ACTION ALERT:
CBS4 Attacks Sick Veterans
Letter from Kevin Dickes' attorney, Robert Corry, to CBS4 Reporter
Rick Salinger.
VIA FACSIMILE 303-830-6380 AND EMAIL rsallinger@cbs.com
January 28, 2008
Rick Sallinger, Reporter
KCNC-TV
1044 Lincoln Street
Denver, CO 80203
Re: Kevin Dickes
Dear Mr. Sallinger:
Thank you for your interest in Kevin Dickes and our historic legal
victory for medical marijuana and for the compassionate voters of
Colorado. I understand that, on the day you confronted Mr. Dickes
at his home uninvited with camera in tow, Mr. Dickes showed you
his Veteran’s Administration card confirming that he has a
“service connected” disability.
Although it takes much time and effort to uncover 15-year-old government
records, we faxed you today a copy of Kevin
Dickes’ DD-214 form, which is the official U.S. Department
of Defense discharge document from 1992 establishing that LCpl Dickes
was honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps with
a 10% disability and a paid disability severance. Note also that
Mr. Dickes received the Good Conduct Medal, Rifle Sharpshooter Badge,
Meritorious Mast, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Letter of Appreciation,
National Defense Service Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal (with
2 stars), Navy Unit Commendation, and Kuwait Liberation Medal.
We understand that, for some reason, a Rich Taylor has taken it
upon himself to contact you alleging that he knows everything that
happened or didn’t happen to Mr. Dickes during the time he
served our country, and disputing Mr. Dickes’ claim that he
is partially disabled due to injuries suffered during the liberation
of Kuwait. You have not communicated Mr. Taylor’s alternate
explanation for Mr. Dickes’ documented disability. We would
be interested to know Mr. Taylor’s explanation, if any, of
how Mr. Dickes obtained his disability. We also request to see Mr.
Taylor’s DD-214 form as well to confirm that he too participated
in the liberation of Kuwait. I am sure that you must already have
some documentation from Mr. Taylor in your possession since you
are touting as fact Mr. Taylor’s denial of Mr. Dickes’
consistent story.
My client stands by his consistent version of events. He has always
maintained that his more recent snowmobile injury exacerbated the
preexisting service-related injury, for which he continues to receive
disability payments from the U.S. government.
We have an outstanding request to the VA for all of Mr. Dickes’
records from his service, which he never thought he would need.
When we receive the rest of the files from the VA, which could take
some time, we can contact you if you wish.
Of course, the real news here is that (1) an American citizen suffering
from a state-documented debilitating medical condition was wrongfully
charged with a felony and faced six years of prison time for cultivating
Medical Marijuana as the voters intended; and (2) the Aurora Police
Department violated the supreme law of our State, the Colorado Constitution,
Article XVIII section 14, which requires police to maintain and
not destroy Medical Marijuana while it is in their possession.
We hope that you will eventually demonstrate the same fervor you
have shown in investigating what happened to Mr. Dickes 15 years
ago half a world away, to investigating what happened to Mr. Dickes
nine months ago right here in Colorado. Police reports (which you
also have) show that “while the Search Warrant was being executed,”
police knew that he was a State-registered Medical Marijuana patient,
in direct contradiction to the story police are peddling, and which
you -- alone amongst your colleagues in the media -- appear to be
still buying despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Moreover,
police cannot, and do not, deny they left six marijuana plants behind
at Mr. Dickes’ home before the search was completed. The only
plausible reason police officers executing a warrant would leave
marijuana behind is that they knew, before the search was even completed
and certainly before criminal charges were filed, that he had a
Colorado Medical Marijuana Registry card, which they also provided
to the defense in initial discovery. There was only one search of
Mr. Dickes’ home, and it was during this search that police
recovered Mr. Dickes’ registry card. They cannot reasonably
deny that they knew Mr. Dickes’ status before filing charges,
yet you have reported their outrageous lies as fact.
We hope that your story will reflect these facts, and that you
and KCNC will take every precaution, as you have already agreed,
to protect and respect Mr. Dickes, his confidentiality, and his
home address. Colorado’s Medical Marijuana patients such as
Mr. Dickes live in fear in the wake of Ken Gorman’s murder,
which occurred days after a KCNC expose of Mr. Gorman. Please be
advised that C.R.S. § 18-18-406.3(5) makes it a criminal offense
for any person to release or make public any confidential information
about a Medical Marijuana registry patient without that patient’s
written authorization. You do not have Mr. Dickes’ written
authorization to release any information about him.
We look forward to working with you on informing the public about
this important case. Thanks again for your interest.
Sincerely,
Robert J. Corry, Jr.
Attachment (1 page –
Department of Defense form)
_____________________________
Robert J. Corry, Jr.
Attorney at Law
600 Seventeenth Street
Suite 2800 South Tower
Denver, Colorado 80202
telephone 303-634-2244
website www.RobCorry.com
email Robert.Corry@comcast.net
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