Roy Hazelwood and his book . . . Dark Dreams.

If you truely have a desire to understand the madness of sex morphing into death this is a must read. Scary as anything out there . . . but as they say, the truth trumpets non-fiction everytime. I studied under the auspices of Mr Roy Hazelwood and a community I policed in, benefited immensely. I had the honor of tracking down a serial rapist.

Again, why would Chief Padgett respond in this fashion?

While attempting to understand police behavior as in the 'we did nothing wrong' comment tendered by the West Allis Police Chief, regarding Steven Zwlich, consider this passage from JusThis . . .

Corruption is and always has been imbedded into the fabric of governmental systems. When a simple truth is revealed that might be construed as threatening, action is quickly taken to silence the voice of truth. The status quo must be maintained. Words are used to confuse and impede. The reins of power are held tightly in the hands of a few privileged individuals.

Steven Zelich (Off-duty Officer) picks up prostitute but Department did nothing wrong . . .

Zelich, an off-duty police officer picks up a girl and arranges for a $500 dollar private dance. He starts choking her out and attempts to handcuff her but she breaks free and blots out the door. She runs into two cops who arrest her for prostition. Zelich isn't arrested for solicitation not to mention assault. He quietly resignes and moves on to security work.

Now West Allis Chief of Police Padgett is claiming the cops did nothing wrong. Here's why he's dead wrong (pun intended).

1. Officers are screened for mental issues upon hire. Did the screeners miss something here?
2. If a gal is arrested for prostition shouldn't the 'john' be held accountable? Isn't having a woman choked off by a man (whether an officer or not) just plain wrong?
3. Having the need to look perfect all the time isn't cutting it Chief Padgett. Cops are people, nobody is perfect, thus, well figure it out Chief.
4. Did the lack of transparency contribute to these deaths?

A minister told me, people wouldn't read my story . . . JusThis . . . because they have to have full faith and trust in those they wanna believe are there to keep them safe. Well . . . who knows, perhaps ignorance is bliss but I don't buy it. The truth is a key componet of the safety game and the whole 'see no evil don't get choked out game' ain't working. But if it floats your boat . . . keep tellin' your daughters, to have full faith and confidence in authority figures.

Just plain wrong to have young ladies end up in a ditch in Geneva.

The Suitcase Murder

This was sent to me by a reader of this blog. So riddle me this . . . readers . . . why was there no record and/or info for the securtiy company to uncover prior to hiring Mr Steven Zelich? Second quick question . . . how many victims are out there that haven't been discovered? I wonder if this fellow is going to be charged with a homocide? Dead people tell no tales.

Our Geneva Township crews were mowing the ditch, discovered the 2 suitcases & (as per protocol), moved them to the roadside for next day garbage pickup......later in the day, it happened that (Dan, the guy who did our excavation/landscape) was en route to his nursery....
Saw the flies/maggots & immediately called the township police....less than (1/8 mi) from the crime scene.   Ummmm...many of us are wondering (how) the crews could not have noticed the magnitude of flies, etc.....when they moved the suitcases????  Glad Dan called it in....

And of course you all know where the Microtel place is in Roch.......yikes.  Too eery!  We were over in Waukesha when ( Our County ...Walworth County Crime Lab) descended upon his place in West Allis, in their suits confiscating everything including a fridge.....

Interesting that his ( security company employer) indicated the state & fed background check showed nothing on this guy in the past.....you likely read where he resigned from West Allis Police Dept a few years prior, due to ( a prostitute complaining of his weird misconduct).......hmmmm she escaped from him, ran down the street in handcuffs....
Oh, his father, now passed, was a former Sgt with West Allis PD.....

So now this guy is in our County Jail in Elkhorn......Yaah Curt, as you said on your blog, this guy clearly validates your work!!!   You can write yet another book, as this is still unfolding with the newly identified second body!!!  Very sad.

John Sanford

Folks who have read my stories have been great. Inspiring. It's also been rewarding to cross paths with so many creative types. I was messaged today from a fellow Minnesota author . . .

Inbox > Message Detail

Subject:   A personal note from John Sandford

Oh come on . . . Man . . .

Well . . . I was a cop in a prior life and did pass the fire-fighters exam. Gotta think my Second City Friends are impressed! Flap on friends, seize the moment, live in your dreams, not your past.

Lester Nygaard drowns . . . & . . . Lorne Malvo is shot to death

Damn . . . one sad day in the life. Here's to the brilliance of Noah Hawley.

The Fighting Irish, Curt Rude and Touchdown Jesus!

Indiana, Chicago and Cleveland . . . alllllll . . . in one day? Yeap. Live in your dreams dear friends, not in your past. Remember, if I don't see you in the new year, I'll see you in the pasture. I landed back in Minnesota for a day but was unexpectedly shipped off once again. Where am I gonna pop up next? well, if I told ya, I'd haveta, you know . . .

