Shelley Lubben Served With Restraining Order While Drinking at Springville Bar

REVEALED: Creepy text conversations between Lubben and a 13-year old girl where the disgraced anti-porn crusader sounds eerily like a child predator

Porterville, Calif. -- Shelley Lubben was served with a civil harassment restraining order while she drank whiskey at the Antlers Roadhouse Thursday afternoon, January 3.

The order was granted after a local woman petitioned Tulare County Superior Court on behalf of herself and her 13-year old daughter, detailing "continuous and ongoing" threats and harassment since Lubben was told to leave their premises in November due to her "erratic behavior and constant drinking".

The Petition and supporting documentation filed Jan. 2 by the Springville woman also alleges incidences of theft, vandalism, trespassing, intimidation, and driving under the influence by Shelley Lubben.

Constant drinking

While claiming to be a Christian minister of the gospel, as well as a holy prophet, Ms. Lubben has publicly asserted that she has been sober -- and miraculously cured of all her physical and mental infirmities -- for nearly two decades.

It is notable that Shelley Lubben was served at a bar just one day after she told a Bakersfield court that she had the flu and was too ill to attend the proceeding.

TRO issued and Proof of Service filed with the court.

This action makes FOUR active court cases involving the disgraced anti-porn crusader and notorious pill-popping drunkard (see below).

The following statement from the victim was filed with the court along with the petition for the order against harassment. It is quite devastating. (Please excuse the quality of the following images; I don't have a document scanner where I am right now and had to rely on photographs of the pages.)

"Shelley Lubben has made threats of violence to me and threats to me through family and friends . . . . The harassment has been continuous and ongoing since she was asked to leave my residence a month ago due to her erratic behavior and constant drinking. She has caused damage to my property and [a] neighbors' because she would operate her vehicle extremely intoxicated. . . ."

The victims' statement also alludes to Lubben's New Year's Eve trespass on the grounds of the victims' home, which resulted in a report being taken by Deputy E. Lemoine of the Tulare County Sheriffs on Dec. 31 -- the third report taken by the sheriffs while investigating claims that Mrs. Lubben has trespassed, robbed and vandalized the home and/or grounds, as well as harassed and threatened the residents.

The following exhibits were filed along with the petition for the temporary restraining order. They document an extremely manipulative and downright creepy series of text messages between Lubben and her former friend's 13-year old daughter. She attamepts to bribe the minor into letting her break into her mom's house.

Along the way, Lubben also appears to acknowledge her own notorious addiction to benzodiazepine tranquilizers.

A hearing date of January 29, 2019 has been set for this case, before The Honorable Glade F. Roper.

The creepy, predator-like messages are reminiscent of the testimony of these women:

Lubben apparently went into hiding after New Year's Eve, when she was caught prowling around and trespassing the property of her ex-housemates. She no-showed at her court date in Kern County Superior Court on Wednesday afternoon, Jan 2, after informing her ex-husband's attorney that she had the flu but no doctor's note to prove it.

That ongoing case centers on Ms. Lubben's 2017 attempt to re-open her divorce case and get her hands on the Mexican timeshare property she ceded to him in their 2016 divorce.

In other words, Shelley Lubben no-showed at her own proceeding -- a hearing that was scheduled months ago after a series of continuances in the matter.

Her ex-husband's attorney told the court she believes Lubben was lying to avoid court, and it most seems clear that she was. The prevailing theory is that Lubben was afraid to show up in court, either because she will face a difficult cross examination, or because she feared being served with more legal papers.

It turns out, she had every reason to be afraid.

Multiple witnesses confirm that Lubben -- an all-day drinker who soils herself when she doesn't get her alcohol in time -- is seriously on the skids. A few days ago she arrived extremely intoxicated at a Springville cafe -- so intoxicated that they refused to serve her the alcohol she requested.

A history of harassment

In 2011, former adult performer Michelle Avanti filed for an order of protection against Shelley Lubben in Tulare County Superior Court in Visalia, and provided evidence that Lubben had begun threatening and harassing her when she fled Lubben's sham nonprofit Pink Cross Foundation and appeared in a video exposing Lubben as a manipulative, abusive addict. Official records indicate that Lubben had Pink Cross file two false complaints with Child Welfare Services, in an attempt to make Avanti lose custody of her young daughter.

