CAMPO-LAKE MORENA PLANNING GROUP OFFICIAL THREATENS TO PUNCH SENIOR WOMAN IN THE FACE

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By Miriam Raftery

October 1, 2017  (Campo) – After being blocked on a neighborhood watch forum, Campo-Lake Morena Community Planning Group member Keven Owens posted a profanity-laced podcast on his “Erroneous Opinions” webpage in which he threatened to punch 69-year-old Claudia Millerbragg in the face.

A partial transcript of his more than 20 minute rant is below, asprovided in writing by Owens in an email response after ECM sent him an inquiry. You can hear an audio excerpt at the audio link above published under the Fair Use doctrine on a matter of clear public interest:

“I live here and if I see you I’m going to punch you in your old bitty [biddy] face.  At this point, yeah, it’s trivial and it doesn’t  (expletive) matter, but this is the town I live in and I’m trying to do good.”

Later in the podcast he stated that if he saw Millerbragg at the store, “I’m gonna smile, I’m gonna say hello and I’m gonna give a friendly wave. And she’s gonna (expletive hate that, absolutely hate that. And that’s killing them with kindness.”

His podcast , which he since removed off his website, further discussed a “mid-life” crisis he indicated he is suffering including loss of a job and frustration of structuring of agenda items. He indicated he was considering quitting the planning board seat that he was appointed to fill after Millerbragg resigned from the post. He later told ECM he has no plans to resign at this time.  He also indicated that if he did step down, he would likely continue live streaming planning group meetings as a public service—meaning Millerbragg could still encounter Owen even if he were no longer on the board.

The dispute arose after Owens was twice blocked from posting on a community forum, most recently over posts involving noise complaints raised.  He also posted a poll asking forum members their opinion on Millerbragg. Millerbragg says the posts were rude, Owens says they were respectful. Neither side kept copies, both parties told ECM. Millerbragg says some posts were removed by a male administrator, not her, prior to her blocking Owens permanently.

He has since started a rival Neighborhood Watch page that has attracted some community members. 

Owens said others have complained of being blocked off the forum by Millerbragg and he provided written comments from several as evidence that he's not the only one who felt Millerbragg had been too quick to block posts with which she disagreed.  There been other posts supporting Millerbragg on social media. 

But other blocked posters have not resorted to threats of violence, and the podcast wasn’t Owens’ only attack on Millerbragg.  He has repeatedly referred to her as a witch, hag, and beast on social media posts. 

 In one post on Erroneous Opinions, he wrote, “Does anyone know how to get rid of a witch like Claudia Millerbragg? I have one that lives in my town and I’d like to get rid of her…Asking for a friend…Our science division is working on a device to transport her back to the fantasy world in which she lives. However funding is short at the moment and we may need to find an alternate means of transportation.”

On the Mountain Community Page he wrote, “I’m done playing nice with her.  F**k you, ClaudiaMillerbragg.”  He also posted a witch image that he claimed was her yearbook photo.

Owens has also posted that he was blocked off the Brush Fire Partyline, a separate online forum not run by Millerbragg. On his website, he posted a derogatory remark stating “boys have a penis, brush fire partyl ine has a vagina.” Owens said he objected to what he viewed as  “political” posts on the emergency information site; the site had posted info on homelessness and hepatitis, a declared county emergency, recently

As for his remarks about Millerbragg including those made on tape, Millerbragg told ECM, “I consider his statements a threat and that he is attempting to incite others to cause damage to me.”

ECM asked Owenss about his conduct.  He called this a “learning experience” adding “I do not see how this comment is a threat,” referring to his online call for someone to “get rid of” Millerbragg. 

As for his podcast threat to punch Millerbragg in the face, he contends it was taken out of context and that his comments were not made in any official capacity as a planning group member, adding,” there was no attempt to instill fear in this individual….My comment can easily be classified as nothing more than angry utterances or ranting and as it stands is constitutionally protected as free speech.”

