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.
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.
In May 2015, while they still strived to appear to the outside world as a happy couple, Shelley and Garrett Lubben were making plans that would give them each time away from the other. They sold their 3,500 sq ft Bakersfield McMansion, and Garrett purchased a less-costly 4-bedroom house in Bakersfield, for himself and his two daughters by Shelley. One of the benefits of this maneuver was that their youngest would not have to change schools, the second unspoken upside was that the kids would get a break from their lunatic mother.
Shelley and Garrett then co-signed on a 13.7-acre, 6-bedroom property in Springville, California, way out in the country. The property, for which they paid in the low $300,000's was deeded in both of their names, possibly because of Garrett's superior credit and earnings. But still, a 6-BR property sounds more like a family home than Shelley Lubben's seroquel and ativan-induced dream of San Simeon.
Easy come, easy go
However, her affair with ranch hand Joseph Valley became known, and Shelley had her husband arrested TWICE, Garrett filed for divorce. (Garrett also maintains that none of Shelley's charges against him are valid, and that custody of their children remains with him.)
Whatever Shelley's hopes for the Springville property had been, they were forever dashed, and in October 2015 -- a mere five months after it was wedded to the Lubbens -- the property was put up for sale once again.
Their Bakersfield McMansion eventually sold in December 2015, after the Lubbens dropped the asking price several times.
Here are some more listings for what Shelley has dubbed "the Lubben Ranch":
The property being deeded in both Shelley and Garrett's names, unless rumors that Garrett ceded most of the couple's property to Shelley during their split, some, if not most, of the sales proceeds should be owed to him.
But there's more:
Shelley recently gave an interview to the local paper. Same old BS, but she told the reporter that she loves the Springville/Porterville area. You can read it here.
She mentions needing to find roommates (times are tough for down-on-their-luck, divorced, soon-to-be homeless, 'weary prophets'). Shelley has also alluded to her financial woes on Facebook, first by begging for a work-from-home job, and then with posts like this:
And just this past weekend, Shelley hosted a yard sale:
Shelley Lubben's boyfriend will likely be unable to plea bargain
Springville, Calif. -- Joseph Valley, the live-in boyfriend of disgraced anti-porn crusader and minister Shelley Lubben, faces two felony charges in Tulare County Superior Court.
Valley was arrested Tuesday Nov. 7 after he allegedly struck and killed a 51-year old cyclist less than 2 miles from the Lubben ranch property.
Witnesses say Joe Valley was already intoxicated when he arrived at a local bar, and was cut off from ordering more alcohol before he allegedly ran down the cyclist driving Shelley Lubben's car and fled the scene.
Joseph Valley. Courtesy: Tulare County Sheriff's Office
The hit-and-run collision occurred at Balch Park Road and Battle Mountain Road in Springville at around 4:40 p.m. Tuesday.
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.
A United Parcel Service driver had discovered Mr. Muguia in the road. After witnesses reported seeing a PT Cruiser with a broken windshield and significant front end damage, the UPS driver directed law enforcement to a nearby house where a PT Cruiser was normally parked: the Lubben Ranch.
Highway Patrol officers discovered Valley on the ranch property, and he explained that the damage too the vehicle was the result of hitting an animal.
The CHP officers arrested Valley and took him to jail. But because Lubben had already left, they were initially unable to interview her.
Valley, who has a prior criminal record, was booked later that night, and held on $100,000 bail.
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.
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."
A 'serious felony'
The criminal complaint filed Nov. 9 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.
Lubben and 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.
The complaint
Joe Valley appeared in court Nov. 17 for a preliminary hearing setting. His next court date will be December 7, one month after the car he drove struck and killed the cyclist on Balch Park Road.
Porterville, Calif -- The August 17, 2017 trial date in the criminal case that anti-porn scamster, perjurer and adulteress Shelley Lubben caused to be launched against her husband of two decades was postponed earlier this month. A preliminary hearing in Tulare County Superior Court is now set for August 28, at which the Lubbens' appearance will not be required.