Four cases in three counties

Last year, Lubben was sued for wrongful death by the family of cyclist Octavio Munguia, who was killed in a DUI hit-and-run collision with Shelley Lubben's car while her boyfriend Joe Valley was behind the wheel. The next hearing date in Tulare County Superior Court for that case is January 23.

She has also been served by her ex-husband in a harassment case in San Diego County, in which her ex and his new wife seek protection from Lubben's ongoing threats and harassment. The next court date in that case is February 5, and this author has been called to testify.

Wednesday's hearing in Kern County was continued until June 20. However, the judge stated that if Mrs. Lubben cannot provide a doctor's note, the case will be dismissed. The fact that Lubben was served with papers at a BAR the following day is a huge development.

As one can see, Shelley Lubben has quite a busy court calendar in 2019, and it's getting fuller by the day.

Afraid to Face the Music? Shelley Lubben Calls In Sick to Court, Offers No Doctor's Note

Bakersfield, Calif. -- Disgraced anti-porn crusader Shelley Lubben, who has apparently been in hiding since New Year's Eve, no-showed at her court date in Kern County Superior Court on Wednesday afternoon, after informing hr ex-husband's attorney that she had the flu but no doctor's note to prove it.

The ongoing case centers on Ms. Lubben's 2017 attempt to re-open her divorce case and get her hands on the Mexican timeshare property she ceded to him in their 2016 divorce.

In other words, Shelley Lubben no-showed at her own proceeding.

Today's hearing was scheduled months ago after a series of continuances in the case.

No one I spoke to in the Springville and Visalia areas (where Lubben resides) believes for a second that she is actually suffering from a cold or flu -- that is to say unless she caught one while prowling around and trespassing the property of her ex-housemates on New Years Eve.

That trespass resulted in a report being taken by Deputy E. Lemoine of the Tulare County Sheriffs on Dec. 31 -- the third report taken by the sheriffs while investigating claims that Mrs. Lubben has trespassed, robbed and vandalized the home and/or grounds, as well as harassed and threatened the residents.

The prevailing theory is that Lubben is afraid to show up in court, either because she will face a difficult cross examination, or because she fears being served with more legal papers.

Multiple witnesses confirm that Lubben -- an all-day drinker who soils herself when she doesn't get her alcohol in time -- is seriously on the skids. A few days ago she arrived extremely intoxicated at a Springville cafe -- so intoxicated in fact that they refused to serve her the alcohol she requested.

A history of harassment

In 2011, former adult performer Michelle Avanti filed for an order of protection against Shelley Lubben in Tulare County Superior Court in Visalia, and provided evidence that Lubben had begun threatening and harassing her when she fled Lubben's sham nonprofit Pink Cross Foundation and appeared in a video exposing Lubben as a manipulative, abusive addict. Official records indicate that Lubben had Pink Cross file two false complaints with Child Welfare Services, in an attempt to make Avanti lose custody of her young daughter.

Cases in three counties

Last year, Lubben was sued for wrongful death by the family of cyclist Octavio Munguia, who was killed in a DUI hit-and-run collision with Shelley Lubben's car while her boyfriend Joe Valley was behind the wheel. The next hearing date in Tulare County Superior Court for that case is January 23.

She has also been served by her ex-husband in a harassment case in San Diego County, in which her ex and his new wife seek protection from Lubben's ongoing threats and harassment. The next court date in that case is February 5, and this author has been called to testify.

Today's hearing in Kern County was continued until June 20. The judge ordered that if Mrs. Lubben cannot provide a doctor's note, the case will be dismissed.

As one can see, Shelley Lubben has quite a busy court calendar in 2019, and it's getting fuller by the day. An additional report will be filed shortly.

Court Records Expose Shelley Lubben's Trail of Bad Debts

Springville, Calif. -- A pair of filings in Tulare County courts detail a trail of bad debts left by disgraced anti-porn crusader Shelley Lubben.

When Shelley's  husband, Garrett, divorced her after she cheated on him with a ranch hand named Joe Valley, she received a large number of assets, including full title to a Balch Park Road property (a.k.a. The Lubben Ranch) in her divorce settlement, which was concluded in July 2016.