RIP Norman and Geneva Scott . . .

Say a youngster is driving in a reckless manner and is involved in an accident. Deaths result. Mr. Prosecutor is hopping mad and promising felony charges should the driver miraculously survive. We all remember this kinda stuff-right? So riddle me this, what's the difference between a Trooper and a citizen who is involved in an accident?

State Troopers are highly trained heroes of our communities. They are taught lights and sirens are a necessity in the event they break traffic laws. They are taught lights and sirens only ask for the right of way, but do not guarantee it. Elementary my Dear Watson. They are taught that speeding cars seem to appear out of no where, even if lights are on. So, granted, I could be delusional and demented after I encountered an incident in Minnesota, on Hwy 52, where a Trooper broadsided a couple after they leave a McDonald's. Witnesses say the cars flew for 15 feet or more. If an untrained citizen drove like this and killed folks, Mr. Prosecutor would have stayed up last night arranging felony level charges-right?

The newscast reported the Trooper was headed to a medical. No mention is made over whether lights and sirens were activated. No direct reference is made over just how fast the Trooper was going. Aren't troopers the guys on billboards talking about stuff like 'Click It or Ticket' 'Speed Kills' and 'Extra DUIL Enforcement'? Aren't Troopers governed by the same laws of physics that play a part in everything? Do they not know, that having an accident, while going to an accident, ain't gonna cut it?

Why weren't simple questions posed by the reporters. Something like . . . Why was the Trooper driving so fast? Is the Trooper going to be held accountable like anyone else? Is a blind eye being cast on the actions of this Trooper by Mr. Prosecutor? Does the system protect its own? Why can't we see this horrible accident for what it is and learn from it? Does speed kill?

In the end folks, it's all about accountability. As my dear friend Margo stated . . . "It'll only get better with transparency." In all fairness, perhaps Mr. Prosecutor is busy overcharging kids for careless driving or something. Prayers, thought and concerns to the Scott family. 

Allow me to introduce, from Fort Hood, Texas . . .

Mister Sessions. Hey, wait just one minute . . . wasn't there a Sessions in Brand of Justice?

Distraught and Demented

Isn't it 'bout time to start howling from the high ground (or at least in the social media)? I just get that feeling we have to confront the human jackals and they ain't at the gate my friends. They are wondering around this beautiful thing called humanity. Man . . . it's like we all are existing at are own risk. I mean, now we have to confront the realities of the 'Suitcase Murderer'. This guy allegedly killed a gal from my neck of the woods. The whole ex-cop turned serial killer saga. But now-now, he's innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Lets reign in that beast of a court of public opinion.

I can recall William Faulkner explaining the best fiction involves far more truth than any other kinds of writing. I've had reader after reader call me out for claiming to have written fiction. The Mayor of a community in southeastern Minnesota got after me for being 'hard' on people in my first story. He left me with the impression that people don't need to deal in matters of the truth.

A Midwest Book Reviewer stated my work is strong but not plausible. A police officer could never do any of the things in JusThis. No matter I had 30+ years of law enforcement experience. Nope. My stories would make people wonder about the officers who are serving and protecting them. My thinking holds that if officers are of the community and not above it and are held accountable for their actions then good things are in the offing. That can only come if the truth comes out.

So there ya are. Consider me distraught and demented that truths are not acknowledged. I'll pick up the pieces of the truth and write another story because I consider the truth as our only hope. I've been called out for being dangerous because I don't play games and stick to the truth. Many thanks to Steven Zelich for finally getting caught, and in the process, validating my work.

More to come, but now . . . as Seger sang . . . it's off to Kathmandu.

The sordid tale of a cop turned murderer . . . Steven Zelich

Former Police Officer Zelich, is to be charged shortly with two homicides. He was into bondage and two women apparently ended up dead and in suitcases. Scary stuff here. How would you have liked to have been stopped by this gentleman on a lonely stretch of highway and handcuffed? I've been saying it all along . . . nobody is perfect, police officers are somebody, thus they ain't perfect. Now I suppose we have to acknowledge the fact some 'human jackals' slip through the system and end up running around with badges.

For those who have read JusThis and were wondering if it was 'plausible', check out Zelich. He allegedly committed his dastardly deeds from my neck of the woods. Gentlemen like Zelich never let me down. They are driven by deep desires delivering the answer as to whether my stories are 'plausible'. I shall keep writing, informing and learning as I lay in wait for the next dreadful headlines.

The Story

Dangerous Mister Rude

"I get the feeling you're more about truth than fiction. You write it the way you see it. That's what makes you scary." - This from a university student from Winona State.

"You're a liar Curt, you said this book was fiction. It's not. This is how cops act . . . but do you think the public needs to know this?" - This comment was shared by a deputy who has long since retired to read and cheer for the Minnesota Twins.

