Thanks Gerald

This all started when I stood up against the GCA INC. and their efforts to get $600K years ago, they had already receieved $100k from Debary.

I remember when I was a kid how they told us about Police keeping secret political files on citizens and how they were encouraged to inform on each other in the USSR

I was in the military back in the 1960's and we were fighting communists...you know..the type people that keep secret files and are encouraged to inform on each other.

Prevat...Comrade! We are becoming them.

Read Sheriff Ben Johnson's words on is website. I am going to find out if he means what he says. I hope he is for real....the jury is still out.

Mort: Keep up the fight for right. A big thanks to you and POP for letting this dirty little secret out to the public. After speaking with a few of my neighbors about what happened to you, they just can’t believe it. You have a lot more support then you think. The big question in my mind is “Who’s policing the police!

You know I was inspired by the VCSO Sheriff's Message on the internet where he mentions, integrity, trust and fairness concerning his Department.

I hated to, but had be fair to myself and make a citizen's complaint against the Deputy that failed to give me a proper trespass on Dec 15th. He failed to even fill out a proper Incident Report and with the exact same mouth claims the warning was FORMAL. In fairness I also complimented another officer Deputy Sawicki for his professionalism during a similiar event on Dec 31, 2011. Face it VCSO some Deputies do a good job and some make mistakes...the VCSO needs to 'man up' and admit from time to time they make mistakes.

This complaint was encouraged by the words of Sheriff Ben Johnson himself on his website something about " upholding the integrity of the Sheriff's Office"

Visit the VCSO website where it says this type complaint takes 45 days also on their brocure it say 45 days...how many 45...45?

But for my complaint Cheif Deputy Mike Coffin says " It is anticipated that the investigation will be completed in 180 days"

I called up someone at VCSO internal affairs and asked them about the discrepency, the lady said the 45 day complaint resolution time was a mistake. I do not think so, the VSCO says 45 days BUT for me 180 days, aka 6 months. I said was there any extenuating circumstances...NO she says....its now 180 days.

The VCSO claims

Fairness...Integrity...Ethics ...Truthfulness

Sure VCSO ..... Your delay tactics say all I need to hear. You are coming in loud and clear.

Thanks Norm for the clarification and my apologies to Ryan for my error!

Obviously anyone can file a report w/the police but I would have thought Mort should have been made aware, obviously withholding the complaintants name!

However I can't imagine what that night must have been like, to be surrounded, assaulted and then questioned by the Police!

It all just has an "air of impropriety"!!!

Don't feel sorry for me, I should have known I was in a BAD NEIGBORHOOD when I went to that Public Meeting on Dec 15th 2011.

That experience reminds me of the Famous FIVE DOLLAR ALLEY down in Tijuana, Mexico. It is free to go in but ya better have $5 bucks to get back out and that was 1968 prices.

The wealthy and elite have the cops do there dirty work in Debary....no different from anyplace else in the USA. It is called part of our CULTURE....or CULTCHA..nome sayin.

erickson has the biggest set in debary to put what he does on pop which i read almost daily. why didn't he run against garcia so we could have someone who can read up there? sorry, mort...you speak your mind and you get arrested...what a sad story looks like you got a couple a people pulling for ya

One DUHBARY citizen is banned from the entire Gateway Park based on lies from GCA political people. They own that Park ask anyone they own it for $125 per year cheap rent.

If you go to the GCA Political Center you might get threatened, assaulted and have false statements called in to the VCSO about you. They are as friendly as a nest of snakes at Gateway.

Don't you know it is perfectly OKAY to manipulate the VCSO with lie after lie....Gateway people do it...maybe VCSO does not care?

Last word from GCA personel is there is an OPEN WARRANT on someone named Morton. I checked with the VCSO...there is NO open warrant on anyone named Morton, another LIE from the Gateway Political Center and it is in a VCSO report.

Maybe they can train Dennis Mulder to clean the bathrooms at Gateway....they have stinky filthy bathrooms at Gateway...or so I hear.

Remember that park when it really was a Park, before politicians captured it?

Terry,

Correction: It was not Ryan Rinaldo that filed the report but Robert Rinaldo.

