Phillip Crabtree Dies By Suicide

Phillip Shane Crabtree, 18, of Texarkana, Texas died by suicide, on June 27, 2018. He was born January 12, 2000 in Texarkana, Texas.

Phillip Crabtree is survived by his father, Nick Crabtree, of Texarkana, TX, and mother and step-father, Kim Parsons and Todd Howell. His grandparents, Dottie and Earnest Crabtree, of Helenwood, TN, his grandfather, Tommy Strunk of Winfield, TN, an Aunt, Valerie Lamb of Muncie, IN, cousins, Cassidy and Brittney Lamb, of Muncie, IN, and many other members of the Parsons family.

Services are scheduled for Monday, July 2, 2018 at 2 PM at Texarkana Funeral Home – Texas Boulevard, with Rev. Charles Bell officiating.

The family will receive friends at 1 PM, prior to service, for visitation.

Phillip Crabtree was a Christian and worked as a Carpenter’s Helper.

On Facebook, Pamula Pierce posted "So sad for family friend, Nick Crabtree, who lost his 18 year old, only child, Phillip, to suicide last week, and whose funeral is today....Phillip took his life in front of his Dad."

The Crabtrees link to the Fouke Monster/Boggy Creek history.

Pamula Pierce's father is Charles Pierce (June 16, 1938 – March 5, 2010), the writer/director of The Legend of Boggy Creek (1973). Charles Pierce continued directing films into the 1980s, when he wrote the story for the Clint Eastwood film Sudden Impact. For that screenplay, he is said to have written the phrase, "Go ahead, make my day," which became one of the most famous movie quotes in history.

Pamula Piece and her mother were cast as actors in The Legend of Boggy Creek. Craig Woolheater shares that Pam "and her mother [are] in the scene where the kids saw the monster and the mom ran the kids back in the house."

For the Boggy Creek film, Pierce used members of the Crabtrees in front of and behind the camera.

The communities of Fouke, Arkansas and Texarkana, Texas, are interwoven, and there are lots of Crabtree relatives. It appears that Philip, Nick, and Philip's grandparents, Dottie and Earnest Crabtree, may have been related to Smokey Crabtree's side of the family. But members of Smokey's family do not feel there is any relationship. Perhaps there are two branches of the greater Crabtree family living in the Texarkana-Fouke area?

What we do know about Smokey's extended family can be learned via their obituaries.

Julius E. "Smokey" Crabtree, 88, died on January 16, 2016, in Fouke, Arkansas. Smokey had outlived one of his sons, Tommy, who was killed in a welding pipe explosion in 1987, and relative Karen Sue Crabtree, 50, who was killed in a car wreck in 2009. Also, Smokey’s wife Melva died June 11, 2005.

Smokey's official obituary recorded that "He was preceded in death by two sons, Tommy Crabtree and Lynn Crabtree, and a grandson, Jeremy Knight. Survivors include his wife, Fran Crabtree of Fouke, Arkansas, two sons and daughters-in-law, Travis and Mary Crabtree of Mt. Dora, Florida, and Jay and Toni Crabtree of Texarkana, Arkansas, one daughter and son-in-law, Debbie and John Knight of Sparkman, Arkansas, ten grandchildren, and a number of great-grandchildren."

Other Crabtree deaths followed. Brent Crabtree was the son of James Lynn Crabtree, who died in 2011. Lynn, as he was called, was the second eldest son of Smokey Crabtree, who died a few months after Smokey. Authorities in Miller County, Arkansas have confirmed they found the body of a man reported missing in July 2016. According to the Miller County Sheriff’s Department, the body of 39-year-old Brent Crabtree was found just after 5 p.m. Sunday, July 10, 2016, in a wooded area not far from Crabtree’s home.

