Two Arrested At G.O.P. Caucus in St. Peters

March 17, 2012 2:26 PM

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Election Returns

updated at 4:30pm on 3/17/12 to add Missouri GOP statement

ST. PETERS, Mo. (KMOX) -Things got ugly at the Republican Party caucus in St. Charles County, Saturday morning.

St. Peters police say they had to break up the proceedings at Francis Howell North High School after several in the crowd of 2500 became verbally aggressive, disputing a “no videotaping” restriction.

Two men were arrested on trespassing charges.

Police say 45-year-old Brent Stafford of O’Fallon, Mo. and 55-year-old Kenneth Suitter of St. Charles County ignored repeated warnings to leave the scene.

The chair of the Missouri Republican Party, David Cole, released this written statement after being briefed on the St. Charles County incident:

“Across Missouri, record numbers of Republicans turned out at their local caucuses in a show of support for the Republican candidates for president. Given the importance of this election cycle, we understand that emotions run high, but it is important that these caucuses are conducted in a fair, open, and honest manner. Today’s events in St Charles were unfortunate—and the meeting was adjourned to protect the safety of all participants. Moving forward, the State Party plans to reach out to all parties involved. We will come to an agreement to ensure that St Charles County is fully represented throughout the nominating process.”

Copyright KMOX Radio

Dan Langley

I was at the St. Charles Caucus. I wanted to say your guys’ news story was a little inaccurate about the cause of the near-riot. The incident with the man who didn’t want to put away his video camera happened probably 15-20 minutes BEFORE the disturbance.

What really happened: St. Charles County GOP is 100% Santorum supporters. Their temporary chair decided he would take nominations for caucus chairman, and they took their own Santorum supporter to be chairman and rammed through the vote with a voice vote, which they easily lost but proceeded as though they had won.

When our team (Romney) and Ron Paul supporters called for a point of order for the purposes of a hand count, the chairman refused to hear us. This is totally against the GOP rules for caucus in Missouri and Robert’s Rules of Order. Several dozen people at least, on all sides, were screaming for a point of order and the Santorum committeeman temp chair (Eugene Dokes) refused to even acknowledge us. They were trying to ram their delegates through without taking a proper vote. The temporary chair abruptly called the police in and ended the meeting, which is also totally against the rules.

So to recap, the disturbance was created when the St. Charles Central Committee (all Santorum supporters) decided to try and ram through names and appoint people without following the rules. I am a Romney supporter and I can tell you Romney and Paul supporters were furious. I have attended four caucuses so far in my life and I have never heard or seen anything like this.

Romney and Paul supporters reconvened at Wapelhorst park in St. Charles after this charade to discuss what to do next. All we wanted was fairness. I have never seen anything like this.

Dan Clayton

I agree. Here is what I posted earlier
The problems occured when Eugene Dokes, County Committee Chair did not follow rules Caucus rules. He showed a clear lack of understanding or worse the intent to break a cacus where Romney and Paul supporters had a large majority together. Dokes should have appointed a chair by vote, but he simply anointed him. Then the chaire should have filled out the other positions like secretary and the rule person. Romney people and Paul people had gotten together to agree on who to appoint. Yet Dokes simply appointed all the the positions himself. That created bedlem, he then asked for a voice vote in the middle of the bedlem and the eye’s were vastly out spoken, yet Dokes said the eyes have it. That when I think the majority saw what was happening, no video, no following of rules, my people not yours… Honestly it was quite Sad. Then when it got really loud Dokes threatened to dismiss the meeting, which I believe takes 2/3rd majority. Yet he dismissed it anyway… Very very sad, Dokes is either corrupt or uneducated.

I say we simply count the declared candidated when registering. I think it was 35% paul 40% Romney and 20% Santorum…
BookMDanno

The scorched-earth policy of the Paul and Romney operatives left a bad taste in my mouth. If THIS is the kind of democracy we”re trying to install in the Mideast, they’ll vastly choose terrorism. The Paul & Romney sore losers ruined it for all St Charles Republicans, lost my respect, and cost Paul 2 votes never to be won back.

Patrick

…..poor loosers?…..the Santorum suppoters refused to allow the caucus to function…the reason this country is the way it is, is because the american people have allowed the powers to be too much leway…it is time for americans to require those we elect to follow the rules that we are under..they are not above the law..they are our representatives..not our dictators
Greg G

Sanctimonious Santorum is a dangerous, divisive, war-mongering, mental midget who was graded as one of the most corrupt politicians a few years ago for activities ranging from cheating other parents out of school seat by claiming to be living in their school district to quid pro quo related to major campaign contributions. The best ticket for the Republicans will have a Paul on the ticket to attract Ron Paul supporters and Democrats who despise Obama’s NDAA and wars. Santorum reminds me of that other clean-cut looking, morally bankrupt dirtbag, John Edwards – I’m sick of hearing about Santorum’s grandfather from Italy as much as I was sick of hearing about Edwards’ hard-working mother – neither can speak to their own accomplishments. A vote for Santorum is a vote for World War III, increased economic misery and a police state of tomorrow that makes today’s cop shows look like an episode of Teletubbies.

Thomas Braden

Agreed.
Kevin DK

LOL!… you knew this GOP Caucus was rigged by the insider St. Charles County Clowns and the Santorum Gang of Dominionists with all the Security their before the start of the Politburo politics. Then of course, arbitrarily county GOPers serving themselves elected to the seats with only the Santorum Spamming Spew their noise and rejecting all other Point of Orders, show the charade was well conjured-up by the RINO lowns.

All those that precipitately rigged this GOP game should be in Prison for election fraud to the highest seat.

