Charge dropped against Yellow House owners / LJWorld.com

Archive for Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Federal prosecutors seek new evidence against couple

May 9, 2007

Guy Neighbors, left, and his wife, Carrie Neighbors, have been indicted on charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering. The couple are owners of Yellow House Quality Appliances Inc. Guy Neighbors on Thursday denied the charges.

Charges dropped against owners of 'Yellow House'

A federal judge dismissed charges Monday against 'Yellow House' owners Guy and Carrie Neighbors. They were arrested in December after being indicted on charges of possessing guns while using a controlled substance. Enlarge video

Owners of the Yellow House Store in Lawrence no longer are facing a federal charge accusing them of possessing guns while being unlawful users of a controlled substance.

But authorities said new charges could follow.

A federal judge on Monday dismissed the charge against Guy and Carrie Neighbors, giving prosecutors time they say they need to follow up on "recently developed significant additional evidence" against the couple, who had been accused and arrested in December.

U.S. District Judge Carlos Murguia dismissed the charge "without prejudice," meaning that prosecutors can refile the charge at a later date.

In his motion seeking dismissal of the charge, U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren said he anticipates filing additional charges once the new evidence is investigated.

Jim Cross, a spokesman for Melgren, said Tuesday that he could not discuss the evidence, nor what charges would be filed or when.

"The government has moved for dismissal without prejudice in anticipation of filing additional charges," Cross said. "There is significant new evidence in the case that requires investigation."

Guy Neighbors said Tuesday that he had been notified that he should anticipate facing a "superseding" indictment - specifically, one alleging that he and his wife had been conducting a fencing operation while in possession of drugs and guns - sometime during the next 30 to 60 days.

But after 19 months of investigations, surveillance and other dealings with authorities, Carrie Neighbors said, it's difficult to understand how any new evidence could be discovered.

"We know we're innocent, and we're willing to stand up for that," she said. "It's a lot of lies. A lot of lies in this case, a lot of deception."

She said the dismissal of the charge should free up officials at City Hall to investigate the couple's own complaints filed against the Lawrence Police Department - complaints, she said, about police conduct that have not been investigated because the couple have been under indictment.

"That's big for us," Carrie Neighbors said. "We're not asking anybody to give us a free ride or tell us we're not guilty or whatever. We just want our complaints investigated."

Guy Neighbors said that sales at Yellow House Store, 1904 Mass., had suffered under the weight of police investigations and suspicions from customers, even those who had been frequenting the shop for many of its 26 years.

But business continues.

"We still have a lot of support from the community," he said.

Discussion

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9 May 2007
at 7:34 a.m.

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cms (Anonymous) says…

Good. This is a nice family with a small business. My wish for the Neighbors is that this mess will be far behind them in the near future.
9 May 2007
at 7:58 a.m.

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Fueldrum (Nick Combs) says…

Anybody read Larryville?
9 May 2007
at 8:16 a.m.

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doc1 (Anonymous) says…

It's called deflection. Criminals have done it since the beginning of time. “We are innocent.” That is easy to say, but impossible to prove when you've done everything that they have done. I'm sure they are good people. I don't think you will find many people to dispute that. However, it doesn't mean they weren't running a dirty business at the time of accusation. When stolen stuff repeatedly shows up for sale at your store and you take the property knowing it's stolen then thats bad. Thats a bad Yellow House, Bad! Naughty! Go sit in the corner and stop blaming the police for doing their job.
9 May 2007
at 8:32 a.m.

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imastinker (Anonymous) says…

doc - the cops don't do 19 months of surveillance for possesion of stolen goods. I also doubt they mess this up after nearly two years making a case.
9 May 2007
at 8:44 a.m.

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blue73harley (Anonymous) says…

“But after 19 months of investigations, surveillance and other dealings with authorities, Carrie Neighbors said, it's difficult to understand how any new evidence could be discovered.”

I completely agree. Why these people are being held under a magnifying glass for so long is beyond me. Make a case or move on!

Seems to me someone has a vendetta against the Neighbors. I think the prosecuters in this case better remember what happened with the wrongly accused at Duke.

To the Neighbors - congratualations in this small victory and best wishes.
9 May 2007
at 9:03 a.m.

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KSChick1 (Anonymous) says…

if they are so innocent, then why did “yellowhouse” post repeatedly that they don't do drugs and don't have drugs yet several pot plants were removed from their home? Then it was stated by “yellowhouse” that it was for the husband's health or eyes or some crap like that.
9 May 2007
at 9:34 a.m.