Readers will recall that Mrs. Lubben's Balch Park home burned to the ground in a drug lab fire in March 2018.

Valley is currently serving a state prison term for the DUI hit-and-run killing of a cyclist a short distance from the Lubben Ranch. A neighbor reported that Lubben was drunk when she drove from her home shortly after the crash, leaving Valley alone on the ranch to greet the California Highway Patrol.

The question of who exactly owns the Balch Park Road property is a murky one, to which we will return at another time. Lubben apparently sold all or most of it to a man named Sirjoe Carmona, but has received insurance money after the fire, which would indicate that she retained an insurable interest.

According to documents on file in Tulare County, Lubben received $100,000 from Carmona in June 2017, plus a $200,000 promissory note, to be paid off at the rate of $1,000 per month.

Shelley also received a large number of assets in her divorce settlement, which was concluded in July 2016.

And in April 2018, Lubben received a $144,000 property and casualty insurance payment for the destruction of her home and personal possessions in the drug lab fire.

Yet somehow Shelley Lubben didn't feel the need to pay her credit debt.

In February 2017, Discover Bank sued Shelley in Porterville for $8984.35 in unpaid charges to her Discover Card.

The bank won via default judgment in November of that year.

The default judgement paperwork:

A second collections lawsuit, filed in Visalia by Midland Funding in March 2018, was also lost by Shelley via a default judgment.

Midland Funding is one of the nation's biggest buyers of unpaid debt, so it's unknown at this point where the debt originated. 

This time, the damage was $10,169.70

The Request for Entry of Default (notice the date is one month after Shelley received $144,000 in insurance money):

Shelley also left Chase Bank holding the bag for $2,453.54, and failed to pay Macy's $8,902.37.

That's $30,509.96 in bad debts -- and there were others for which figures are not available

Let's all hear it for this fine Christian woman who wants to tell all of us how to live.

UPDATE: On January 14, 2019, Department Stores National Bank also filed a collections action against Shelley Lubben in Tulare County Superior Court. The amount of debt in that case is not yet known.

Shelley Lubben's Ranch Home Burns to the Ground; Drug Lab Explosion Suspected Cause

Springville, Calif. -- At approximately 5:00 a.m. on Friday, March 16, 2018, an explosion and fireball ripped through the ranch home of disgraced anti-porn crusader Shelley Lubben, leaving its residential structures leveled and engulfed in flames.

Lubben, 49, who has resided at the so-called "Lubben Ranch" since 2015, was home at the time, but escaped without serious injury.

The blast came from the house with blacked-out windows connected to Lubben's. Two residents, a man and infant son, were airlifted from 45117 Balch Park Road near Highway 190 to a local hospital for treatment of severe burn injuries. The man's pregnant wife was listed as in "fair condition".

The Tulare County Sheriff's Office states that due to "the suspicious nature of the fire", detectives from the Marijuana Investigation Team were dispatched to the scene. Two butane canisters were discovered, and the suspected cause of the fire, still officially under investigation by the Tulare Area Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team (TAGNET), is a drug lab explosion.

This detached garage is the only structure left standing

Last June, Lubben transferred the property to Sirjoe Carmona, a convicted drug offender from Visalia and Ivanhoe, Calif., but Lubben remained on the parcel as a tenant.  Rumors in Springville have been rampant for some time that marijuana was being cultivated illegally at the ranch.

The property was also placed back on the market recently.

Here are the incredible BEFORE and AFTER PHOTOS of Lubben's home

Only smoldering rubble remains of Shelley Lubben's home and belongings

Lubben's residence was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived, and they had to take a defensive position to keep the flames from spreading into the heavily wooded area.

Shelley Lubben has reportedly lost everything but her jeep, iPhone, and the pajamas she was wearing at the time of the blaze.

In the aftermath of the fire, multiple sources report, Shelley Lubben has confirmed that a drug lab was the cause of the disastrous blaze. 

However she also claimed that despite the owner's history of running an illegal grow operation, and the building's blacked-out windows, she had no idea whatsoever that a dangerous drug lab was operating yards from her bedroom until it exploded early Friday morning.

