The owner and editor of pbsotalk.com, a local website critical of Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and Palm Beach County State Attorney Mike McAuliffe, says he noticed “suspicious” activity on his site in November.
Dougan
“Someone was trying to log in as me,” said ex-PBSO deputy Mark Dougan.
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Now, Dougan finally obtained a name to go with the cyber-prowling: A letter from McAuliffe’s office shows at least one state attorney employee may have tried to break into pbsotalk!
“They tried to use old computer passwords that were mine when I was at PBSO,” Dougan said. “Obviousy, they went to my old PBSO files for the passwords. But I have no idea what they were looking for on my site.”
It took two Sunshine Laws requests for McAuliffe’s people to fess up one of theirs, investigator Glenn Wescott, was involved.
Pbsotalk has specialized in obtaining public records to point out inefficiencies at PBSO and McAuliffe’s office. It broke news about PBSO buying three barbecues for $60,000 and sending several deputies to Texas to pick them up, as well as PBSO buying gold plated guns for other sheriffs statewide.
The site is supporting former State Sen. Dave Aronberg for State Attorney even though Aronberg has yet to announce if he’s running. It also provides a sounding board for PBSO and state attorney workers to question anonymously some of their agencies’ practices.
And that, says Dougan, rubs inseparable Bradshaw and McAuliffe the wrong way.
In early November, Dougan captured IP addresses from computer users who, he said, were trying to break in. And while Dougan tracked down the address to the State Attorney’s office, officials denied in two separate letters that anyone at the office accessed his site.
Then, on Dec. 7, breakthrough! Dougan received a “revised” response from McAuliffe’s office. This time, it showed Wescott, also a former sheriff’s deputy, went on Dougan’s site.
However, Wescott tells Gossip Extra, he wasn’t investigating anything — just posting responses to stories. While on taxpayers’ time? Yup.
“Doogan’s just trying to stir up some s…,” Wescott said. “No one is trying to break into his website. I wouldn’t even know how to do that.”
McAuliffe’s spokeswoman didn’t reply to a request for an interview.
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– Can State Attorney Michael McAuliffe be trusted?
god dang. Will this cespool of corruption ever end? McAuliffe must go and take Bradshaw with him. The people are sick and tired of their actions below board and above the law.
McAuliffe needs to explain this ASAP.
This is a serious federal crime, however Mr. Wescott seems as if he is already preparing his defense (most likely given to him be the golden Boy himself. He is going to use the I was posting comments defense. Well he should be fired for that alone. Looks like the guy who is an investigator in the Public Corruption Unit needs to be investigated. How is that going to work?
There is no question in my brain these idiots thought they could just log in without anyone being the wiser and then creating whatever havok they could.
Did anyone read this from the pbsotalk web site?
http://docs.pbsotalk.com/PBCSAO/Shared%20Documents/State%20Attorney's%20Office%20Correspondance%20RE%20site%20hacking%20and%20public%20records%20requests.pdf
They lied their asses off for a reason and that reason was to find any way they could to cover up whatever crime they committed by doing this. The people should be outraged.
I know you write gossip, but this sounds like a stretch. I highly doubt their is a grand attempt to hack pbsotalk. This a – he said, she said – story. I don’t trust what the guys from pbsotalk say. they are always pushing an agenda and only share one side of the story.
He said she said? I find it strange the state attorneys office would illegally lie so badly about the incident. Clearly you are a McAuliffe cronie but for real thinking people this isn’t a stretch at all. They tried to hide their tracks and got caught. There may not be proof here to price hacking but there is plenty here to prove something very shady and illegal was afoot. I give the pbsotalk people a lot if credit. They have more credibility than most sites and they always provide documentation to back up their claims of wrongdoing and waste. It is a guy like you that can look past fact and evidence that should have people alarmed, especially if you work as a D A or a cop.
OK, let’s discuss the issue with Dougan. I would challenge Jose to examine all of his employment records at the Sheriff’s Office where I’m told he left under two open Internal Affairs complaints and a poor work performance plan. He makes lots of allegations on others, by attacking their credibility, budgetary constraints and decision making. If he is so pure as to repeatedly cast stones, then I would imagine his personal history is pure. I’m also told he was dismissed from a police agency in Maine under a cloud of allegations of sexual harrassment. Maybe Jose could clarify some of those issues.
Surprised Wescott has time to do anything between husseling hookers on lake worth road and doing Gauger’s bidding.
My honest opinion, I think PBSO should arrest that cretin, Dougan. He shares only one side of the story (as a previous commentor dictated) and whenever something rolls along mentioning anything positive of Bradshaw, or Gauger he will quickly ignore the requesting post and move onto slandering this good administration. Dougan is nothing more than a criminal with a keyboard who is angry that he was fired for being a non-performer.
Worthy,
Remember this: Using your first amendment rights allow you to say and post whathever you want, whether or not you’re a criminal.