asked Mark Griffith why these transcripts don’t put an end to this whole thing as they admitted that I haven’t done anything.  Mark Griffith stumbled in his speech saying that they still have the 14-page letter I sent as evidence.  I reminded him that he covered the letter in the transcripts.  Mark Griffith said, “oh yeah,” but followed it with, “look, the only way you get out of this is to go to trial.”

Mark Griffith told me from the beginning, “you’re in jail because Ellis County doesn’t like you,” and “they’re trying to get you.”  Mark Griffith told me there’s no way I’m getting out of jail unless I wear an ankle monitor.  Mark made these comments like he was threatening me (trying to scare me).  Mark Griffith still maintained that he was gung-ho filing a motion for a speedy trial in August and waived the second pre-trial in September.  I asked Mark Griffith to contact law enforcement on my behalf regarding Lauren Kersh’s assault and the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office’s false arrest.  Mark Griffith said that even with all of the evidence, there’s nothing that can be done until after a trial.

Mark Griffith would not give me a copy of the court transcripts from 7/9/2020 that prove my innocence stating that he doesn’t want them floating around in the jail.  Mark Griffith knew that I knew a lot of the Detention Officers here and I would have shown them the truth that both Stephanie Lauren Kersh and the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office are liars.  Mark Griffith refused to give a copy of the transcripts to my mother stating that he didn’t want it floating around “out there.”  Mark Griffith didn’t want the transcripts in the hands of the media.  Mark Griffith would not give me any copies of court-filed documents that I asked for.  Mark Griffith told me he would get me these copies but never did.  I sent at least three representation letters to Mark Griffith asking him to obtain these copies.

Purported Attorneys	Mark Griffith	Chad Hughes
Makenzie Zarate	Venita Phillips	Sarah Duncan Jacobs
Happy Client	Patrick Wilson	Ann Montgomery-Moran

Mark Griffith -- September 2020 -- October 2020

I began to question Mark Griffith about the charge and how it appeared they violated due process.  Mark Griffith would get mad and wouldn’t give me a straight answer about what they did with the stalking charge and why it looked like it didn’t belong to anything.  After about five attorney visits at the Ellis County Jail, Mark Griffith said, “yes, they violated their due process by turning a misdemeanor into a felony but they can do this.  The only way to get out of this is to go to trial.”  What Mark Griffith said is not what they did but, this is a good example of how Mark Griffith misled me.  I was asking Mark Griffith about probable cause and due process more and more throughout the month of September.  Mark Griffith wouldn’t give me straight answers, and he would change the subject.

Mark Griffith -- October -- November 4, 2020

On September 30, 2020, Mark Griffith was still gung-ho about winning a trial as he sent me a letter stating that I had a court date on October 28, 2020 to be placed on the trial docket.  I asked Mark Griffith to request Stephanie Lauren Kersh’ employment file.  Mark Griffith did but got mad and asked what I was hoping to find.  I told him I wanted to know if the gun Kersh pulled on me belonged to the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office.  I didn’t tell Mark Griffith but I wanted to see if a reason was given for why Lauren Kersh wasn’t allowed to come back to work after she assaulted me.  Mark Griffith told me I need to worry about the upcoming trial.  I told Mark Griffith that I am the victim of a crime and asked why nothing is being done.  I told Mark Griffith to focus on asking questions about Lauren Kersh pulling a gun and the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office’s false arrest.  In other words, I told him to stick to the truth.  

Mark Griffith came back the following week telling me that he has concerns about winning a trial.  The only reason he could give is that people in smaller counties like Ellis County often side with the police.  It was like the Ellis County District Attorney was representing me.  Mark Griffith talked about the 14-page letter again.  I reminded him it’s not evidence.  Mark Griffith began suggesting that I try an insanity plea because he said, “it’s an easy win.”  I told him “NO!” and asked him why he thinks he can’t win all of a sudden.  Mark Griffith told me the charge of stalking is very serious and carries a sentence of two to ten years.  I told him I know but I haven’t done anything, and my enemies agree with me.