It remains to be seen whether the injured honey oil lab operators will implicate Lubben.

Video by Cristina Davies, ABC30

The Fresno Bee reports that Joe Rosa, a spokesman for the Tulare County Fire Department, said both fire and Tulare County Sheriff's investigators are on scene.

According to sheriff's spokeswoman Ashley Ritchie, butane canisters were found in the home, so authorities were investigating it as a place where a honey-oil lab might have been set up. Ritchie said detectives were working to get a search warrant so they could go inside the residence. 

Honey oil is manufactured with the used of butane, and powerful explosions can result when fumes from the gas come in contact with a flame source, such as a hot water heater. 

Authorities describe the injured persons at the home when the fire broke out as a 36-year-old male, listed in critical condition; his pregnant 25-year-old wife, in fair condition; and their 15-month-old baby boy, also in critical condition.

The three were airlifted to Community Regional Medical Center (CRMC) in Fresno for treatment. The parents may face child endangerment charges, reports CBS47 News/YouCentralValley.com:

"The butane containers definitely indicate a honey oil lab," said Tulare Sheriff's Ashley Ritchie.

Anyone with more information regarding this investigation or a possible location of the suspect is urged to contact the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office at 1-800-808-0488 or anonymously at tcso@tipnow.com or by text or voicemail at 559-725-4194.

Honey oil

A butane hash "chef" packs a pipe with marijuana trimmings that will be used to make butane hash. (Genaro Molina / L.A. Times) 

Butane honey oil, or BHO, is a potent form of hashish (or hash), with a very high THC level.  

Since January 1, 2018, it is legal in California for adults age 21 and older to use, and possess up to eight (8) grams of, hashish, a.k.a. concentrated cannabis. However, possessing more than eight grams of concentrated cannabis is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six (6) months in county jail. 

Selling hashish is only legal in California if one possesses a state license to do so. Without such a license, possessing hashish with the intent to sell it is a crime, as is unlawfully selling it or transporting it for sale. 

The unlawful production of more than eight (8) grams of hashish is likewise a crime in California, and the penalty is up to six months in county jail under Health & Safety Code 11358 - cultivation of marijuana.

If one uses a toxic chemical -- such as butane -- to produce the cannabis resin, one may also be found guilty of chemical extraction of a controlled substance and face a fine of up to $50,000 and three, five or seven years in state prison.

>Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article205528709.html#storylink=cpy

The flames

The house fire represents just the latest dramatic event in the scandal-plagued life of Shelley Lubben.

Born Shelley Lynn Moore in Pasadena, Calif. in 1968, Lubben struggled with alcoholism and substance abuse since her teens, and often found herself in trouble with the law.  In 1986, at age 18, she was asked to leave home by her long-suffering parents, and found work as a stripper, prostitute and small-time con artist in the Los Angeles area.  Lubben has proudly referred to herself as a "hustler" and "professional liar" who could talk her way out of anything.

In 1988, she gave birth to a daughter she says was conceived via a prostitution act.

An admitted attention seeker, Lubben failed in her attempt to launch an acting career, then dabbled in pornography from 1993 - 94.

When porn stardom eluded her, and her drug and alcohol use spiraled out of control, she married Garrett Lubben.

In 2004, Lubben re-emerged as a Christian anti-porn/anti-sex work crusader, complete with a set of horror stories about her short time in the adult business that no one -- even the people she knew at the time -- had ever heard before. Similarly, her tales about her early life were eventually contradicted by evidence provided by family.

In 2008, she and Garrett founded Pink Cross Foundation, "a faith-based public charity dedicated to reaching out to adult industry workers offering emotional, financial and transitional support."

However PCF never yielded a roster of success stories; instead, the vast majority of the women who associated with Lubben later described her as a manipulator and abuser who was addled by wine and prescription pills, and who misused funds donated to help the women in her care.

Lubben surrounded herself with bizarre individuals with claims that were provably false, and anti-porn evangelists such as Donny Pauling, who was later unmasked as a serial child molester.

Shelley Lubben and Donny Pauling

Lubben also practiced her own strange and fanatical version of Christianity. She would later assert that Pink Cross Foundation was the true church.