Thanks for reading POP. We've been the only source to report this story. And it's a lurid tale to say the least. Mort, after I check to see if there is a police report on file with my name on it, I might be able to go to the meet and greet with Mayor Mulder - I'll pass my notes on to you since you would literally be arrested if you showed up as you are not allowed to access Gateway Park per the paperwork. Or am I wrong?

Thanks Terri,

It is getting better...This Gateway Center for POLITICS at 880 hwy 17-92 is going to be the lauch site for ex Mayor of Deltona Denny Mulder's Volusia County District 5 Campaign.

Did ya get your invitation to the Jan 28th event? Maybe you can meet Dennis and he can explain about how Pat Northey was on the board of directors for this POLITICAL CLUB on 17-92. Will he owe Gateway favors when he votes, who knows..Gateway is still on the Volusia County Arts and Culture nipple.

When Gateway accepted money from ECHO they were an ARTS CENTER. They were sold to ECHO as an ARTS CENTER...remember?

Now they have evolved into a POLITICAL Club, Retail Store, Farmers Market, Commercial Building for rent, and Christian Church. This is NOT what they recieved taxpeyer funding FOR originally....check the ECHO website.

This GCA corp. gladly accepts Volusia County Echo and Culture Council money yet pays no taxes and disgraces the entire Debary Park System with stinky politics.

Why should the Volusia Cultural Council give this GCA Political business anymore MONEY from the taxpayers....go check their website see who is on their advisory board and also on the GCA board.

One stop shopping at Gateway...you can buy arts, groceries, rent space and even PRAY at their church. All this in an EX Public Park.

Hey Fred, thanks for posting this article, I read it this morning on POP and have been "stewing" ever since! Christ this is just the kind of stuff that Mort complains about, is this the USA or former USSR??? Talk about police state!! Some 19 yr old former city councilman candidate can file a police report because he received an email that he felt was threatening??? Good God if an email scares him I hope he doesn't encounter one of the many bears that we have roaming in DeBary. As far as the "Wilsons" are concerned it sounds like the whole family is in on the act now. Are we sure they haven't taken up residence in the Arts Center?

As a fellow Orlandia Heights homeowner of Morts, I have not met the man yet but someday I hope to shake his hand and enjoy a lively debate!

Regarding the Arts Center it almost feels like there should be some sort of police investigation into their activities. Lets see, it sounds like he was assaulted while in attendance and slandered with a false police report. Maybe the police should be looked at also since they let a reported intoxicated individual drive home! God I love living in a small town with a bunch of small minded people! Long live Occupy Wall Street and I can't wait for the revolution to begin!

hey fred,put this up Just read on debarypop that this council needs old council members to solve the problems their having now...why did we elect them? can't do the job?...ooopppsss they walked in i mean...garcia says a whole lotta nothing and everybody knows it.

Mrs. Handy-Peters: TBD

I agree camaron. the mayor is a talker with no substance. only koval makes sense...carson and hunt make no sense...

weakest council in years maybe ever

camaron: I've seen the mayor go on and on at the debary diner on the weekend and it's maddening. the way he talks about HIS HIS HIS council and what HE HE HE HE is doing. he's like casey anthony saying 'I I I I" when realy it is "ay yi yi!!" three years...I was hoping lenzen would stay and garcia would go...oh well...

Thanks to Norm Erickson, Fred and Terry for their comments.

I have never asked anything from the City of Debary and always have tried to speak up for myself and others as a taxpayer.

Hopefully our city council will find the courage to defend the taxpayers against greedy SIGS...Special Intrest Groups that manuver for money from the city.

Debary is $12 million in debt...it is YOUR money....being wasted by elected officials.

Follow the money...just follow the money.

Found the article below on Debarypop.com Talk about something stinking in DeBary.

From Mort Culligan: The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office has a big job and is often manipulated by people that know how to use it against other citizens. For instance, did you know that a VCSO incident report can be filed against you without your knowledge? An incident report can be filed against you or someone in your family without your knowledge, accusing you of anything. The VCSO has no obligation to tell you anything. How do I know this? Because it happened to me and only because a concerned citizen let me know did I check into it and find the filed reports. The reports were filled out because of my opposition to the Gateway Center for the Arts.