But Sheriff Commander David Myers, a 32-year department veteran and candidate running for Sheriff, disagrees with Owens’  view.

“Advocating violence is NOT protected speech,” Myers wrote in an email to ECM today. 

He added, “In today’s political discover where too many people are using social media to threaten others, in my opinion [this] does constitute a real and measurable threat [CA Penal Code Section 422).

Moreover, he noted that “fringes” of society  “look for signals from our elected official and we have many documented incidences where that fringe has acted. It’s unconscionable that a public official would advocate violence against women.”

A second Sheriff’s department official, who spoke off record, indicated the threats should be enough to justify a judge to issue a restraining order against Owen if Millerbragg should seek one.

ECM sent copies of Owens’ threats to planning group chair Billie Jo  Jannen and Supervisor Dianne Jacob.  A spokesman for Jacob’s office indicated that while Supervisors typically don’t intervene in disputes involving planning group members,  her staff has forwarded the threatening posts to both County Counsel and the Sheriff. 

Jannon stated, “Some people in this community have too much time on their hands and too much ego invested in slamming others.  This is far from the only example of this behavior, and unfortunately, it has become more common then not through the entire Internet.”  She indicated that a planning group ethics document was removed from the group’s bylaws several years ago because it was wielded as a tool to shut down dissenting voices on the board. 

In his since-removed podcast, Owens voiced concerns that he could be voted off the planning group board.  But though some community groups’ rules allow censure of members for offensive conduct, neither the Planning Group nor the Supervisors have the power to remove a Planning Group member unless they miss too many meetings, Jannen and Jacob’s office have indicated. 

However the public does have such power, through the recall process.  For details see http://www.sandiegocounty.gov/cob/docs/policy/I-1.pdf.

Audio: 

Keven Owens threatens Claudia Millerbragg on tape

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Comments

Pete Tollner

Pete Tollner you are not listed with CALI - CA Association of Licensed Investigators, CALI-PI-org nor CA Government of Security and Investigative Services as a licensed investigator. An unlicensed PI violates CA Private Investigator Act Business and Profession Code 7523. There is a potential jail and fine penalty for both you and Keven Owens. I have forwarded a copy of your posting to law enforcement, CALI and DCA for their consideration. Your statements about me in your posting are not based in facts and are libel. I have added your posting to my own case that I am building. I understand that Keven is upset that his wife has separated from him, however continuing to attack me is not in his best interest.

Claudia Millerbragg

I am a private investigator who has been hired to look into the constant harassment of "perceived enemies" of Claudia Millerbragg, at the hands of Claudia Millerbragg. My client is building a lawsuit against her for defamation, slander, libel, harassment, wrongful interference of business, loss of enjoyment of property, and more. I have encountered DOZENS of local residents and neighbors of Ms. Millerbragg. who attest to the unbalanced and dishonest behavior of Ms. Millerbragg. As a matter of due diligence, I have also asked about Mr. Owens. Thus far, what I have discovered is a pattern of abuse by Ms. Millerbragg. I have copies of profanity-laced and threatening emails, private messages, and facebook postings by Ms. Millerbragg. It seems that anyone with an opinion which differs from Ms. Millerbragg's, and who will not let Ms. Millerbragg bully them and shout their opinions down, becomes a target of an unhinged, psychologically disturbed vendetta and rath carried out by Ms. Millerbragg. While on the other side of the coin, I have heard that, although Mr. Owens has strong opinions and can be polarizing, he is well-respected in the community, has gone above and beyond in service to his community and aid to his fellow neighbors; wheras, Ms. Millerbragg does little more than cause trouble and harass. Professionalism aside, it is my personal opinion that not only does Ms. Millerbragg DESERVE a punch in the face, but doing so would make dozens and dozens of residents quite happy. I encourage you to look further into the issues, Ms. Raftery, do YOUR due diligence on this menace to her neighbors and community.