She claimed to be the reincarnation of the Prophet Elijah, and allowed herself to be filmed praying with an 8-foot staff.

A lightning rod for criticism

On April 26, 2011, the married anti-porn activist attended a Porn Star Karaoke event in Burbank, Cailf., and was photographed smiling while having her surgically-enhanced breast signed by hirsute porn star Ron Jeremy outside the bar's toilet.

Lubben's outrageous behavior, obsessive self-promotion as an anti-porn advocate, trips to rehab centers and psych wards, and half-hearted attempts at therapy took a toll on her marriage and family.

In 2015, Garrett and Shelley placed their Bakersfield, Calif. McMansion up for sale and Shelley moved out to the country -- to Springville -- while Garrett remained in Bakersfield so that the couple's youngest daughter wouldn't have to change schools. 

Garrett's hope was that the new surroundings would help Shelley cut back on her immense daily alcohol and prescription drug consumption. However, when he came to visit, he found the residence littered with empty wine bottles, and additional pill containers. 

On Oct. 13, 2015, Garrett filed for a legal separation in Bakersfield. 

The following month, Shelley admitted to a months-long extra-marital affair with ranch employee Joe Valley.

On Christmas Eve 2015, she had Valley arrested on charges of rape and domestic battery, but later withdrew the rape allegation.

Just after the new year, with her face still swollen, Lubben announced the shuttering of Pink Cross Foundation.

On March 14, 2016 Garrett amended his petition to Dissolution of Marriage (divorce). 

Approximately one week after Garrett blocked calls and texts (which had vacillated between the two running themes of "let's work it out and be together" and "I'm gonna get you and make you pay!"), a disgruntled Shelley approached the Tulare Sheriffs on May 5, 2016, with an accusation that Garrett had attempted to bribe her.  Her "evidence" of felony bribery was a couple of iPhone video clips directed and filmed by Shelley on Halloween 2015 as part of the couple's separation/divorce negotiations.

However, in February 2017, following hysterical testimony from Shelley, Judge Michael B. Sheltzer ruled that the video clips did NOT show an attempt to bribe Mrs. Lubben and all charges were dismissed.

In July 2016, Garrett Lubben filed for a restraining order in Bakersfield, Calif. to protect himself and his children from Shelley.

All domestic violence charges against Garrett Lubben were dropped last month.

Lubben also filed multiple domestic violence charges against Joe Valley, who has spent every birthday in jail since becoming involved with Shelley Lubben.

Following each release, Valley moved back in to the Lubben Ranch. 

But in November of last year, he was arrested on the property after allegedly striking and killing a cyclist on the way home to the ranch, while intoxicated. 

Valley is currently being held on $145,000 bail as he awaits trial for Gross Vehicular Manslaughter while Intoxicated, and fleeing the scene of the hit-and-run collision.

He is expected to plead guilty in Tulare County Superior Court on March 20. Valley faces 11 years in state prison.

Shelley Lubben's Boyfriend Now Faces Mandatory Consecutive 5-Year Prison Term for Fleeing Crash Scene

Joe Valley, charged in a November 2017 DUI collision, remains unlikely to be able to plea bargain

Shelley Lubben, Valley's lover and owner of the car that struck and killed a 51-year-old cyclist, did not bother to attend Thursday's hearing 

Porterville, Calif. -- Joseph Valley, the live-in boyfriend of disgraced anti-porn crusader and minister Shelley Lubben, was back in Tulare County Superior Court Thursday morning, February 8, three months after he allegedly struck and killed a 51-year old cyclist less than 2 miles from the Lubben ranch property and fled the scene, according to witnesses.

Valley faces two felony charges -- Gross Vehicular Manslaughter While Intoxicated, and Hit And Run Driving -- in connection with the fatal collision.

Joseph Valley. Courtesy: Tulare County Sheriff's Office

Thursday, Valley was re-arraigned in conjunction with an amended criminal complaint, which added the "Special Allegation" of Fleeing The Scene of the Crime. 

Under the California Vehicle Code, individuals who are convicted of Gross Vehicular Manslaughter who also fled the scene of the crash face a mandatory consecutive five-year state prison sentence. 