On May 27th, 2011 Robert Rinaldo contacted the VCSO complaining that an e-mail was sent to him "that might pose a threat to the well being of persons at Gateway Park".Ref VCSO incident report 110016094

Dept. Gill investigated the matter and concluded " although the e mail was rather boisterous it did not appear to be threatening in any manner but merely voiced Culligan's opinion on wasteful government spending”.

June 2nd, 2011 Mrs. Sandra Wilson founder of The Debary Art League now known as the GCA Inc. contacted the VCSO and filed an incident report # 110016720 claiming to be harassed and intimidated at city council meetings. Mrs. Wilson apparently is not happy when a citizen such as myself actually stands up to her and her tax exempt organization as it tries to get money or special treatment from the City of Debary taxpayers. Deputy Gonzales of the VCSO determined that “…Mr Culligan has not committed any crime and was just voicing his opinion at council meetings”.

That is two times Gateway's people have attempted to manipulate the VCSO in order to retaliate on this Debary taxpayer that opposed their manipulation and exploitation of the taxpayers via the City of Debary. I was never informed of these incident reports that were unfounded and manipulative in nature. How did I swerve into them? Because of recent events in December, 2011.

Ref Police event P113492156 12/15/2011

I attended an event on 12/15/2011 that was advertised open to public at Gateway Park. Refer to Gateway's own newsletter on their website.

I entered the building as an invited guest and sat in the rear of the auditorium and said nothing to anyone and listened to the speakers. It was an interesting talk concerning the previous owners of Gemini Springs Park.

As the talk and applause ended I got up and attempted to leave when I was confronted and shouted at by a lady that I learned later was Sandra Wilson's adult daughter. This woman shouted “what are you doing here? My mother has a restraining order against you”.

I informed this woman that I was an invited guest per the marquee outside and there could not be any such restraining order. Mrs Wilson and her husband came up, told their daughter to leave and began peppering me with questions. Also a man grabbed me by the shoulder and asked someone towards the front of the room "is this the one?". He was advised to get his hand off of me. I did not file a police report concerning unwanted touching or assault.

Now the timeline of calls to the VCSO dispatchers log becomes important at this point. Ref. P113492156 Dispatchers log. 12/15/2011 time 20:08 Comment: MALE INTOXICATED

20:08 Comment: Not supposed to be there

20:08 Comment: Function going on

20:09 Comment: Mother has injunction against subject

20:09 Comment: She does not know his name

At no point in time is anyone accused of causing a disturbance or harassing anyone.

No one at anytime asked me to leave until a Deputy Geano motioned for me to come outside. At 20:11:20 which I was happy to do considering the hostile crowd I was dealing with.

This is the THIRD time GCA people manipulated VCSO deputies against me based on the lies and exaggerations of their own mob mentality organization. This is how a citizen is treated because he opposes their non profit organization.

Later a Deputy Yakel was convinced to trespass me by this hostile crowd of people from the entire Gateway Park. He did not Formally Trespass me at all and merely told me to get out of here and do not come back tonight. Obviously I had no plans to return that night. These people do not own Gateway Park yet they manipulated this young Deputy into a failed attempt to claim he FORMALLY trespassed me. This Deputy also accused me of smelling of alcohol from 20 feet away yet remained mute as I asked him to test me for any trace of it. The original call was for a MALE INTOXICATED.

I got in my car and drove away in front of TWO VCSO Deputies after I had been accused of being drunk...why would Deputies let a drunk drive?

Although I was never given a trespass warning and did not, did not sign anything telling me that if I returned I would be trespassing and thus arrested, I was arrested for trespassing on December 21 st.

I now know I am legally barred from entering Debary's Gateway Park because of the lies and false statements of GCA personnel and their manipulation of VCSO Deputy Yakel. I am not allowed into “Gateway Park” as it states on the paperwork.

Have you said, written, or perhaps whispered things against the GCA? Do you know that a police file hasn’t been filled out about you? I didn’t know it until I was approached and yelled at by GCA members, a hand put on my shoulder, was accused of smelling of alcohol then allowed to drive away, and then arrested for…trespassing. And now I am no longer allowed in a “public park”. Never once did I sign a “No trespassing” warrant.