Keven Owens claims not to know Mr. Tollner

He sent an email to us stating "I do not know this man and have never known this man, nor have I ever been in contact with anyone by that name."

We are now closing comments on this story. If Owens, Millerbragg, Tollner etc. have issues with each other, they need to resolve them elsewhere such as in a court of law, not through negative and harassing posts on our website. 

 

Defamation

The courts are the appropriate remedy for defamation, if it occurred.

For you to condone violence, punching a woman (or anyone) in the face for speech, even if  negative or false, is to condone a criminal action.  The law provides no right to assault and potentially injure someone because you disagree with their words.

If actual libel or slander occurred, your client is of course entitled to seek all legal remedies in court. But at this point arguably your own remarks about Ms. Millerbragg could be construed as such.  We're journalists, not judges, and we have given both parties ample space both in our article and comments they posted to air their views.

 

Let's gives others a chance to post their opinions,

Kevin and Claudia. I gave you both a chance to respond to our story and comments made by each other initially.  But please refrain from further remarks here. Our forum rules prevent bashing other posters, personal insults, etc.

You've both had your say, and we've heard what neutral law enforcement officers stated whom we interviewed.

I don't want to have to close comments to prevent abuse of our rules, so can the two of you please refrain for now until our readers have had a chance to post their comments, if they choose.  I kept comments open pending our newsletter going out today, whcih is when we have the most reads. Thanks for respecting our rules from here forward, so that we can allow diverse views and give everyone an opportunity to voice their opinions or concerns.

 

 

 

Try

Try to just stop yourselves Kevin and Claudia.

Already Did

I have already stopped. In fact, I had stopped that day. Unfortunately, she is trying to make an example of me and doing everything in her power to get under my skin. Did I respond to her comment on here, yes I did. I would think that someone who is so "terrified" of another person, would'nt be taking potshots at that person trying to provoke them. Thank you for your post generator, I always appreciate the "voice of reason". Nameste

Bless Your Heart

Where do I even begin? I suppose we start with the "battle" from 2016; I don't recall a "battle" taking place. I do however recall the lesson that I was taught then, and that was to not disagree with you or my comments will be deleted. Your go-to reply has and always will be that someone was making "rude, snippy and demeaning" comments. It's a broken record at this point. As far as the poll I posted on the page, well that just adds credence to the answer that I gave to Miriam in records to how I voiced my displeasure and of course that was deleted as well. If you're doing such a great job, then the poll would've shown that. I find it odd that you have taken things this far, yet for some reason, you don't seem to have a shred of evidence to support your claims. Now, let's talk about this "incident" showed up at my house for loud music; in case you didn't know, this was something that happened back in 1998. Your facts are a little skewed. As far as this having "influenced" my responses, in part, this is true as I was speaking from experience. The other deciding factor, however, was the fact that during our conversation I actually took the time to call Code Enforcement. If you remember, I even provided the number that I called so community members could verify the validity of my statement. Moving on to your claims that I found it amusing that someone with Cancer was bothered by the loud music, you and I both know that is incorrect. I really do wish you'd stop embellishing the truth. I found the post itself amusing, that's when you called me out by name as to what I found so amusing about the post. But, like all things that take place on that page, your side of the story is much more fanciful and the furthest thing from the truth. On to the "threat"... Strange how you aren't even mentioned by name, in the entirety of the show. Again, it is within your right to take things out of context and bend them to fit your version of the story. Apparently, it's not just a Facebook thing. Here is where things get real... I appreciate the time you have dedicated to researching my past. I find it laughable that you attempt to throw "shade" in my direction by speaking about my past. You see, the truth is that I've already dealt with my past as well as my upbringing, that's why I can speak so openly about it. I do not and will not ever shy away from how I was raised or the things that I have done; because I made peace with those things a very long time ago. I applaud your effort to get under my skin by talking about things that you have preconceived notions about, but I'm sorry, that's something you will never be able to do. In regards to the quote, that you pulled from Wordpress, it was written in 1996 when I was 17 years old. Keep digging though, I hope you find what you are looking for. At this point, I'd like to pause and allow you time to pat yourself on the back (go ahead, I'll wait).... You have this uncanny knack for making sure everyone knows just how important you are and how much you do around the community; after all, this was part of the infamous "Battle From 2016" that you mentioned. I don't broadcast what I do for community members, but I will tell you, it does require more time than "once a month". Maybe one day you will be able to let go of your ego, and truly show some growth as a person. And for the record, I have never discounted anything you have done for this community; that's part of the reason I fought for you to be at the memorial last year...but you must've forgotten that fact as well. You do a great job at keeping the community informed of things going on in the neighborhood, you truly do. You have also done some very wonderful things in the community, you truly have. The downside, however, is your ego. Lastly, it would be for the courts to decide whether my comments actually violated Penal Code 422, not a Sheriff's personal opinion. It is fully within your right to take this as far as you feel it needs to go. I would now like to take the time and say "Thank You" for taking such an interest in my life as well as my podcast. I welcome all new listeners and appreciate the free press. As Eric Bishoff once said, "Controversy Creates Cash". If you ever want a bumper sticker from the show, feel free to reach out and ask. Warmest Regards, Keven Owens