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smitty (Anonymous) says…

Keep up the fight, Neighbors.

Is it OK for someone to use pot if they are taking cancer treatments or have HIV? Medical marijuana is criminalized but is it really wrong? The doctors that I have talked to are fearful to prescripe medical marijuana but turn a blind eye and deaf ear to a patient who uses it for pain control, glaucoma, appetitie stimulation, sleep inducer, etc.

Pay attention to the terminology….drug WAR then analize the criminal behavior of those in the position of mandating the WAR. For instance, the judges and attorneys who were on an informants list in a local drug case that got an LPD detective fired. It's a WAR. All's fair.

9 May 2007
at 9:38 a.m.

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Bladerunner (Anonymous) says…

Blue73harley,….This is not a small victory for the Neighbors. The judge dismissed the lone charge at the prosecuters request to make way for additional charges (plural) at a later date.
9 May 2007
at 10:25 a.m.

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yellowhouse (Anonymous) says…

This is a very big victory!
Now that the charges are dropped our formal complaints about police misconduct, policy and procedure violations, chain of evidence rule violations, altered police videos and reports, can now be investigated by the City Manager, the FBI, The KBI, Internal affairs, and other interested parties now in posession of our complaints.
9 May 2007
at 11:10 a.m.

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yellowhouse (Anonymous) says…

We have posted updates on larryville. If anyone cares to read them here is the forum address:
http://www.forums.larryville.com/view…
9 May 2007
at 11:32 a.m.

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yellowhouse (Anonymous) says…

We were told by the City back in Dec 2006, that they were taking our complaints seriously but that they could not investigate any of them due to the Indictment. Now that the Indictment has been dropped we are confident they will be looking into our allegations.

see letter City of Lawrence wrote to the Neighbors in regards to our complaints:
http://picasaweb.google.com/guysmiley…

See Dec. 2006, letter from the Neighbors to city of Lawrence, thanking them for looking into our complaints as soon as the charges are dropped:

http://www.forums.larryville.com/view…
9 May 2007
at 12:38 p.m.

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porkchop (Anonymous) says…

Once again, here's yellowhouse gearing him/her/themselves up for righteous indignation when the city does not investigate their complaints against the LPD. See, the letter doesn't say anything the City of Lawrence was “taking our complaints seriously but that they could not investigate any of them due to the Indictment. Now that the Indictment has been dropped we are confident they will be looking into our allegations.”

What the letter actually says:
“Once the proceedings that result from the investigation in question are complete” they will investigate.

Now, as is clear to everyone (except, inevitably, yellowhouse), the proceedings that result from the investigation are not complete. The charges from that investigation are being refiled. And when the City doesn't investigate in this case, that's just one more log on the paranoid yellowhouse conspiracy fire.

Cause, you know, everyone is in on it.
9 May 2007
at 12:55 p.m.

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bangaranggerg (Anonymous) says…

I've always loved the service they did for the comunity, I mean where else can you go to buy drugs and your own stuff back after it got stolen?
9 May 2007
at 12:59 p.m.

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porkchop (Anonymous) says…

I don't think my question got posted … just wanted to know if “insiderinfo” was Guy, or if it was Carrie?
9 May 2007
at 1:42 p.m.

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porkchop (Anonymous) says…

I'm guessing Guy. Carrie's posts tend to have more of a hallucinatory flavor, and are better punctuated.

9 May 2007
at 2:08 p.m.

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cowboy (Anonymous) says…

What would you expect the prosecutors to say , Yeah we really screwed this one up and were going to drop all the charges.

This deserves an independent investigation and some answers , why all the publicity on such a non case.
9 May 2007
at 2:08 p.m.

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yellowhouse (Anonymous) says…

bangaranggerg (Anonymous) says:

I've always loved the service they did for the comunity, I mean where else can you go to buy drugs and your own stuff back after it got stolen?
just a heads up:
I hope you know what you just admitted to! Now the Journal World is going to get a supeona from the police to find out your identity and probably will be showing up at your house with a search warrant since you just admitted that you have bought drugs and stolen merchandise at the Yellow House!
You should not post things that are not true, Even if you are annonymous they can still find you!
9 May 2007
at 2:15 p.m.