Prosecutors specifically allege a violation of subdivision (c) to ensure that they have provided a defendant adequate notice under the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that he faces the mandatory consecutive five year term. (Thus, the "Special Allegation" in the Amended Complaint against Valley.)

DUI

Witnesses say Joe Valley was already intoxicated when he arrived at a local bar prior to the crash, and was cut off from ordering more alcohol before he allegedly ran down the cyclist while driving Shelley Lubben's car. 

Valley's mother, Christina, maintains that Lubben had been feeding Joe wine and prescription pills prior to the crash.

The hit-and-run collision occurred at Balch Park Road and Battle Mountain Road in Springville at around 4:40 p.m. on Nov. 7.

According to the California Highway Patrol, 27-year-old Valley hit the cyclist while driving a silver 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser with a convertible top. A witness at the scene saw Valley take off "up Balch Park Road to his house" after the collision. The cyclist died at the scene.

Valley, who has a prior criminal record, was booked later that night, and held on $100,000 bail. District Attorney Tim Ward later filed criminal charges against Valley, upping his bail to $145,000. Joe Valley is being held at the Adult Pre-Trial Facility in Visalia.

The charges were followed by Ward's announcement of a $153,620 California Office of Traffic Safety grant. The grant will be used to help prosecute cases of drunken and impaired drivers.

"No one should be injured or lose their lives due to the reckless and risky behavior of a drunk driver," said Ward. "We look forward to continuing our focus on prosecuting this dangerous and avoidable crime."

"I honestly think she [Shelley Lubben] was driving, always drinking and driving," Mrs. Valley said. She went on to say that she believes Joe may be taking the fall out of some sense of duty to the woman he believes loves him.

A 'serious felony'

The criminal complaint filed by the Tulare County district attorney charges Valley with felony hit-and-run driving resulting in death or serious bodily injury to another person, as well as the 'serious felony' gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

The California Penal Code stipulates:

1192.7. (b) Plea bargaining in any case in which the indictment or information charges any serious felony, ... or any offense of driving while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, narcotics, or any other intoxicating substance, or any combination thereof, is prohibited....

1192.8. (a) For purposes of subdivision (c) of Section 1192.7, "serious felony" also means any violation of Section 191.5, paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 192, subdivision (a), (b), or (c) of Section 192.5 of this code, or Section 2800.3, subdivision (b) of Section 23104, or Section 23153 of the Vehicle Code, when any of these offenses involve the personal infliction of great bodily injury on any person other than an accomplice. . . . 

In addition, the complaint against Valley states that "the People hereby put the defendant on notice that the aggravated sentence may be sought in this case." 

California's “three strikes” law significantly increases the prison sentences of persons convicted of a felony who have been previously convicted of two or more violent crimes or serious felonies. The law also limits the ability of these offenders to receive a punishment other than a life sentence.

Valley does indeed have a prior criminal record.

Shelley Lubben and Joe Valley met when her husband hired him to work at the Springville property in the spring of 2015. Shelley began an affair with Valley, and her husband later filed for divorce.

On Christmas Eve 2015, Lubben phoned 911 and reported that Valley had sexually assaulted and battered her. She later recanted the sexual assault claim, but Valley served 90 days for domestic battery in Porterville. Further charges by Lubben led to additional minor convictions for Valley.

In Porterville, Thursday, the court also held a brief pre-trial hearing on three probation violations stemming from his prior convictions. The terms of Valley probation(s) were violated by his DUI hit-and-run arrest last November 7.

Valley returns to Tulare County Superior Court March 1, at 8:30 a.m.  He is currently being held on bail.

UPDATE: Valley’s case has been continued to the morning of March 15, 2018.

Shelley Lubben Gave Wine and Xanax to Boyfriend Charged in DUI, Says His Mom

Joe Valley's mother thinks Shelley Lubben is complicit in the tragedy, and even suspects that Joe might be taking the fall for Shelley!

Porterville, Calif. -- Defendant Joseph Valley was led into Tulare County Superior Court December 7, at a preliminary hearing in the case of the hit and run death of cyclist Octavio Munguia. Valley is charged with Gross Vehicular Manslaughter While Intoxicated, a felony, in the fatal Nov. 7 collision.

