by Charlotte and Sam Iserbyt
The following text is one pager we prepared to hand out at the Maine Heritage Luncheon on Friday, 6-30-2017:
Questions For Portland, Maine Mayor Ethan Strimling:
(1) Why didn’t you, as elected Mayor of Portland, Maine, AND unelected/appointed City Manager Jon Jennings, do anything about the “pop [Sam Iserbyt] in the head” audio tape which indicated Portland Police Department planned to take out Samuel Iserbyt in October, 2015? One of the officers is heard saying “it’s not federal anymore” and “Grant’s talking to him (Chief or who?) on phone.” You and the City Manager both listened to the tape given to you by Sam Iserbyt. Was this tape ever made available to members of the Portland City Council? If not, why not?
As a Maine taxpayer, I want to know who exactly gave patrolmen Ryder and Hurley, whose voices are heard on audiotape, orders to “pop Sam in the head”?
(Said audio tape was mistakenly given to Sam Iserbyt in Discovery Materials related to a misdemeanor charge subsequently dismissed by Cumberland County ADA Jennifer Ackerman)
(2) Who exactly gave the West End Neighborhood Association (WENA PPD officer Argitis) false/defamatory information regarding the attempted murder of homeowner/taxpayer Samuel Iserbyt, 146 Chadwick Street, on Memorial Day May 30, 2016, seven months later?
Following West End Neighborhood Association WENA published text, which obtains suspect Fred Dodge’s “cooked up version” of what happened: (Sam, an accomplished U.S. Marine Corps rifleman with combat duty in Gulf War I shot himself in the leg!!!) was published on Internet by the partially federally-funded, Community Oriented Policing (COPS) arrangement (public/private partnership with City of Portland, Maine):
WENA Maine Meeting Minutes June 2016
“The recent shooting on Chadwick Street appears to have been a self-inflicted wound. No arrests have been made. The wounded person is known to PPD but is not expected to be an imminent threat to the neighborhood even after his long recovery.”
Aside from above account being a lie, it is defamation of character of Samuel Iserbyt.
Where did this lie originate? It appears someone within the Portland Police Dept. immediately put this lying story out to protect the assailant, Fred Dodge and themselves, from involvement in incident. This story does not jibe with the excellent official Portland Police Dept. Report documents completed at least eight days later !!! which included eyewitness report of the attack on Sam, and witness testimony from others who saw Dodge coming down Chadwick street, terrorizing the community, brandishing a gun, threatening (using foul language) to murder Sam, and ultimately trespassing on Sam’s porch and assaulting him, which resulted in Sam’s being declared in critical condition with no blood/no oxygen upon arrival at hospital 33 minutes after (!!!!!!) initial eye witness call to 911 regarding gunshot wound through femoral artery.
The excellent (very complete) PPD Report documents referred to incident as “elevated aggravated assault” and Samuel Iserbyt as “victim” and Fred Dodge “suspect”. For some weird reason, word came from somewhere high up, very early on, to NOT charge Fred Dodge with anything and to let him loose to wander the streets of Portland, with a gun, which Dodge has been doing for the last 13 months.
Doesn’t the public have a right to know about these two incidents which occurred in the West End to a taxpaying home owner and U.S. Marine combat veteran during Gulf War I? There has been a complete Maine media blackout regarding this incident, other than original partially correct but incomplete articles by Matt Byrne in PPH.
What are you, Mayor Strimling, going to do about this very serious and unconstitutional breach of the law in Portland, Maine?
Be sure to listen to audio clip below…
– BEGIN TRANSCRIPT –
“My name is Steve Schran: I grew up in a city… so I understand a lot of the concerns here. But I have one major concern. I’m going to ask you a question. I have all these sheets… each and everyone of you can have a copy of this. Why didn’t you as elected major of Portland Maine and unelected appointed City Manager CM Jon Jennings, do anything about the “pop sam in the head”audio tape which indicated that Portland Police Dept. planned to take out Sam Iserbyt, in Oct 2015…this gentleman right here, a former Iraqi, Maine, he was in Marines in Iraq. One of officers is heard saying “it’s not federal anymore” and Grant’s talking to him (chief? ed) on phone.You and City Manager both listened to tape given to you by Sam Iserbyt. Was this tape ever made available to member of Portland City Council? If not, why? As a Maine taxpayer I want to know who exactly gave patrolmen Ryder and Hurley, whose voices are heard on audio tape, orders to ‘pop Sam in the head’
You ought to read this entire sheet.
You think your city is safe? I don’t think so. I live in New Gloucester… It’s safe there. We don’t even have a Police Dept.”
Audience: Laughing.
Strimling: “I don’t really have a response, don’t recall issue…”
Sam: “I think you do. We spoke privately on phone, private emails… I sent you the recording and you disappeared. I went to Jon Jennings and I told him about our conversations and he said ‘I run this city.’ Well, I’m not sure where you stand on that… Ethan. I would like to know who shut you up because I think someone told you to be quiet and you are also named on the Tort Notice for the lawsuit. Probably largest suit city has ever seen. As you know, since you’ve, I presume, read it since I took it to your office. District Attorney Stephanie Anderson and Police Chief Michael Sauschuck are also named in it.
At end of day, the Chief as you may wonder, because I don’t have people shoot me that often, instead of using his officers because parameters did not match, had a hit man come to my house and shoot me. The odd part is that after all surgeries I’ve been through, straight through my femoral artery, nothing has bled, and it is mysterious today, in this room, that this started coming out of my leg.”
Audience: “Ha. Ha. Whew.”
Sam: “Anyone want to see the wounds? Chief Sauschuck sent his officers. If anyone would like to hear it, I’ll play it for you. It’s short. Ethan’s heard it. I’m sorry… I know you have been stuck in the corner.”
Someone (Exec. Director Maine Heritage Gagnon?): “We ought to hear this man.”
Strimling: ” I don’t think right now is the time for this. Have a private conversation afterwards.”
Sam: “I think everyone needs to hear this.”
Audience: “No, No, No; sit down”, and is followed by others who say to Sam “Sit down”.
Sam: “Sit down? I’m a taxpayer in City of Portland. Do you want to see the injuries?”
Schran: “Let’s go. Let’s go. Let’s go. They don’t care.”
Sam: “There’s a witness who watched the whole thing happen.”
– END TRANSCRIPT –