Transcript of the Testimony of Jacob Skouby

Date: November 19, 2013 Volume: I Case: In Re: Joplin Critical Investigation

Printed On: December 1, 2013

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Jacob Skouby

In Re:

Joplin Critical Investigation

Page 1

IN RE:

JOPLIN CRITICAL INVESTIGATION

TELEPHONE SWORN STATEMENT OF

JACOB SKOUBY

Taken on Tuesday, November 19, 2013, from 3:10 p.m. to 3:16 p.m., at the law offices of Juddson H. McPherson, LLC, 626 S. Byers, in the City of Joplin, County of Jasper, State of Missouri, before SHARON K. ROGERS, C.C.R.650, a Certified Court Reporter and a Notary Public within and for the County of Jasper, and State of Missouri.

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Jacob Skouby

In Re:

Joplin Critical Investigation

Page 2

APPEARANCES

MR. THOMAS E. LORAINE Loraine & Associates, LLC 4075 Osage Beach Pkwy., Suite 300 Osage Beach, MO 65065

tellaw@loraineandassociates.com

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Jacob Skouby

In Re:

Joplin Critical Investigation

Page 3

S T I P U L A T I O N

IT IS HEREBY STIPULATED AND AGREED that this Sworn Statement may be taken by steno-mask type recording by SHARON K. ROGERS, a Certified Court Reporter, and afterwards reduced into typewriting. It is further stipulated the signature of the witness is hereby waived, and that said Sworn Statement of said witness shall be of the same force and effect as though said witness had read and signed Sworn Statement.

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Jacob Skouby

In Re:

Joplin Critical Investigation

Page 4

I N D E X

Page/Line

DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. LORAINE

5-2

E X H I B I T S

(sic) - typed as spoken (ph.) - phonetic

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Jacob Skouby

In Re:

Joplin Critical Investigation

Page 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Q. A. A. Q. JACOB SKOUBY DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. LORAINE: Q. A. Q. This is Tom Loraine. Yes, sir. I've been appointed as the Critical Investigator for the City of Joplin. assume you've heard that. you have or not. I have. I was familiar with it, yes. I

I don't know if

Well, there's two things I wanted to talk to you about. The first is a light matter, I think, but as a county prosecutor do you know anything that I should look at given my topics? The topics are number one, anything

about Bill Scearce and his alleged gambling; number two, Woolston and his alleged land dealing; and the third is anything that the City management might be doing improperly or unethically or illegally. Those are the

three topics I've been assigned. Well, I don't know of any. I know both Bill

and Mike and I think, I mean I don't know of any wrongdoing. I've never heard of any

wrongdoing involving either one of them. So there is nothing that you're aware of as a

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Jacob Skouby

In Re:

Joplin Critical Investigation

Page 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. prosecutor? Not personally or in a professional manner, no, nobody has ever come to me. Okay. I appreciate that very much. The

other thing is I wanted to know, your name was given to me and I'm an Elk in Osage Beach so I know how those things go, you know, but I'm told that you were somehow involved in a purchase of the Elks woodland property after it was no longer a woodland. Correct. I'm Exalted Ruler this year so

until April I should sign off on that thing because our trustees did, but yeah, I was involved in negotiating it and reading it on the floor and bringing it in front of the members to vote on it. Was the price a proper price in your opinion? A. In my opinion it was. I was told that was

the going price.

We had some realtors that

are members, they thought we should hold out for more, but, you know, we had -They didn't have the listing. Right, they didn't have the listing. And it

just seemed like good money for the rest of it, we had some debt and a mortgage on our

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Jacob Skouby

In Re:

Joplin Critical Investigation

Page 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. new building, our old building got taken out by the tornado so we built a new building and we had some debt. It was a good deal for us,

but I don't think he paid us anymore than he being Gary Box - I don't think he paid us anymore than he paid anybody else. Who negotiated the deal on behalf of the City? We never dealt with the City. Oh, okay. I mean it was private property. It was our

property in the back, it belonged to the Elks in the back. We had 5, almost 6 acres back

there that was woodland, but the tornado took out a bunch of the trees and then we bulldozed a bunch of the trees and the barrier back there and, you know, we weren't using the land for anything so when they made the offer we jumped on it. So the land, it was $3.00 a square foot I am understating? If you know. One to keep it a green

We had two offers.

space and one to build houses on it, and I don't have the paperwork in front of me, but it was right around 3,000 square foot, yeah.

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Jacob Skouby

In Re:

Joplin Critical Investigation

Page 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Q. Q. A. Q. A. A. Q. Okay. Did you deal with any other Elk

members that might be on the City Council on this matter? No, I think we have two others - I know Bill is a member and I think -That would be Scearce? Yeah, Bill Scearce is a member out there as is -Mr. Golden? Right, right, right. He never ever had They never tried to

anything to do with it.

- no, they were never in the negotiation of it. We were on our side. Wallace-Bajjali,

they were trying to also get the land to our southwest to get access, but those people wouldn't sell, they wanted a ridiculous amount of money so they needed our land we were told for the green space, and then they had to buy, get an easement to get from the land for east on the property. They also

wanted access from the west on Adele Street so Wallace-Bajjali also bought some land from I think Satterlee's. it. As far as you understand -I believe they owned

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Jacob Skouby

In Re:

Joplin Critical Investigation

Page 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Wallace-Bajjali gave them the same they gave us. less. As far as you understand Woolston was not involved with any of your transaction? Correct, he didn't have anything to do with it. We dealt directly with Wallace-Bajjali They assured us that we weren't getting

through their employee, Gary Box. All right. Thank you. I'm sorry for taking

your time, I'm just trying to follow-up every lead, you know, so I don't get criticized, you know. Yeah, yeah, there's going to be criticism whatever. I mean that's the way it works.

If they're not in jail there are going to be people that thinks there's cover-ups. Absolutely. That's just the way it is. Well, I just want to follow-up every lead I can. help. All right. If anything else comes up don't I really thank you very much for your

hesitate to call. All right. Thank you, sir.

(SWORN STATEMENT CONCLUDED)

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In Re:

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REPORTER'S CERTIFICATE

STATE OF MISSOURI ss. COUNTY OF JASPER I, SHARON K. ROGERS, Certified Court Reporter in the State of Missouri, do certify that pursuant to the foregoing Stipulation the witness came before me on the 19th day of November, 2013, was duly sworn by me, and was examined. That examination was then taken by me by

steno-mask recording and afterwards transcribed; said Sworn Statement is subscribed by the witness as hereinbefore set out on the day in that behalf aforesaid and is herewith returned. I further certify that I am not counsel, attorney, or relative of either party, or clerk, or stenographer of either party or of the attorney of either party, or otherwise interested in the event of this suit.

________________________ SHARON K. ROGERS, CCR-650

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