Keven Owens

I also applaud you for getting your GED a couple of years after dropping out of school. Continue to move forward in a positive manner. Seek counseling.

That's so Sweet

Thank You. Namaste

A man of integrity? - Keven Owens

Keven Owens you continued the battle from 2016. You were deleted from the Campo and Lake Morena Neighborhood Watch page for your rudeness in 2016. I thought that you had become more thoughtful from the few times we had spoken this past year and stated to you that if you want to rejoin the page, I would approve it. I did approve it and the other admin asked me why. I stated I believe you were more positive and would contribute in a positive way to the page. I was wrong. George and I built the Neighborhood Watch page up. We decided that we would not have people make demeaning, snippy, rude remarks on it. There are other sites that roll in it. We will not. It was laughable that you decided to put a poll on OUR page to see what others thought of me as an admin. Seriously! LOL!!! You challenged me in a not positive manner on everything I stated about the noise issue. I understand that the sheriff was called to your house once because the neighbors stated that you were playing your music too loud. I believe this influenced your responses. You thought it was amusing when I stated that a community member was fighting 3rd stage cancer and the loudness of the music strongly affected her. That was way out of line. The other admin is the person who first blocked you. I followed it up with a total block after your online "Fu*k you Claudia Millerbragg." For you to make the threatening remarks you did and threaten to punch me in the face, which by the way is a form of elder abuse since I am 69 and you are 38, over being blocked from a facebook page is really immature. I understand that you had a challenging childhood and I applaud you for beating your challenges, however you need to let go of your anger and hostility toward any one that has a different opinion than you. We are not your father that beat you. One of your postings on WordPress really shows your anger. You need counseling. March 3, 2015 by kevenowens "Don’t you know when Death is near? I can tell I smell your fear I don’t care I can choose So accept the truth and prepare to lose There’s no sense in trying to run Death will hunt you down and just kill you for fun." In response to your comment that I have nothing better to do than to sit around and think of ways to annoy you. Yes I am retired after a career with San Diego County Social Services and 3 non profits. I did well enough to retire at 62. No one supports me but me. I now volunteer in this community more than one night a month. There are community members who rely on the assistance I provide them. I have more interesting ways to spend my retirement than to think of ways to annoy you. HOWEVER I will not allow you to continue make threats towards me. If a sheriff, which he did, states that your comment violate the penal code then they do. I sincerely hope that you receive the counseling you so strongly need. Do not allow the past to destroy your future. Claudia Millerbragg

