Comes A Reckoning -- Shelley Lubben Faces Questioning Aug 17

Witnesses from near and far are lining up to testify about anti-porn crusader Shelley Lubben's (lack of) character

Porterville, Calif. -- If one believes in Divine Justice, one might be well advised to cast an eye toward Tulare County Superior Court on the morning of August 17, 2017. It will be there, in that unlikely spot, that a dreadful era might come to a close as anti-porn scamster, perjurer and adulteress Shelley Lubben will find herself on the witness stand in a criminal trial where her credibility and veracity are to be judged. On that 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 get back together with his pill-popping, abusive ex, or give her any more money.

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 in August, as people 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).

Our own Michael Whiteacre will be in attendance, and will provide a full report right here at TheDevilAndShelleyLubben.blogspot.com .

Garrett Lubben, in a scene from Michael Whiteacre's documentary The Devil and Shelley Lubben

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.

The Shelley Lubben Divorce is a Done Deal

Bakersfield, Calif - In the wake of a shocking sex scandal, the 21-year-long marriage of Garrett and Shelley Lubben has come to an inglorious end. 

In a Bakersfield hearing room on June 9, 2016, Judge John L. Fielder laid it all to rest.

Both parties waived their full declarations of disclosure (including their net worth and source/location of assets).

Next month, on July 19 at 10 a.m. Garrett will be back in court, this time in Porterville, Calif., for a Jury Trial setting in his September 2015 DV case, and a Jury Trial Confirmation in his October  2015 resisting arrest case. Charges in both of these odd cases were filed by his now ex-wife, the disgraced Shelley Lubben.

Update July 11, 2016:

Will Shelley Lubben Take a Powder to Save Face? Testimony Pushed 60 Days

Will a two-month reprieve be enough time for the adulterous "rebel prophet" to cash out of the Springville property she obtained in her divorce settlement and become "unavailable"to testify?

December 1, 2016, Porterville, Calif. -- In Tulare County Superior Court, the deputy district attorney tasked with prosecuting Shelley Lubben's husband based on her strange, and shall we say fluid version of events, acknowledged that his office had failed to adequately prepare for today's hearing.

DDA Vicente Reyes has yet to fulfill the discovery requests made by Garrett Lubben's attorney, and failed to subpoena his witnesses (principal among them, Shelley Lubben and the sheriff to which she first presented her charges) in time for a scheduled December 5 hearing. The judge scheduled a resetting for today's hearing on Feb. 2, 2017, with Feb. 6 slated for witness testimony.

Shelley, having been spurned by her now ex-husband after admitting to her affair with a ranch worker, is currently trying to retract her exculpatory statement about him, made under penalty of perjury, claiming it was given under duress.

Her retraction, however, was apparently not made under penalty of perjury.

This further -- some would say, unconscionable -- delay in the court proceedings against her ex, frankly, has "Shelley Lubben" written all over it. It positively stinks of her.

With the prospect of character witnesses lined up to annihilate her last shred of credibility, the pressure upon Lubben is enormous. Famously enthralled with her own celebrity for the sake of the attention and validation from the flock that it provides, Lubben is undoubtedly freaking out right about now.

Even though, with genuine contempt, she herself views her support base as gullible rubes, the prospect of ending up with irrefutable egg on her face is not something a glib narcissist can abide.

She has written to Garrett of suicidal thoughts, and sent strange, even sentimental farewell messages to her family, so it's easy to divine that the idea of escape already commands substantial weight in her mind. And with each drop in asking price for her "Lubben Ranch", the case can be more easily made that Lubben is hoping to put off and ultimately avoid her inevitable humiliation in the halls of justice.

Lubben knocked $50k off her asking price on Nov. 20, 2016

Setting up house in another county or state, would permit her to once again play victim -- here one can easily imagine her raspy complaints about being stalked by porn industry "hit squads" -- as well as "prophet in the wilderness". But again, it all hinges upon her never being rebuked, humiliated and perhaps even prosecuted in a court of law.

A close watch is warranted on Shelley's moves over the coming weeks.

UPDATE: I am informed that "taking a powder" is a colloquialism with which some are not familiar. An enlightening discussion about the phrase and its likely origins may be found here.

New 'Lubben Ranch' Owner Was Arrested for Running Illegal Marijuana Grow Operation

Springville, Calif. -- The web of intrigue surrounding disgraced anti-porn crusader and minister Shelley Lubben continues to grow, with suspicions that her Springville, California 'Lubben Ranch' may have become a site for marijuana cultivation.