James Lynn Crabtree, 60, of Fouke, Arkansas, died April 20, 2011, in a Little Rock, Arkansas. He was preceded in death by a brother, Tommy Crabtree and a nephew, Jeremy Knight. Survivors include two sons and daughters-in-law, Neal and Gena Crabtree and Brent and Courtney Crabtree of Fouke, Arkansas, four grandsons, Carson, Chance, Trenton, and Camden Crabtree of Fouke, Arkansas, his mother, June Crabtree of Fouke, Arkansas, his father, J. E. (Smokey) Crabtree of Fouke, Arkansas, one sister and brother-in-law, Debbie and John Knight of Sparkman, Arkansas, one brother and sister-in-law, Travis and Mary Crabtree of Mt. Dora, Florida, one sister-in-law, Paula Crabtree of Fouke, Arkansas, three nieces, Raynee Perry, Toni Pilgreen, and Starr Rawlinson, and two nephews, John Knight, III, and Jason Knight.

Karen Sue Crabtree, 50, of Fouke, Arkansas, died Sunday, January 18, 2009, in a Shreveport, Louisana, hospital of injuries from an automobile accident. Mrs. Crabtree was born Feb. 6, 1958, in Texarkana, Texas. She was a convenience store clerk (specifically, of course, at the Monster Mart).

Survivors include her husband, Harold Crabtree of Fouke; two sons, Jonathan Crabtree of Texarkana and Brandon Crabtree of Fouke; one sister and brother-in-law, Lisa and Doel Harvin of Fouke; her mother-in-law, Lillian Crabtree of Fouke; one special aunt, Doris Sanders of Fouke; and a number of other relatives.

H/T to Craig Woolheater for the sad news of Philip Crabtree's death.

Fayette Factor Marches On

High levels of Fayette Factor incidents give a sense that strangeness is all around. This Twilight Language blog only recently pointed to "The Fayette Factor & Trump Rally Incidents," as well as other recent happenings (1, 2, 3). Here are a few more filling my Fayette file.

(1) Mad Cow mania

The operating rooms at the Washington Regional hospital in Fayetteville, Arkansas,  have been shutdown due to Mad Cow's disease.

Health inspectors have confirmed a preliminary diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a degenerative brain disease, at Washington Regional Medical Center, the hospital confirmed.
All operating rooms were closed down Wednesday [March 16, 2016] and surgical procedures were postponed. 40/29 News has reached out to WRMC for an update, but they have not returned our messages. The diagnosis follows a procedure done on February 15th and the lab results were received Wednesday morning.

(2) D.C. Metro Shutdown

The Lafayette Park area Metro cable fire resulted in a major shutdown of Washington D.C.'s subway system for March 16-March 17, 2016.

The investigation into [March 14, 2016's] cable fire at McPherson Square is ongoing,” [Metrorail General Manager Paul J.] Wiedefeld said [to the Washington Post]. “As a preliminary matter, the conditions appear disturbingly similar to those in the L’Enfant incident of a year ago, and our focus is squarely on mitigating any risk of a fire elsewhere on the system.

McPherson Square is a square in downtown Washington, D.C. Adjacent buildings include the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Lafayette Building housing the Export-Import Bank, the 15th Street financial district, and numerous hotels. It is one block northeast of Lafayette Park. It is served by the McPherson Square station of the Washington Metro. This is the main station to access the White House, and the Vermont Avenue exit is directly underneath the Department of Veterans Affairs building.

(3) New body found in location where many have been recovered

The New River Gorge Bridge in Fayetteville, West Virginia.

West Virginia State Police said on March 11, 2016, that the discovery of human remains and personal possessions found near the New River Gorge Bridge at Fayetteville, West Virginia, could solve an 18-year-old mystery: the disappearance of a Virginia Tech graduate student.

The remains were found in a heavily wooded area Thursday [March 10, 2016] along with Robert L. Kovack’s driver’s license, a college ID and car keys, State Police Sgt. Kenneth Tawes told The Roanoke Times.
The 24-year-old from Rivesville, West Virginia, disappeared Sept. 18, 1998, while he was on his way to a West Virginia University-Maryland football game in Morgantown....More than four dozen bodies have been recovered below the bridge since Kovack’s disappearance 18 years ago, Tawes said. The most recent was a suicide at the same spot six months ago, he said.