Truth

Below is the full "interview" that took place between the author of this article and myself. Miriam, Here are my answers to your questions. Please keep me posted as to when this article will be posted. Do you have copies of your posts that Ms. Millerbragg removed off her neighborhood watch site? If so can you please send them to me? Unfortunately, I do not have screenshots of the conversation as there was nothing in that thread to warrant saving them. However, I do have correspondence that has taken place over the past year through private messenger. The content of which doesn’t stray too far from our recent interactions. I would be more than happy to share them with you if needed, and please feel free to double check them against this person's messages as well. If you no longer have them, how would you describe the subject and tone of your removed posts, and her responses? The post in question was regarding loud music being played in the “Lower Village” that was making a nuisance in the “Upper Village”. I had clicked the “Like button” on the post and had chosen the “haha” emoji. At this point, I was called out by name as to what I found so amusing about the post. My reply was “What does it matter? You never like the answers that I give.” From there the discussion was timid at best. She challenged my knowledge on the noise ordinance and stated: “You should know these things since you are seated on the planning group.” To which I replied that I don’t know everything and there is always a learning process involved, just as I’m sure she didn’t know everything when she was a seated member of the same group (or something to that effect). Since I had seen she was giving out incorrect information to the community as to who should be called in order to deal with the noise issue, I did my best to cordially correct her. In doing so, I actually called Code Enforcement and spoke to a gentleman that was fielding calls at the time. He had explained to me that it was an issue for the Sheriff’s Department and not Code Enforcement. I then provided the number that I called as an opportunity for others to verify the validity of my statement. It was shortly after that last comment that the person in question deleted my comments from the thread and then promptly blocked me. This tends to happen quite frequently on that community page. Not just to myself, but countless other individuals in the community. It has become a soapbox for this individual; an individual that cannot even follow the rules of the page that she admins for. Comments are deleted regularly, and then the “victim card” is played. Do you believe it is appropriate for an elected official, regardless of the provocation, to make threatening comments such as “Does anyone know how to get rid of a witch like Claudia Millerbragg? I have one that lives in my town and I'd like to get rid of her.....” I do not see myself as being an expert on what is appropriate and what isn’t, I am human after all. Regardless of anything a person has said or done, there is always an opportunity to grow and learn from those experiences; and this is a prime example of a learning experience. Furthermore, I do not see how this comment is a threat. When you couple this with the other posts that are on a comedy podcast page, one can easily see that the comment was made in jest. Obviously, she isn’t an actual witch, and there are no surrounding circumstances to clarify the meaning behind said comment. It is empty, vague and ambiguous at best. Or to threaten on audiotape to punch her in the face if you see her? This is an amazing question here as the focus is on one particular three-second statement in a forty-eight-minute episode. So to help clarify, let’s take at the audio in question: (7:24-7:27) “I live here and if I see you I’m going to punch you in your old bitty face. (7:28-7:34) “At this point, yeah it’s trivial and it doesn’t {expletive} matter, but this is the town I live in and I’m trying to do good.” Now let’s look at another piece of audio that is completely being ignored: (12:06-12:29) “Honestly, when I see her down at the store again, I’m gonna do the same thing. I’m gonna smile, I’m gonna say hello and I’m gonna give a friendly wave. And she’s gonna {expletive} hate that, absolutely hate that. And that’s killing them with kindness. So at first, it’s like yes, I’m going to drop truth bombs and you’re not going to like it; and she didn’t like it. So moving on, now I’m going to go back to being polite. That’s the biggest {expletive} you I can give is just being polite” So again, let’s be truthful and look at the whole show and the context of what was being said. To single out one specific comment and call that a “threat” while blatantly ignoring the entirety of the show is ludicrous. As a member of the Campo-Lake Morena Community Planning Group that she may attend as a Campo resident, is this meant to intimidate Ms. Millerbragg from attending a public hearing of a board on which you are an appointed member? First and foremost, I do not see how this issue has anything to do with the Planning Group. My comments were not made in any official capacity, and should not reflect or be associated with the board or any of its other members. My thoughts and comments were exactly that, my own. As far as “intimidating” this member of the