Valley was on probation at the time of the deadly collision, so at Thursday's hearing, the court also considered three probation violations that were triggered by Valley's arrest last month.

Readers may recall that disgraced anti-porn crusader Shelley Lubben called 911 and accused Valley, then her boyfriend, of rape and domestic violence on his 26th birthday (Christmas eve) in 2015.  Valley was arrested and later was able to plead to one count, while the others were dismissed. 

His charge of domestic battery lowered to misdemeanor-level, Valley was sentenced to 90 days in jail, with credit for time served, given probation, and released on March 22, 2016.

However, in court, Thursday, discussion of Valley's probation violations brought to light two additional convictions of Valley's in 2016, during his relationship with Shelley Lubben.

On June 26, 2016, Joe Valley was arrested for the crime of Possession of a Controlled Substance after being found to have a quantity of Alprazolam, a drug marketed under the name Xanax, without a prescription.

Xanax is a potent, short-acting benzodiazepine anxiolytic—a tranquilizer.

Where would Joe Valley obtain Xanax without a prescription? According to Joe's mother, Christina Valley, he got the pills from Shelley Lubben.

This narrative corresponds with Garrett Lubben's recollection as well: in August 2015, when Garrett visited the ranch property in Springville that he then co-owned, he personally saw bottles of Xanax at Shelley's residence that she had purchased in Mexico. He has never known Shelley to hold a valid prescription for Xanax.

These drugs were alluded to in Garrett's affidavit in support of a restraining order he sought in July 2016 to protect himself and his daughters from Shelley.

A fatal collision

"He's a young man that just wanted to be loved and to love back," Valley said of her son's volatile relationship with Shelley Lubben. "She fed him wine and pills!"

"My son never really went to jail before her, some drunk in public, panhandling that sort of stuff," she added. And indeed it is true that, like others before him, Joe Valley's life took an unfortunate turn after hooking up with this pill-popping narcissist.

The deadly hit-and-run crash occurred on Balch Park Road near Battle Mountain Road in Springville at around 4:40 p.m., November 7.

According to the California Highway Patrol, Valley hit the 51-year old cyclist while driving a silver 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser with a convertible top. A witness at the scene saw Valley take off "up Balch Park Road to his house" after the collision. The cyclist died at the scene.

A blood draw revealed Valley’s blood alcohol content at .26 percent, the District Attorney’s Office said. That was more than three times the legal limit of .08 percent.

The mystery surrounding the provenance of the vehicle, and how Valley, whose license had been suspended for failure to make child support payments, had gotten back on the road, was settled by Mrs. Valley.

"[Shelley] paid the the the money to get my son's license back," Mrs. Valley said. "She paid everything: insurance, bought [the car], in her name. She paid for the insurance, also.

"I remember she said something about insurance only covers up to $1000.00, [the victim's family] won't be able to get anything else [from the insurer]." If that coverage limit is accurate, this suggests Shelley Lubben will personally be on the hook for a substantial sum of money.

"I honestly think she was driving, always drinking and driving," Mrs. Valley said. She believes that Joe may be taking the fall out of some sense of duty to the woman he believes loves him.

Lubben and Valley met when her husband hired him to work at the Springville property in the spring of 2015. Shelley soon began an affair with Valley, and her husband later filed for divorce.

Christina Valley views Lubben as a manipulative predator: "When I first heard about her and how they came to be, I cried. She found a man with emotions and needs of a lonely boy, desperate to belong somewhere, to someone he can say it's real. . . . I see the text[s] that were sent between her and Garrett; as seems to me, [it] went just the way she wanted it to."

The other conviction

On April 13, 2017, Shelley Lubben got Joe arrested again. 

Even though he had moved back in with Shelley following his release from jail in March 2016, and she regularly posted photos of the couple out and about, taking road trips to Las Vegas, and even at a polling place on Election Day 2016, there was a criminal protective order -- a stay away order -- in place that legally prevented him from being around her. At risk to Joe's freedom, the couple ignored the order.

Something Joe said or did must have provoked Shelley's ire on April 13, and Joe was again taken into custody.

Joe Valley's next court date is scheduled for 8:30 am on January 18, 2018. We will be providing continuing coverage of the case as it unfolds.