Arkansas Shooting

According to Van Buren Police a lone shooter entered the Crawford County Courthouse in Van Buren, Arkansas, around 4:00 pm.  Police say the suspect then shot a secretary who witnesses have identified as Vicki Jones.

The shooter was shot and injured by Van Buren Police.  Both have been transported to the hospital for their injuries.  A Van Buren police officer was also injured by flying glass as police exchanged gunfire with the shooter.  Van Buren Police are currently not releasing the name of the suspect.

Lt. Brent Grill with the Van Buren Police Department said police were called to a disturbance at the courthouse, and one person was possibly shot inside. A gun battle involving the suspect, VBPD and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department then ensued outside the courthouse, Grill said.

Sebastian County deputies are at a local hospital guarding the suspect, who is undergoing surgery, Sebastian County Sheriff Bill Hollenbeck said.

Elaine Stanfield, administrative assistant to County Judge John Hall, said she first heard the shots at 3:30 p.m.

“I heard girls screaming upstairs; this all started upstairs,” said Stanfield, whose office is on the first floor of the courthouse. “I pushed the panic button — everyone has panic button under their desk that goes to sheriff’s office — and I picked up the phone and dialed 911.”

The suspect shot off multiple rounds while moving, Grill said, striking a nearby Van Buren police cruiser. Veteran Van Buren police officer Dave Passen received minor injuries from glass, Grill said.

Stanfield says she saw the suspect, a “heavyset man between 35-40 years of age” who was wearing a long duster style coat. Stanfield was still on the phone with 911 and heard a dispatcher say “our guys are being fired at,” then heard the shooting stop.

“This has changed our lives,” Stanfield said.

Fort Smith police Capt. Jarrard Copeland said a call about the shooting came through dispatch at 3:44 p.m.; 20 to 30 officers from Fort Smith were dispatched to the scene.

Hollenbeck said security at courthouses in Fort Smith and Greenwood has been increased as a precautionary measure until law enforcement officials can confirm no one else is involved in the courthouse shooting in Crawford County.

County Judge John Hall says the courthouse will be closed Wednesday but will try to open Thursday morning.

“We’re probably looking at getting security guards,” Hall said. “We have six entrances at the courthouse. Yes, there is going to be a change in security. The days to free access to the oldest courthouse west of the Mississippi is over.”

Crawford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 61,948. The county seat is Van Buren. Crawford County was formed on October 18, 1820, and named for William H. Crawford who was United States Secretary of War in 1815.

Thousands of self-claimed "Western Band of Cherokee" (or Arkansas Cherokees) fought for state and federal recognition as a political entity of Native Americans. Crawford County was historically part of the Cherokee Nation, which lost its tribal sovereignty status as a result of the U.S. Civil war in the 1860s. The Cherokee Nation was subsequently relocated to the west in the present-day state of Oklahoma.

The area was settled by David Boyd and Thomas Martin in the year 1818. After Arkansas became a territory in 1819 Daniel and Thomas Phillips constructed a lumber yard in the community to serve as a fuel depot for river traffic. In the year 1831 a post office was constructed for the community, at the time known as Phillips Landing. This post office was named after the newly appointed Secretary of State, Martin Van Buren. The city of Van Buren is a result of that legacy.

Mena: Mysterious Mecca

The Masonic Lodge was destroyed, in a town with a name not heard since the William Jefferson Clinton era. Yes, I'm on the level.



James Reeves, the Polk County emergency coordinator, says the town of Mena, Arkansas, suffered a direct hit from a tornado between 7:30 and 8 p.m. Thursday, April 9, 2009.

The tornado killed three people, and injured 30 people, while it seriously damaged or destroyed 600 homes in that small western Arkansas town.