I received this message last week. Great news and what a story.

*** has a new story to add to your blog for your books...college student turns tables on harrassment from NCHP...she called her work establishments Attny who showed up on the scene!!! Now NCHP is under the microscope....go ***

Finally I've cut and pasted the following comment from a reader that I received yesterday.

Thank You So Much, Will start reading soon as I receive next 2 or 3 books you have written. I love reading and hearing the truth and not lies like we get from some other Austin people, past and present. enjoy Maine.

I'll share the story of Old Buck in the near future. Until then keep reading.

Anthony Bourdain (Kitchen Confidential) knows Mister Conte, who knows Curt Rude (Brand of Justice)

Now John Conte, who Anthony Bourdain just happens to know, knows Curt Rude. Great time, great food and oh so much fun. That's what it's all about . . . isn't it? I love John for his creativity. I'm not uptight, snooty and promise never to be! His scallops and shrimp had me believing I'd died and went to heaven. Next time you hit Rockland, Maine, check him out. You wont be sorry!

This from an online review . . .

Anthony Bourdain's visit was probably a blessing and a curse.  But the folks that  look to Bourdain for his opinion, visit Conte's and then complain about the place, I'd argue don't really understand what Bourdain was saying.  Bourdain is a guy that appreciates a gray's papaya dog or KFC mac n' cheese just as much as he appreciates classically prepared food.  He likes different foods for what they are.  He gets that Conte's is what it is and should be appreciated for the whole of what it is.  

If you are uptight , snooty and think you know it all, you won't enjoy this place.  If you can allow yourself to try and appreciate what it is Conte's is doing, you will LOVE this place.  Like I said, I go here every chance I get.

When the going gets Weird, the Weird turn Pro!

Been waltzing around Maine. Pleasantly surprised with how many readers call this State home.


Heard God is revisiting the Noah Saga in Minnesota. Will be back there in a couple.


I've always felt it's the writers responsibility to turn out top notch stories, thus insuring, readers aren't wasting their time. Here's to hoping my readers aren't wasting their time.

Something New in New York

Will report on Hornell NY come Thursday I believe. We sat in the darkness and was told stories at 'The Cabin on the Lake' in 'Geneva on the Lake'. Tales were told of young kids fresh out of the Academy who were waiting to pouch. I encountered a Black and Tan Yuengling and the kitchen was opened for me. Thanks Cheryl, the burger saved me. Enjoy the book. Did you folks know that 60% of children give false confessions? Protect your young ones. They need to be immunized as well as made aware of just how to act around the Criminal Justice System.

The Phantom Book Tour . . . Just the Writer and the Readers!

Lets recap. Hit Chicago on the 30. Slipped into Indiana and landed in South Bend. The Legends Club of all places. Ran out of books. Ordered more for the planned get together on the coast. Oh wait. I stood on the Fighting Irish Shamrock. That must have me pointed in the right direction.


Have pictures of you all and will post when the computer behaves. Memorable concerns I've encountered so far . . . "No Police Allowed" stickers plastered on a podium. Or how about the shirt today . . . "We Smoke the Good Stuff on Sundays". Will know what Cleveland has to offer before long. Will be at the Cabin on the Lake. Message me if you want to jump on board pleazzzz!


Drop me an email with thoughts or concerns. If you're in the Cleveland to New York to Maine area email me for an invite. I'm keeping my get togethers under 50. I can relate to my readers better that way. We can chase down any thoughts or concerns. Isn't it about time to be inspired for the good found in fairness?


It's always about the readers in the end. The message is in place. You need to be in the know. Barry Beach got screwed again. When will it ever stop? Changes can start today. Hang in there Barry, there has to be something that resembles fairness in this crazzzzy messed up situation called America.

To Iowa, Chicago and Indiana . . .

And in the end . . . it must be about the readers. I'm on the road and plan to share photos and tales from my experiences. For now . . . however . . . the computer doesn't seem to want that to happen. I'm in Indiana and out of books as I head to a Hoosier Reading Club. It is with determination, bordering on a demented state of mind, that I stagger forward. 

Then came Chicago!

First New Lenox, then Frankfort to Park Forest and beyond. Thanks goes out to Chi-Town area readers. Onward to South Bend.

Nothing like the Chicago Skyline my friends.

This is what it's all about . . .

Young people standing up for themselves. That's what Brand of Justice and this Blog are all about. Thanks for this response. It makes it all worth while.
Laine has a new story to add to your blog for your books...college student turns tables on harrassment from NCHP...she called her work establishments Attny who showed up on the scene!!! Now NCHP is under the microscope....go Laine

1581 folks signed up for the recent giveaway on Goodreads. Thanks for the interest. Am looking forward to signing books in Bar Harbor Saturday.