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justsomewench (Anonymous) says…

hands down, the best post of the day:

porkchop (Anonymous) says:
I'm guessing Guy. Carrie's posts tend to have more of a hallucinatory flavor, and are better punctuated.
9 May 2007
at 2:15 p.m.

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smitty (Anonymous) says…

The informant that had the names of judges and attorneys as drug buyers?
9 May 2007
at 3:01 p.m.

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Confrontation (Anonymous) says…

I'm guess that insiderinfo is either one of them, one of their kids, or their previous attorney. Just my opinion.

I can't see how posting stuff here and on Larryville is going to help the case. Anyone who reads it will come to the conclusion that the poster is crazy. I half expect to find a post that includes police officers, disguised as aliens, visiting them in the night. I think more people in town would respect them if they stopped behaving like this. If the cops have really done something wrong, then deal with it in court. If the couple is innocent, then I hope they have justice. These postings are not going to determine the outcome in the courts, but they will determine public opinion.
9 May 2007
at 3:26 p.m.

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bangaranggerg (Anonymous) says…

I will only post things that are not true if I deam them to be humorous.
9 May 2007
at 4:08 p.m.

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pelliott (Anonymous) says…

You know I would get a better gig than lifting and selling heavy used appliances if i was the biggest fence in Kansas history, hell, it speaks loads that it takes years to 'make” their case. They have to make their case against these decent people, or they would lose street creds. Something has smelled pretty bad on 11th. st for a long time and I don't mean the sewer plant, that ran pretty well.
9 May 2007
at 4:41 p.m.

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frwent (Anonymous) says…

The Lawrence cops investigate themmselves! I have one of their “complaint forms”

ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No one else with a shread of intellect or decency lets the wolf guard the henhouse.

What a crock!

9 May 2007
at 4:44 p.m.

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Centrist (Anonymous) says…

Don't the Feds have Bigger Fish to chase?

Like druglords who are now flavouring their Meth so that kids might like it.

Like gangs, who seem to roam as freely as ever in a lot of the country.

Like pedophiles, who always seem to luck out by locating next to schools.

Like mentally ill nutjobs who somehow fall through the cracks and get to own guns, eventually killing innocent people.

Like Sleeper Cells of would-be terrorists.

Oh no, it's more important to go after people selling used washing machines.

Gimme a break!
9 May 2007
at 5:23 p.m.

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Sigmund (Anonymous) says…

I'm with blue73harley, the Feds had better have something HUGE on this couple and they had better bring it SOON. Although I believe this couple is guilty of fencing, boosting, and possession this has gone on WAY too long. It is getting to the point where I don't care if they are guilty or not, file on their a$$es or stop wasting everyones time.
9 May 2007
at 6:27 p.m.

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yellowhouse (Anonymous) says…

I challenge anyone to dispute anything that we have posted as false. Our credability is impeccable. A defense based upon lies would be a waste of time and would eventually sink faster than a 500lb gorrilla on quick sand!

We are all human and have our shortcommings.

However if we want to have the respect of others we must be credible. As we color our world with expectations, we accept any evidence that contradicts or challenges what we believe.

A battle based on lies would be a losing one.

Only the truth can stand up to the scrutiny and challenge of an assumptuous public, and slanerous publications in an investigation that goes on for years.
9 May 2007
at 6:46 p.m.

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dthroat (Anonymous) says…

Gee, I hate to see any gorillas lose their life over this, but that seems the way this will go. Credible?? A battle based on lies would be a losing one????

Just a few small questions about that - As your “then” attorney stood in YOUR driveway proclaiming your innocense and no evidence the TV crew filmed cops bringing out the evidence of the grow operation from your house!!! (great credibility)

And how about the plea bargins you BOTH agreed to before you became smarter that several lawyers????

Maybe you were like Rose and just wanted to tell the police what they wanted to hear???

Write some more poetry, or wait - you might have more time for it in a little while. The article DID say the Feds were going to file other charges. The Feds may take a long time, but they tend to get it correct most times.
9 May 2007
at 6:47 p.m.

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crazyks (Anonymous) says…

I still say if there was anything to find, it could have been found already. Unless the police dept. is really, really inept.

And come on, get real…if this was truly a huge fencing operation, like the prosecutors claim, there would be many, many more people involved than just Guy and Carris Neighbors. You can't “fence” things all alone, you know. Why no charges against anyone else?

