Facebook member and follower on the Beth Bentley-Missing page Martie Mancuso slipped into the attack mode earlier today when she wrote, "Jake, I personally feel Gus is being a shit stirrer in this situation. I believe he's using this platform, the interest in Beth's case, the number of local followers (i.e. voters) to pursue his own aspirations for Sheriff.
"If I lived in Woodstock, I wouldn't feel too confident about how ill-equipped the police are when it comes to investigating serious matters - they are so in over their head it's ridiculous and Gus is using that to his advantage. Kudos to Gus for seeing the big picture, but still an opportunist for using this platform to further HIS cause."
Another Facebook member, Debbie King Casell, piled on with, "Gus' article criticizes 'local' police for not being more forthcoming, etc. He seems to be missing the boat on which 'local' police authority should be scrutinized. Beth went missing in the jurisdiction of Centralia and Mt. Vernon area police, not the Woodstock P.D. Yes, it would be great if the Woodstock P.D. was posting updates, but just maybe they aren't receiving such from the local yokels here in slower, lower IL?!
And Martie followed up with, "Well then maybe Gus should show all of us how great a Sheriff he would be by going to to Centralia or Mt. Vernon and solve this case himself since he's such an expert. Beside writing articles in the Advocate, not sure what he's actually DONE for Beth."
Well, Martie, try this on...
When the fundraiser was announced, I suggested on the Facebook page that the committee ought to inquire about any need for a permit for their raffles and 50/50. (I knew they would need a permit, and I also knew they wouldn't be able to get one from the City of Woodstock, because they were not a non-profit organization.)
A week later, a committee member posted that the committee was "well aware" of the laws about raffles and permits.
What if the cops had shown up that Friday night and raided the fundraiser? Gary's bar would have been shut down. The head of the Woodstock Liquor Commission would have wiped a smile right off Gary's face, probably fined him $1,000 and shut him down for 2-4 weeks. And maybe the four lawyers there might have had egg on their faces and had a hard time explaining to the ARDC while they were present when illegal raffles were taking place. But the fundraiser went on, and $4,-$7,000 was raised.
And, while I'm 330 miles from Mt. Vernon, I'm rallying searchers in the area but not tooting my horn about it.
As for Debbie's remarks, when I asked the Chief of Police in Woodstock for the contact information (name, title, phone number, email address) for the lead investigatory agency in the Beth Bentley missing-person case, for anyone elsewhere in the State of Illinois to provide tips, he provided me with the name of WPD Detective Sergeant Kurt Rosenquist.
So it seems to me that Det. Rosenquist is the one who is coordinating the state-wide search for Beth. Presumably, everything from Mt. Vernon, Centralia, Jefferson County and the I.S.P. filters back up to Woodstock, and it's up to Woodstock P.D. to release any news.
Of course, I could be wrong about that...
Trespassing in Woodstock
2 hours ago
8 comments:
I can no longer participate on the BIM facebook page. Seems I dont agree with the way admin was handling things. Specifically Ms Sheryll Ginger, who never knew beth, nor does she live in the area. It appears there is some mystery surrounding her concerning a prior missing person in her life. She posted that "posers" (fake facebooks) posts will be deleted. I responded that the perp (if there is one) could easily be posting (as a poser) there and nothing should be deleted. Then she deleted it and blocked me.
Ive been a "verified" member on a case at WS. I told how I was connected to the case as I was only there to find the truth. This is not the case with at least one "verified" member in Beths thread. Ironic that its okay to be a poser when it suits you as you flame fb members for protecting themselves. But the real question is why? Why would you want to mislead ws members investigating Beths case? Why would you intentionally post on ws against TOS when you know it will get the thread shut down and eventually closed. Is that the goal? More things in this bizarro case that make ya go hmmmmmm.
I've been having an extremely hard time keeping myself in the facebook group, because of how poorly the administrators handle it. It's true, Sheryll Ginger and her sister don't even KNOW Beth, so it strikes me as odd how vigilante they are about the whole thing. I also find it odd that NOTHING has come out about the "case" since the fundraiser. The whole thing just seems a little too weird and quiet to me. Makes a person think about what's REALLY going on, here.
curious, you have a lot of company! Many points have been made with great authority on Facebook by two who are 500+ miles away and don't know Beth or Scott.
When anyone asks about the fundraiser or the Reward Fund bank account, answers are promised but are never given.
This comment was posted by a reader to another article about Beth Bentley:
"In my opinion, the 3 women that were talked about that have been controlling the facebook page have only HURT the case, instead of HELPED it. They've driven so many people away, and have made people scared to give an opinion or theory that may help the case."
Very, very accurate. Thanks.
In the early days of that FB group, I suggested a thread entitled, "What the Public Can Do" that would list the media outlets contact info, possibly LE contact info and thought anything else that the group felt might be helpful could be listed there(ie suggestions for how members can go about reaching their own friends - I only joined facebook because of the Beth Bentley case and I was a novice about social media, right down to how to post the missing poster on my page). I would think that if you are going to utilize social media for something like this, you should expect a large number of people from all over the place to join and I would think you would want to harness those numbers into something whose power could be useful. That idea, for the thread, was shot down as unnecessary and maybe it is - Heaven knows that I'm not perfect nor am I always right. I took it upon myself to contact every media outlet that I could find contact information for, was writing often to the ISP, WPD, etc, asking that they make sure to keep Beth's case on the front burner and for them to know that there are concerned citizens all over the US watching and praying for them to bring Beth home, safe, to her family. I wish that we had a more organized campaign toward that end - maybe the info is there, somewhere, and I missed it?
I'll admit, for reasons cited in the previous comments here and for reasons of my own - I visit that page less and less all the time.
I will continue to pray for Beth Bentley's safe return, I will pray that Beth's friends and family find comfort and peace during their time of trouble and I pray that LE and all other powers that be are doing more and doing better than they actually appear to be.
Thank you, Gus. I wish that my community had a 'champion of causes' such as yourself! I don't think that anyone should fear questions, concerns or inquiries unless they have a reason to.
Christine, thank you for your thoughtful comment.
It seems that many have abandoned the Beth Bentley-Missing pages, and for good reason. Who wants to put up with what is spewed out by the few?
Thanks once again for writing.
I find it odder that Beth's closest friends don't speak up, or offer to take over the Facebook page. Are YOU a good friend? Call me...you are automatically an Admin!
And Gus...geez...I am a Mom, I work full-time, I am the Bentley's friend...I am doing what I can. Again...I'm NOT Beth's close friend...but who else has stepped up?
Well, just a suggestion, but you could post this on the facebook and see if any of her close friends want to step up.
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