Mort Culligan

Debary,Fl

From Norm: The first time I heard Mort speak was at the first meeting I attended in the spring of 2004. Mort is out there. Mort is direct, blunt, less than diplomatic and not afraid to speak his mind and disagree with the person he is talking to – who is also not afraid to share his or her point of view in their own manner. But I’ve never known Mort to be a liar. I’ve read all the corresponding paperwork associated with what Mort wrote above – it’s chilling reading. Mort was not arrested for assault or threatening gestures or words. He was not arrested for harassment. He was not arrested for being drunk and disorderly.

He was arrested for trespassing yet he never signed a trespassing warrant. He had no knowledge that he would be trespassing if her returned to the Gateway Park and/or GCA.

But let’s not tiptoe around the issue: Mort was arrested because he expressed his opinion. The two police reports were found to be..well…unfounded by an impartial third party: the police. This was payback.

It’s really quite scary what Mort went through and is going through. Two police reports on file and Mort didn’t know about it. He was arrested. Mugshot. Court date. Fines. Money. Car towed. For trespassing. I know someone who was caught trespassing and they were given a trespassing waiver to sign; this never happened to Mort.

Few people know that Mark Meister filed out a similar police report on me in August or September of 2009. Mr. Meister filled out the police report because I did not get emails to him that he had requested 9 days earlier. The interim City Manager at the time called me to tell me. Had she not done that, I guess I wouldn’t have known about it either. In a “gotcha” society, having a police report out there floating around could be the end to your job or a possible bid for elected office.

Agree or disagree with Mort. Hate him, love him or be indifferent. After reading his account ask yourself: is this really DeBary? Yes, it is. What is going on with the Gateway Center for the Arts? Power. Money. Social snobbery?

From December 15th to the 27th there were three calls to the VCSO concerning the GCA. Only one is listed in the reports online. The other two – concerning Mort and his arrest – are not online in the daily reports. Not even the arrest for trespassing. Why? Why?

No sarcasm here or wit; I’ve been fresh out watching this terrifying story unfold. There truly is a dark side at work here in DeBary; I don’t expect anyone to express disapproval of it – and that is exactly why it will continue. It seems Mort Culligan can't be critical of an entity that exists because of taxpayer money from people like Mort.

Next time a Council member talks about that great partnership and working relationship we have with the GCA remember it's contingent on just going along to come along. Don't question. Don't dissent. And whatever you do, don't bring up any facts. Lastly, of course, if you've done any of these things, you may want to check if a report has been filed about you. It appears the GCA does not want their legacy infringed upon...speaking of legacies...look below...

I bet he's already had a private bout of foot stomping and cussing because he wasn't even mentioned in the above article. After all this is "his city", "his people" and let's not forget "HIS COUNCIL".

I wonder how long it will take for the Mayor to take credit for getting this money from FEMA. It won't be long before his ego will make his head swell like a ripe watermelon. He tried once before to take credit when it was not due him by saying, he got a 4 million plus award from FEMA. But by saying he did, he would have broken the City charter. What a melon head!!

nearly anyone running against the mayor would have run. what happened to ericson, terry? or anybody. I agree with terry...and three more years with garcia? i can't take it...he talks people away. and hunt just walked in again...retread...

You know Mort it's not that people really disagree with what you say.........they just feel pathetic when they realize how accurate your comments are!

And then they feel worse when they try to figure out how to change it and they can't come up with any ideas!

Now most people would respond that we're in this situation because people don't get out and vote but look at the choices we have to vote for!

Look at the line up we had in our last election, no competition for Mayor, retread past councilman......

If that doesn't indicate as a society we're circling the drain I don't know what does!

The money did come from FEMA but where did they get it....from the other Federal TAXPAYERS nationwide.

Mr Mica got the money from our sad nation, $15 trillion in debt....that is where he got it.

Everyone hates high taxes and BIG government UNLESS.... there is welfare money for their selfish community. Debary deserves no money from the federal government whatsoever....none.

People that build or buy in low areas are not very smart and deserve no government bailout.

Debary is a community that GROVELS and begs for federal money.....just like the thousands of other selfish communities nationwide.

Grovel DEBARY ...grovel from ECHO, FEMA, HUD just keep begging keep licking the boots of our Congressman....stay on your knees...lap up that federal money....then claim you are patriotic.

Is begging to the broke Federal government an art or science?

Thank you Mr. Parrott...good to have strong management in DeBary

Thank you Mica for getting us our money back!