Louisiana Voice

So, Tammy Jump is now saying that I wrote that article in The Guardian Journal about her and her husband under a fake name.

Well, let’s set the record straight on that one. First of all, The Guardian-Journal republished my original story without consulting with me, without asking my permission and certainly without my knowledge.

That’s not to say I would not have given permission; I would have. But as to Ms. Jump’s assertion that I wrote for The Guardian-Journal under a assumed or “fake name,” let’s be clear; that was on The Guardian-Journal. The Homer paper published a disclaimer at the top of their story saying “Courtesy of Tomas Well.” That is a misrepresentation by the newspaper.

As I said, I never gave permission nor did I extend any “courtesy” to reprint the story. And I certainly didn’t screw up my own name (though I find the moniker Tomas Well kind of catchy). As I said, that’s on the newspaper.

Now that that is out of the way, let’s address a few other points by Ms. Jump—or more accurately, omissions in her “letter to the editor.”

She points out (correctly) that prosecutors are not allowed in the grand jury room when it decides on true or no-true findings. But, as the old saying goes, a skilled prosecutor can get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich. On the flip side, a skilled attorney, but omitting key evidence or testimony (or by citing obsolete laws) can convince a grand jury to let a murderer walk.

Her letter failed to address the relationship between the administrator of New Bethany (Mack Ford and family) and her own family, the Gantts, that existed at the time of her investigation.

She pointed out that then-District Attorney Jonathan Stewart never made the decision to recuse her and that it was his responsibility to make such a call. If he was uninformed of the Ford-Gantt relationship, there was no need for him to intercede. Still, Ms. Jump’s denial notwithstanding, she had a responsibility to so inform her boss of that relationship so he could make the decision. She was fully aware there was a conflict yet chose to remain silent.

Nor does her letter address the circumstances surrounding how Mt. Olive Christian School (which her parents own and her husband until recently was principal) came into ownership of the New Bethany property. Coincidence? Perhaps. But somehow, it just doesn’t pass the smell test.

It’s also interesting that her letter of more than a page went to great lengths to defend her own honor while never once addressing the event that precipitated the entire rehashing of her involvement in the New Bethany case: the arrest of her husband, former Mt. Olive Christian School principal Nathan Jump on charges of sexual abuse of juveniles.

It all goes back to my oft-repeated mantra: Don’t listen to what the politicians are saying; listen to what they’re not saying.