October 28 passed, and I was not taken to court.  I told my mother who called Mark Griffith’s office.  The lady at Mark Griffith’s office said the court canceled my court date on the 28th.  I told my mother what Mark Griffith was trying to do with the insanity plea.  My mother talked to Mark Griffith who told her that the previous court-appointed attorney filed a motion and he had to follow up on it.

When Mark Griffith came to visit again, he talked about his insanity plea.  I tried to shut him up by pointing out that Ellis County had me declared sane two weeks before Stephanie Lauren Kersh assaulted me and there is proof.  I explained that TCOLE will not issue a license to anyone unless the hiring agency obtains a declaration of sanity.  Ellis County was the hiring agency for me, and I just reactivated my license two weeks before Lauren Kersh pulled a gun on me.  Mark Griffith said, “well, I’ll have you declared incompetent then; it’s different.”  I told him “NO!”

On November 4, 2020, Mark Griffith came to visit.  He told me he filed a motion to have me declared incompetent.  I asked him how long had he been working for Ellis County.  He got mad and started to say something.  I asked Mark Griffith how the Ellis County District Attorney could win a trial without any witnesses.  Mark Griffith stopped talking, and I got up and left.

I called their bluff by standing when they threatened to take me to trial.  Their attempts to coerce me into taking their plea deal failed so they tried to have me declared incompetent.  Ellis County wouldn’t take me to trial even if they did falsify the right documents.  They can’t win a trial with no witnesses or evidence, and a trial would just make a big court transcript (record of fraud) about Lauren Kersh pulling a gun on me and the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office’s false arrest that will be used as probable cause against them.

Stephanie Lauren Kersh aka "The Schnoz"

Both Lauren Kersh and the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office have to answer for everything they did.  They have to answer questions that don’t have an acceptable answer.  Questions like, why Lauren Kersh pulled a gun (fear is not an acceptable answer), why the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office did not arrest Lauren Kersh, etc.  It is just as Mark Griffith said when he was first hired.  Before I was thrown in jail and he suddenly turned on me, Mark Griffith said that Lauren Kersh and Ellis County would be the ones that would be on trial, and this is why.  They stand to gain nothing but lose everything.  They have to win a different way.  This is why I haven’t had a court date in nine months.  Every time I go to court, they slip up and say things they don’t want to say.

Since November 4, I have been sitting in jail piecing together what Ellis County did with the paperwork.  To get out of jail, I need someone to confront them with the truth.  I need law enforcement, the media, or an attorney to force them to substantiate their charges against me (prove their indictment belongs to something).  In addition to getting out of jail, I need justice.  I want to press charges on Stephanie Lauren Kersh and everyone involved in this.  Ellis County is getting away with this because there is no one to hold them accountable.  I have been in jail for nine months without a single court date set.  The only court date I had was the civil court date for their false EPO two days after I got here.

I am the victim of an assault by an Ellis County Sheriff’s Office employee.  Everything that has happened after that has been Ellis County trying to keep me quiet and me protesting Ellis County trying to keep me quiet.  Help me.

John Armstrong

To be continued....
 

• Lawless America
• William M. Windsor
• corruption
• judicial corruption
• litigation
• injustice
• law enforcement corruption
• government corruption
• paralegal
• John Eric Armstrong
• Ellis County Jail
• Ellis County Texas Jail
• Lauren Kersh
• Stephanie Lauren Kersh
• Ellis County Mafia
• Latosha Bolden
• Aggravated Assault
• Chuck Edge
• Joe Fitzgerald
• Mike McKenna
• Jerry Whitt
• John Armstrong
• Shane Thompson
• scumbags
• Cindy Ermatinger
• Judge Cindy Ermatinger
• Alyssa Chavez
• Patrick Wilson
• Kent McGuire
• AAA Bail Bonds
• Mark Griffith
• Judge Jim Chapman
• Chad Hughes
• Sarah Jacobs
• Makenzie Zarate
• Venita Phillips