community, it is laughable at best. Again, this would take us back to the single comment that was taken on its own without looking or considering the context of the surrounding statements. Why did you make threats of violence instead of using words to voice your disapproval or disagreement with Ms. Millerbragg? Again one must look at the supposed “threat” in its entirety. In regards to using my words to voice my disapproval, that was done and then deleted from that community page. My disapproval took the form of a poll to gauge how other community members felt about her ability to run the page as an administrator and as I said, the poll was promptly deleted. I found this infuriating as the lies had already started on her part regarding my “snide and snippy” comments. I find it strange that she is able to save or delete comments on a whim. There is no basis or evidence to support how rude or threatening I was in the original post, yet she picks and chooses what she wants from other posts to support “her side of the story”. Granted, I should have taken a moment before I had worded my posting, but in a moment of weakness, I let her get the best of me. I do however find it amazing that there is such a large number of people in this community who have experienced the exact same problems with this page and admin. If you would like an honest poll as to how “innocent” she truly is, just ask the community members on “The Mountain Community” Facebook page. The truth will most certainly come to light. Are you aware that such threats can be considered unlawful, according to one law enforcement officer I spoke with on background? Being that this particular statement was made on an episode where both my co-host and I were talking about my “mid-life crisis” and was of a personal nature; there was no attempt to instill fear in this individual in any way. My comment can easily be classified as nothing more than angry utterances or ranting soliloquies, and as it stands is constitutionally protected as free speech. Will you be resigning off the planning group as you suggested you were considered on your podcast? That is a decision that will be made after some soul searching and at the appropriate time. As of this writing, I have no intention of stepping down. If so will you continue to provide live-streaming of meetings, a valuable service to people in the community and media who are unable to attend? Or consider posting podcasts of meetings that can be viewed after the meeting is over? I have been recording the meetings for quite some time now and had actually started recording them before I was a seated member. My whole reason for doing so was in the hopes of increasing the attendance of the meetings themselves. I have a duty (on or off the board) to help facilitate positive change in my community. I do not broadcast the things that I do in the community, I do not do them for praise or recognition, I do them to help those in need. To your second question, I am unsure of what you mean by “posting podcasts of the meeting”. A podcast normally requires server space which one must pay for. Even in this day and age, most people are still unfamiliar as to what a podcast is or how to access one. This would make it quite difficult to get the information contained in the meetings to the largest number of people possible. The meetings were previously recorded and then sent to Billie Jo to help with the recording of the meeting’s minutes, this was done on a volunteer basis. It takes several hours to clean-up and adjust audio so that it sounds clean and is usable; again, this was done on a volunteer basis. Upon joining the board I found that “live streaming” the meetings on Facebook was the least intrusive, but most effective way to distribute the meetings and involve those that were unable to attend. Whether or not I am a board member, the live streaming will continue to be done on a case by case basis; just like it is now. There is always the chance that it may stop altogether. Who is the host who was interview you on the tape? I am the host of the “Erroneous Opinions Podcast” and have a co-host. There was no interview being done as that is not the show's format. In fact, there has never been an interview on the show in eighty-seven episodes. The show revolves around discussions and opinions, and I believe that by definition, the name of the podcast says it all. Er*ro*ne*ous · Adjective · Wrong; Incorrect. O*pin*ions · Plural Noun · A view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge. In closing, I will not be vilified by unfounded claims of harassment, criminal threat, or any other accusation that may/have been hurled my way. This is nothing more than a run-of-the-mill social media argument and hardly warrants the amount of attention that it has been given. It clearly seems that someone has it out for me and has nothing better to do with their time than to raise a ruckus. Neither her comments nor her actions will deter me from continuing to serve my community in any capacity. I am a man of integrity and have always held myself accountable for my words and/or actions. Thank you for your time and journalistic integrity for reaching out and allowing me to share the truth. If there is anything else you may need, please feel free to reach out to me at any time. Respectfully, Keven Owens