There’s a Facebook group called “San Clemente Cares and Crime in San Clemente and Safety Tips.” It’s a group in desperate need of commas, but a post jumped out at me recently and it involves CD-48 Congressional candidate Doug Applegate.
The writer is Gene James. He wrote this (I broke it up into a few paragraphs for readability):
“In 2016, my wife and I were fighting the impact of 12 clients of a drug rehab house being next door to us. It was a living hell. Several weeks prior to the 2016 election, I wrote a letter to the editor on Doug Applegate not taking a position on drug rehab houses. The San Clemente Times came out on a Thursday and the following day, I received a very terse phone call from Applegate’s campaign manager Mr. Robert Dempsey (phone # is redacted by editor) accusing me of not being truthful. Early in the phone conversation, Dempsey became very aggressive. I asked Dempsey, how did you get my phone number? He replied very aggressively “voter rolls” and then he read my address to me. Frankly, I hung up feeling as if Dempsey was attempting to intimidate me. The following night (Saturday) at about 11:45 PM< my dog was barking frantically at the front door. I observed a middle age white male about 6ft tall with slender build and short cropped hair walking rapidly down the sidewalk from my house. I then found the attached note under the windshield wiper arm of my car. I thought it was Applegate but I was not certain. I then repeatedly sent text messages with the attached to Dempsey asking him to confirm that Applegate did not write this note and that Applegate was not on my property. Dempsey never replied to my multiple inquiries. My only two requests for Dempsey…1) please tell me that Col Applegate did not write this note and 2) please tell me Col Applegate did not trespass on my property.
Fast forward to a few months ago and I observed Applegate protesting in front of Darryl Issa’s office in Vista. I approached Applegate and explained my concerns with the note. I showed Applegate a photo of the note and asked him if he wrote the note? Applegate became incredibly irate and he stated that Robert Dempsey was never in San Clemente. I had not stated anything about San Clemente not did I accuse Dempsey of placing the note on my car. Applegate refused to look at my phone or acknowledge the photo and repeatedly stated Robert Dempsey was never in San Clemente. In other words, he refused to answer my question not would he look at the note. Interesting…if it were not for Applegate’s history on stalking and having his firearms seized, I might not have been so concerned. To this day, I would accept Applegate’s word to my two questions for him….1) did you write the attached note? & 2) did you trespass on my property? Applegate has had more than one year to respond to my concerns. Crickets….nothing….
We can’t have this guy as our US Representative.
The signature Applegate used on the court documents filed by his wife is frankly a squiggly line so handwriting doesn’t match up with the handwriting on the card. But it’s Applegate’s reaction to this resident’s honest inquiry at Issa’s Vista Office that merits attention. There was never a denial.
The resident referenced Applegate’s history of stalking. You can read the entire filing from Applegate’s divorce proceeding here: http://documents.latimes.com/court-records-show-douglas-applegate-was-accused-threatening-his-ex-wife/
From the Times story in 2016, this: “An Orange County Superior Court judge granted Applegate’s former wife, Priscilla Greco, two temporary restraining orders against him in 2002 and 2004.”
Two.
But the last three pages of the declaration filed by Applegate’s ex-wife warrant a closer read. Applegate fans say “she has recanted.” Actually, she put out a statement supporting her ex-husband’s run for Congress and suggests they repaired their relationship enough to raise their kids and that she’d vote for him. But there’s nothing in her statements from 2016 or 2018 that recants what she wrote in 2004. Because if she recanted this, then Applegate’s ex-wife has committed perjury, which is how she signed off on this document.
Here it is (when I converted the PDF to Text, some hinky stuff happened to some of the words so “typos” here are not mine and there’s weird punctuation):
DECLARATION OF PRISCI-LLA APPLEGATE
- I, PRISCILLA APPLEGATE, declare that I am the Petitioner
herein and have first hand knowledge of all the facts stated
within. If called upon to testify as a witness, I could and would
competently testify as follows:
- I am requesting on.an ex?parte basis that this court issue
temporary restraining orders against Respondent due to the recent
incident that occurred which has me fearing for my safety.
- Respondent and I have been in the process of dissolving
our marriage for nearly two years now. Over the past two years
since Respondent and I separated he has basically come and gone
whenever he pleased while our children and I remained living in the
family residence. Respondent had a key to our home and used it to
come in at will. Respondent didn’t care that it left me with no
privacy and he often invaded it just because he could.
- One of the reasons that I wanted to sell the family home
and rent a place for the children and I was so that I wouldn’t have
to be subjected to Respondent?s verbal abuse and the constant
invasion of my privacy. Respondent dictated what he wanted me to
do and I felt like I had no alternative other than to appease him.
I have always been the peacemaker, never wanting to argue or create
a scene in front of our children. Sadly, Respondent took advantage
of this fact and would yell at me and take out his anger on me for
any little reason? For example, Respondent recently was suppose to
help the children and I move and because he became angry at me
because I packed his things (along with the rest of the family’s)
while he was out of town, he suddenly told me that he no longer
would agree to release me some money to help with my moving
expenses which we had already agreed I would get when family
residence sold. Respondent then refused to help me move. It
was so ridiculous when you really look at the situation.
Respondent was mad at me for helping him by packing his things. It
is a control issue and Respondent doesn’t like it when he feels
that he cannot control my every move.
- Then Respondent shows up just about when I was almost
finished moving (thankfully, I had the help of a few kind friends
and neighbors) only to make a scene and cause me extreme
humiliation. Respondent became outraged when my car wouldn? start
when we were getting ready to drive over to the new place and was
cursing and yelling in front of the neighbors and just plain unable
to control his emotions. He proceeded to drive his vehicle very
fast next to mine as if he was going to slam right into it. My
neighbor?s husband was kind enough to let me borrow his jumper
cables and witnessed the whole episode.
- This past weekend the children and I moved into an
apartment and that is when the incident that gives rise to the
requested relief occurred. On Sunday morning while I was getting
dressed in my bedroom I was very shaken when I suddenly noticed a
shadow coming from the window and was shocked to find that it was
Respondent who was looking in at me through my window. My bedroom
window is located in such a place that you would have to first walk
past our front door and around to the back idea that Respondent was even coming over as he didn?t call me to
advise me. Notwithstanding, there is no excuse for Respondent to
have come to my window and scared me as he did. Respondent
literally had to walk past the front door where our children were
watching T.V. where he should have and could.have either knocked or
rang the doorbell.
- I feel very afraid.and insecure now because of Respondent?s
act. Respondent needs to realize that he cannot control my every
move. I think that it is very unfair that I now have to fear
Respondent stalking me or that he is hiding in the bushes looking
in at me. I truly believe that Respondent is doing this because he
realizes that he doesn?t have to same control as he has always had
over me. Respondent was always very concerned with what personal
items I had in my possession. He would often look through my
personal items and drawers in my bedroom. I don’t know what he
thought he might find because I never had anything to hide. I
always felt violated though because he shouldn’t have been going
through my things. I am afraid that because he no longer has the
luxury of entering our residence as he pleases that he has resorted
to stalking me or spying on me and I don’t feel I should have to
live in fear of him.
- For all the above stated reasons I request that this court
issue the requested restraining orders against Respondent so that
I could live without fear of being stalked by Keepondent.
I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the state
of California that the forgoing is tr – and correct.