Tammy Key inspects the destroyed Masonic Lodge in Mena Arkansas, on April 10, 2009, where one person was killed after a tornado struck the building on April 9th. Battered residents of this western Arkansas town waited for day light to dig out from a "direct hit" by a tornado that killed three people, and flattened homes and businesses, including a manufacturing plant. (AP Photo/Mike Wintroath)

One of the victims was found in a collapsed house, one in a Masonic Lodge (seven people reportedly sought shelter there), and another person was found in her front yard. Their identities have not been released.

Officials say the tornado heavily damaged the downtown area, including the county courthouse. At least 100 homes were damaged enough to be rendered unsafe.

Gov. Mike Beebe has dispatched 30 National Guard soldiers to help secure the area.

Of course the governor did. Isn't part of your brain thinking outside the box on this one? With no disrespect to the families and friends of the victims, this story shouts that it needs to be investigated from a synchromystic twilight conspiracy point-of-view. Hey, no telling what kinds of top secret papers are flying around from the backrooms of that Masonic lodge and the courthouse, right?

Crazy, am I? Okay, let's insanely speculate here. Let's step back a few feet and beat all the supposedly loonie conspiracy theorists to the punch.

Probably one of the best fictional examples of the media assisting in the coverup of the real news is portrayed in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. You remember the scenes, don't you? To project the coverup of whatever contact seems to be actually happening, via the televised and print media, the US Government says there has been a massive accidental release of a cloud of poisonous gas around the Devil's Tower. Troops are sent in, and long range cameras show enough to make people believe the cover story.

Fictional scenarios like that don't come out of thin air mixed with a late night fantasy nightmare of a good screenwriter. Cover stories have a long and real history. Watergate, anyone? So, let's follow this exercise through today's news.

Now look at this news from Arkansas. All of the key wording is there, rather unbelievably and covertly broadcasting that there's funny business near at hand. Polk, Reeves, a Masonic lodge, phrases like "securing the area" spinning quickly around the name "Mena."

Do you remember the place "Mena" has in conspiracy theory and factual history? Look at how the watered down debunking version makes it even to Wikipedia's entry for the town of Mena.

During [President William Jefferson] Clinton's administration, there were accusations (most notably in the controversial film Clinton Chronicles) that Clinton, during his time as governor of Arkansas, and other high-ranking state officials were involved in some way with alleged illegal cocaine importation, money laundering, and drug-use centered upon the airport in Mena. These allegations have been disputed by several different investigations, including one by the Banking Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The film Clinton Chronicles gives the extreme view that became famous as the "Clinton Body Count." They also produced another film on the so-called "Mena connection." You might as well be aware of it if you are going to write a conspiracy screenplay for the next generation:

Pat Matrisciana, Citizens for an Honest Government, Inc., Integrity Films; and Jeremiah Films also released a 1996 video titled Obstruction of Justice: The Mena Connection. This film claimed Jay Campbell and Kirk Lane, both law enforcement officers, were connected to the murder of two teenage boys. Supposedly these two officers killed the teenagers when they came across a cocaine smuggling ring in Mena, Arkansas Clinton was tied to. The two officers sued against the false claims and Judge C. Arlen Beam of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the officers in an in-depth 26 page decision.

Despite the information above, the case, however, was reversed in 2001. The court ruled the state troopers were public figures and had to prove the producers of the documentary willingly and knowingly disregarded the truth.

Someplace between the debunkers and the total nutcases, there is the truth that Mena has been a Mecca of intrigue, mystery, and intelligence operations. (There is mainstream evidence for this, but I'll point to one easily accessible summary in a moment.)

Even that skeptical Wikipedia's Mena entry does note:

Mena was home to "Operation Black Eagle" of the Iran-Contra affair.

Today, "Operation Black Eagle" has come to denote a recent operation in Iraq, and it is interesting that the old Iran-Contra codename has been "overwritten," so to speak. What did it use to mean?