I have shopped at Yellow House many times and, quite frankly, though what they had was okay and fit my budget at the time, I never saw anything there that would be worth a fence's time…people who fence do it for MONEY, people…not fame and glory. They don't take stuff that would be worthless to anyone else.

If they truly had anything on these people, they should have been able to find it AND prove it in this length of time.

It sounds more and more to me like someone just doesn't want to admit they were wrong, and that nothing was going on.
9 May 2007
at 7:01 p.m.

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

This is a game which is often played by the Feds in cooperation with local law enforcement.

They really have nothing other than the pot in conjunction with guns which CAN be really bad but they are too embarrassed to admit it, so they stretch it out trying to drive the defendants crazy.

Remember, your government is there to help you!

Thanks.

Marion.
9 May 2007
at 7:32 p.m.

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Confrontation (Anonymous) says…

yellowhouse (Anonymous) says:

“I challenge anyone to dispute anything that we have posted as false. Our credability is impeccable. A defense based upon lies would be a waste of time and would eventually sink faster than a 500lb gorrilla on quick sand!”

Your “credability” is fine, I'm sure. But,what about your “credibility?”
9 May 2007
at 7:39 p.m.

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yellowhouse (Anonymous) says…

Your “credability” is fine, I'm sure. But,what about your “credibility?”

Yes we have both! Credabiltiy and credibility, just depends on which side of the fence you are on! All bases are covered! thanks for the spell check alert!

9 May 2007
at 8:53 p.m.

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yellowhouse (Anonymous) says…

As far as new evidence that is anxiously being anticipated I simply ask you this:

How could any new or old evidence be credible when the collection of evidence has not been credible, the handling of evidence has not been credible, and presentation of the evidence is not credible?
9 May 2007
at 9:06 p.m.

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mutpuppy (Anonymous) says…

Ahhh another story about Yellow House. What would the lawrence journal world do without the yellow house! I still cry out “what happened to innocent until proven guilty”…. I suppose if the LPD investigate long enough they will sink themselves and prove Guy and Carrie innocent of fencing.
It's funny you know… if you give a police department enough rope and enough time, they just might hang (kill) their own weak case. The police are on a ship with holes in it and when it starts to sink, everyone will jump and point fingers as they're going in…
9 May 2007
at 9:35 p.m.

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oldgoof (Anonymous) says…

Goof thinks Marion's theory @ 7:01 might be on target.
9 May 2007
at 9:41 p.m.

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yellowhouse (Anonymous) says…

nutcase (Anonymous) says:

yh, just wait and see. the federal and state authorities are a lot more credible than you and your loyal supporters, like Kathy. Will enjoy it when you are finally locked up.
––––––––––-

Well to have respect you have to earn respect and you also have give respect to get respect.

The same goes for credibility.

So just what are your assumptions of the authorities credibility based upon?

I hope they are more credible than your name you have chosen to represent yourself with…(smile)
10 May 2007
at 5:56 p.m.

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Baille (Anonymous) says…

Dude, like: “Jack is wearing a rain coat. Jack just came in from outside. Jack's raincoat is wet. It must be raining outside.”

Crazy stuff, man.

How about this one: “Some jackass broke my garage window and took my lawnmower. I found my lawnmower at the pawn shop. The pawn shop people must have bought my lawnmower from the jackass who stole my lawnmower.”

Kinda like basic logic. You can't be totally certain - but you gotta play the probabilities, right?

How about this one for playing the probablities: “The jack-booted thugs are all up in my business. The have warrants to search my store. They keep searching my store for stolen stuff. Sometimes stuff is stored in people's house. I have a pot plant growing in my house. I should get rid of the pot plant before the jack-booted expand their search to include my house.”

Seriously, Guy, I sympathize with your plight but you all are shooting yourselves in the foot with all the stream-of-consciousness drama. Plead your case in public if you must, but do it like Kunstler not like Kerouac.
13 May 2007
at 11:09 p.m.

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yellowhouse (Anonymous) says…

I find it interesting all the talk about fencing.

There have been no fencing charges!

Only the media being used as a crutch for Law enforcement to make baseless allegations in an effort to destroy the reputation of our business.

In the entire 19 month investigation not one thief arrested directly related to this case or business!

There currently are no theft victims in this ongoing nearly two year old investigation case.

And the Yellow House had less than 10 items in an entire year recovered as stolen property. Most Local Pawn shops turn that number up in one week!

Such assumptuos negativity here!