Shelley Lubben's Balch Park Road residence

In May 2015, Shelley's then-husband, Garrett, purchased the 598,000 sq. ft. property on Balch Park Road.  Shelley soon began an affair with a worker at the ranch, Joe Valley, while her husband was away. Garrett later filed for divorce and the property was deeded to Shelley in July 2016. 

With creditors snapping at her heels, she immediately began looking for a buyer.

Discover Card filed suit against Shelley Lubben in Porterville in 2017

She eventually found Sirjoe Carmona, 27, of Visalia and Ivanhoe, California. In June of 2017, he purchased the Springville property from Shelley Lubben for $100,000 down and a $200,000 promissory note.

Lubben and Joe Valley stayed on as tenants, and Valley was arrested Nov. 7 after police say he ran down a cyclist on the way home while under the influence of alcohol. He is currently in a Visalia jailhouse awaiting trial.

Lubben's new landlord, Sirjoe Carmona has an interesting background, which includes a farm labor contracting business, and a 2014 arrest in Visalia for possession of a large quantity of marijuana for sales, and cultivation of marijuana. 70 lbs. of processed marijuana was confiscated along with 233 plants.

The marijuana grow operation was located at his residence, 1314 N. Divisadero in Visalia.

Suspicion

Recently, Tulare County has sought to inspect his property, going so far as to file for an abatement warrant.

Presumably the authorities expect to find something there.

Springville and nearby Porterville residents say they had suspected that the Lubben Ranch property on Balch Park Road was being used to grow marijuana long before Lubben sold it.

Interestingly, Shelley's ex-husband, Garrett, confirms that she acquired a medical marijuana card, after years of publicly decrying the smoking of cannabis.

TAG, you're it

Illegal marijuana grow sites have plagued the Springville area for some time. 

In July 2017, Detectives with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office TAGNET (Tulare Area Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team) Unit conducted overflights in the Springville mountain area for illegal clandestine marijuana grow sites.

During the overflight, Detectives located large clandestine marijuana grow sites in the Wishon and Cabbage Head area above Springville.

On August 15, Detectives with the TAGNET Unit conducted an operation to eradicate the illegal marijuana grow site with the assistance of the U.S. Forest Service and CAMP Task Force.

While eradicating the illegal grow sites, Detectives located numerous chemicals, a large amount of trash and the disruption of the natural waterways in the area. Detectives also located a camp site, however; they were unable to locate any information on the identity of the suspect(s) responsible for the illegal marijuana grow.

During the operation, 27,177 marijuana plants were eradicated and destroyed.

Will Tulare County soon find another grow operation in Springville?

The investigation into illegal marijuana grow sites is ongoing and anyone with information is encouraged to call the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office at (559) 733-6218 or they can remain anonymous by calling TIPNOW at (559) 725-4194 or send an email to tcso@tipnow.com.

Shelley Lubben Accused Current Boy-Toy Of Rape, Assault With Deadly Weapon

New details revealed in court documents

What effect will this case have on the curious DV charges she brought against her then-husband, Garrett?

Springville, Calif -- A lot of readers have been enquiring about Joe Valley, the luckless (and otherwise homeless) captive boyfriend of former anti-porn scamster and self-promoter par excellence, Shelley Lubben.

Frankly, I feel very sorry for this kid, and here's why:

Since breaking the news about the then-married Lubben's affair with Valley, which began in the summer of 2015, we've learned more about their tumultuous relationship.

First published pic of the star-crossed couple

As noted previously, on Christmas Eve 2015 (incidentally, also Valley's 26th birthday), the bleach-blonde Mrs. Robinson wanna-be dialed 911 about an attack at the Springville ranch property her husband had purchased.

The Tulare County sheriffs took Joe Valley into custody, and he was booked on early Christmas morning.

Valley, who had been living in his Jeep until Mrs. Lubben beckoned to join her atop the mountain, was unable to pay his bond, and remained in jail until trial. 

Presented here for the first time is the felony criminal complaint against Joseph Valley, which was filed by the District Attorney on December 29:

Now, rape and assault with a deadly weapon are no laughing matter. Yet, according to a spokesman for the Tulare County Superior Court, Valley was able to "plead to one count, while the others were dismissed." Surely DNA evidence would point to Valley. Did Lubben change her story?

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.

By then, Lubben's husband, Garrett, had already refused her numerous pleas for a second chance, and filed for divorce... setting the stage for a Lubben-Valley reunion.

What does all this mean for the curious DV charges she brought against her then-husband, Garrett, then retracted under penalty of perjury, before attempting to retract her retraction?

More on this ongoing story, as Shelley Lubben's December 5, 2016 appearance on the witness stand looms.