"Operation Black Eagle" covertly used Mena, "a small obscure town in western Arkansas, with a population around 5,000 people. With no tower and monitoring of flights, CIA contract employee Barry Seal found Mena to be the perfect place to fly in and out without being recorded. Seal brought up to $5 billion of cocaine into the USA during the 1980s. Mena was where he based his cargo airline and parked his one of three C123 planes that made trips to Colombia and Nicaragua," mentioned an Ezine article.

Or originally on various sites, there's this one:

"Operation Black Eagle"

What do the Mena, Arkansas, and Fire Lakes, Nevada, airfields have in common? The answer is they were both secure facilities run by the highly classified National Programs Office (NPO). Other facilities were located at Joppa, Missouri, and Iron Mountain, Texas.

President Ronald Reagan appointed Oliver North as the secret head of this secret organization, and sometime in 1983, the NPO, which is organizationally part of the National Security Agency (NSA), became the effective administrator of a covert plan called Operation Black Eagle.

Operation Black Eagle became a network of 5000 people who made possible the export of arms in the direction of Central America, and the import of drugs from the same direction. According to Navy Lt. Commander Alexander Martin (ret.), he, as an assistant to Major General Richard Secord, worked closely with Oliver North, Richard Secord, Felix Rodriquez, and Jeb Bush (son of Vice-President Bush) in the operation. Different aspects of Black Eagle were consolidated under the office of the Vice President.

What is the reality? Clearly, Mena is a special place.

In the deeply researched, nicely referenced and thorough article "The Crimes of Mena" by Sally Denton and Roger Morris, in the July 1995 issue of Penthouse Magazine, the whole Barry Seal-CIA-DEA-Mena connection is detailed.



Queen Wilhelmina of The Netherlands

Speaking of Mena, you can understand why it is often overlooked. Here's how Denton and Morris begin their article:

"Nestled in the dense pine and hardwood forests of the Oachita Mountains, some 160 miles west of Little Rock, once thought a refuge for nineteenth-century border outlaws and even a hotbed of Depression-era anarchists, the tiny town has been the locale for persistent reports of drug smuggling, gunrunning, and money laundering tracing to the early eighties, when [Barry] Seal based his aircraft at Mena's Intermountain Regional Airport."

Read the complete article here; it reveals how the story has unfolded of the CIA and DEA involvements and their use of the Mena Airport.

"Seal was smuggling drugs and kept his planes at Mena," The Wall Street Journal reported in 1994.

Barry Seal died in the 1980s, when murdered by Medellin drug cartel hit men in a brutal killing in Baton Rouge, some say with a wink and a nod from elements of the intelligence community.

Barry Seal, the gunrunner, drug trafficker, and covert C.I.A. operative extraordinaire, the man who knew too much, made Mena a household name in conspiracy jargon. He was played by Dennis Hopper in the 1991 HBO Films' Doublecrossed. Perhaps it's time for a rebroadcast of that film?

Or maybe it's time to take a look at Dan Hopsicker's video, Barry and the Boys - The CIA, the Mob and America's Secret History or try to find a copy of the book of the same name that doesn't cost $50 used?


The Old Wilhelmina Hotel (postcard), on Mt. Mena, near Mena, Arkansas.


Bill Grimstad has just penned me this note about the new events in Mena:

Seems like there's always something bad or at least bizarre happening there, starting in the late 1800s when European royalty including Queen Wilhelmina (the town name comes from that) traveled all the way to the middle-of-nowhere burg for ceremonies dedicating a hotel of some sort (but who knows what it really was).

A short distance southeast is Caddo Gap where Albert Pike had his famous books-filled retreat, abandoned after the Civil War when he went on the lam. The site is now memorialized by Camp Albert Pike.

Today, there is a Ouachita National Forest Albert Pike Recreation Area, and a Camp Albert Pike Store and Cabin, the latter being located in the Ouachita Mountains, at Caddo Gap, Arkansas, Montgomery County, north of Pike County. Montgomery County was named after Irishman and Freemason, Brigadier Gen. Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general best remembered for leading the invasion of Canada and dying in the attack on Quebec. Polk County is the location of Mena.

Seriously, why would a tornado target Mena?



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