Reader's note: the trial date was subsequently pushed all the way to January 2018.
If the charges against her ex are not summarily dismissed, a new trial date is expected to be set at the hearing. And so it will be there, in that unlikely spot, that a dreadful era might come to a close as Shelley Lubben will find herself on the witness stand in a criminal trial where her credibility and veracity are to be judged. On that as-yet-unannounced date, Shelley Lubben, the ever-vindictive "rebel prophet" of the (now defunct) Pink Cross Foundation, will try to see to it that her ex-husband is convicted of domestic battery.
As is the norm for her, Mrs. Lubben has changed her story since the alleged events of September 8 and October 8, 2015 -- signing a written declaration under penalty of perjury on November 5, 2015, then seeking to retract it after Garrett refused to reconcile with his pill-popping, abusive ex, or give her any more money.
Garrett Lubben, in a scene from Michael Whiteacre's documentary The Devil and Shelley Lubben
The case stands or falls on Shelley Lubben's credibility.
In February 2017, following a disastrous courtroom performance by Shelley, Garrett was exonerated of felony bribery charges initiated by his disgruntled ex in 2016, when Judge Michael B. Sheltzer ruled that the iPhone video clips directed and filmed by Shelley during her divorce negotiations with her then-husband did NOT capture an attempt to bribe Mrs. Lubben.
Insiders say that Mrs. Lubben is in for some big surprises at her husband's trial, as individuals from her past and present vie for spots on the witness stand to tell the jury all about who the accuser Shelley Lubben really is -- and what she is capable of.
It's truly difficult to overstate just how much her victims and other former associates have looked forward to the opportunity to place Mrs. Lubben's spectacular misdeeds on the public record whilst handing her yet another humiliating defeat (and possibly a perjury charge).
Joe Valley was already intoxicated when he arrived, say locals
Springville, Calif. -- Joseph Valley, the live-in boyfriend of disgraced anti-porn crusader and minister Shelley Lubben, drank at a local bar before he allegedly ran down a motorist and fled the scene, according to sources in Springville.
Joe Valley
Valley was arrested Tuesday Nov. 7 after he allegedly struck and killed a 51-year old cyclist less than 2 miles from the Lubben ranch property. He is charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and hit-and-run driving, resulting in death or serious bodily injury to another person.
According to a patron of The Antlers Roadhouse, Joe Valley came into the bar that day already intoxicated, drank a shot of alcohol and was "cut off" by the bartender because he was so drunk.
Valley then attempted to leave without paying. The bartender followed him outside to have Joe pay the cheque.
Witnesses say Valley was "pretty drunk" by time he left the bar to head home.
Shelley stops by
The Antlers, located at 30990 Highway 190, Porterville, stands 16 miles down the road from the collision site.
When Shelley Lubben visited the bar today, Nov. 13 (after the original version of this article had been posted), employees informed her that Valley was already intoxicated when he arrived last Tuesday. They also mentioned that he had used Shelley's credit card to pay for his drink.
How well must this establishment know Shelley and Joe to permit him to use her card? According to a source, Shelley and Joe have been known to come in before, adding that they would drink "a lot" and "she would dance like a stripper."
Lubben (accompanied by a local gal pal who had previously been 86'd from the bar) "acted surprised" to learn that Joe had already been drinking. Shelley claimed that he had stolen her card.
Yet, somehow it took Shelley nearly a week to investigate.
By distancing herself from Joe and proclaiming herself a victim, it appears that Shelley believes she can avoid being ostracized in the community.
Hit and run
The hit-and-run collision occurred at Balch Park Road and Battle Mountain Road in Springville at around 4:40 p.m. Tuesday.
According to the California Highway Patrol, 27-year-old Valley hit the cyclist while driving a 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, and at his arrangement Nov. 9, his bail was increased to $145,000. He is currently being held at the Adult Pre-Trial Facility in Visalia.
Shelley Lubben and Joseph Valley on the road
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."
Lubben and 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. [This post was updated and modified from its original version.]
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.
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 benzodiazepineanxiolytic—atranquilizer.
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.