Patrick

So they were tresspassing but not the 500-1000 people that were standing there listening and watching and videotaping this arrest…then why werent everyone else arrested..oh I know why…because we werent…we left the building like we were asked and we were talking outside on the sidewalk on public ground..not causing damage or doing anything illegal…
Brent

I was there as well. The two who were arrested were the camera man who was trying to film the event even though that was supposed to be against the rules. The other guy who was arrested was the guy that the PAUL and ROMNEY camps had mutually agreed they would nominate to chair the meeting because he knew the rules of order and is a respectable guy who would run the meeting by the rules. Anyway they arrested him because he attempted to reconvene the meeting in the parking lot… which can be done according to the rules. So they had to get him off the school property or he might have overturned the cheating that occurred.
Martha

Republicans didn’t shoot themselves in the foot – Libertarians shot the Republicans in the back by not following some pretty simple rules which were published in advance. Now no one will receive any delegates from St. Charles County. How is that a good thing! Who really won this confrontation??

With events like this you may have four more years of OBAMA which will spell the end of our country as we know it.

Jason

Actually libertarians followed the rules it’s santorum supporters who tried to evade caucus rules and Roberts rules of order.
Libertarians are only trying to get the GOP to follow the rules and bring the GOP back to what it was founded on.

If you think that santorum would beet Obama it’s laughable. He can’t get anyone out of hard core Christians to vote for him. N o democrat or independent or 3rd party would vote for him. He would increase the siZe of govt even bigger then Obama has.
After all he voted to raise the debt felling 4 times, voted for no child left behind and stole over 100k from the state of Pennsylvania.

The guy himself said if you want limited govt vote for Ron Paul. The video is all over YouTube.

W try hard to follow the rules and santorum people come in without a majority or even close and then try to force their way in illegally.

Bill

I have it on good authority that neither Santorum or Obama like beets. Turnips, maybe -but no beets.

Dan

Martha is right. I just hope once we get the canidate set these same Paul supportors will help circle the wagons against Obama
Russ

Right on! The Ron Paul agitators were the soul reason for the caucus breakdown. It was a pre-planned protest determined to not let Santorum (or Romney for that matter) get any delegates.

Patrick

….you guys must drink a lot of the ‘magic koolaid”……

jose

what rules where those martha..your sounder like a nazi
Dan

Wow. I was there and what happened is that the Paul/Romney activists tried to hijack the caucus by getting this Suiiter or what ever his name is elected so they could lock out the Santorum vote. The mistake they made was planting the camera guy with the tri-pod in the middle of the crowd. Once they sort of blew over they elected the chairperson they wanted and then still couldn’t calm down enough to sway the event. I’m all for free speech and working it all out as a group but the Paul people just wanted to shout down everyone else so the policy felt it was unsafe and stopped the event and instructed everyone to leave the property period. The Santorum people wanted Ahlen or whatever his name is to be the chairperson so he would split the delegates evenly between the supporters.

BookMDanno

I was there. The videographer was 4′ away. I’ve read numerous accounts of what happened–most of them fantasies. THIS is the most accurate I’ve read at this point! I’ll bet, Dan, you’re as disgusted as I am by the total fabrications being blogged.
Angela

Dan, Martha and Russ have it right. I was there. Talking points were handed out to the Paul supporters. They may not have wanted it to be cancelled, but they caused the chaos. I didn’t think about it until I left, but I wonder if the Romney camp figured that it is better that no delegates be handed out rather than have any go to Santorum. It was absolutely disgusting. LIBERTARIANS, here is a heads up: if you want people to believe that the government should be completely removed from your lives, then maybe you should at least go through the motions of allowing a process to occur, rather than causing a complete upheaval before anything can be done. What the hell good did it do anyone to waste their morning sitting through this? This is why the government feels like they have to have their dirty fingers over everything. Because if we can’t even be civil to each other- and we’re supposedly on the same side- then what are we going to do to those we truly disagree with? There were two men sitting behind me yelling- I mean yelling at an older woman who was trying to explain why having photos and videos could be an intimidatation method. When they realized they could not talk louder than her to be right they resorted to mocking her style of speaking. I have never been less proud of fellow citizens.

bill

the who thing was set up by the santorum campaign. What Eugene Dokes did was make up his own Rules. Eugene Dokes should be kicked out of the Republican Party for his behavior. If anybody should of been arrested it should of been him.
RainbowPie

Enough with the “I was there” garbage. The videos are all over YouTube. The temporary chair obviously broke the rules. It’s not even debatable.

http://www.postlibertarian.com/2012/03/caucus-fraud-in-st-charles-county-mo/ Caucus Fraud in St. Charles County, MO « Current Events « PostLibertarian

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Greg G

I would not be the least bit surprised if Mr. Eugene Dokes isn’t in fact an Obama supporter and Soros operative who used dirty underhanded Saul Alinsky tactics to promote Santorum. Why Santorum? Because Santorum would be a gift to the Obama campaign. Santorum cannot compete and win against Obama. Only Romney/Paul can win.
Mike

This makes me wonder if we are no longer a nation of responsible adults, capable and competent in self-government. If we are not, as these behaviors from all sides suggest, then perhaps we deserve the tyranny that is encroaching upon us.
edeldoug

http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-st-louis/largest-mo-caucus-adjourns-without-conducting-business-no-delegates-selected

Eyewitness report
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2012/03/18/tiam-go-stl-gop-caucas-fracas-economic-relapse/ TIAM: GO STL, GOP Caucas Fracas & Economic Relapse « CBS St. Louis

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