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Archive through March 07, 2008

The TVClubHouse: Other Reality Shows ARCHIVES: Archives for 2008 - 2: Little People Big World: ARCHIVES: Archive through March 07, 2008 users admin

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Max
Moderator

08-12-2000

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 1:13 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Max a private message Print Post    
Judge rules TV reality star Roloff not guilty of DUI

Apparently the judge found out that the jury went home and looked up legal terms on the Internet, which he had expressly told them not to do. The jury got dismissed. Matt's lawyer petitioned the court to make a directed verdict of not guilty, and the judge did that.

There are still two traffic charges in play -- failure to maintain lane and refusal of the breathalyzer test. Neither of these should be a big deal in light of the verdict. He may end up paying a fine, but I bet that's all.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 1:20 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Thanks Max! On the video that is on your link, why does it look like the reporter is outside at night. I am assuming that piece was shot about 11am Portland time. Why does it look so dark???

Ophiliasgrandma
Member

09-04-2001

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 1:29 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ophiliasgrandma a private message Print Post    
Yea, Matt!

Max
Moderator

08-12-2000

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 2:07 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Max a private message Print Post    
Yes, that's video from last night, I think, rather than this morning. Although sometimes it's grey enough around here to look like night when it's not. :-) It actually was sunny here this morning. Now it's grey and raining again and they're saying that at least one funnel cloud touched down north of here in the Vancouver, WA area. Good grief. :-)

Ophiliasgrandma
Member

09-04-2001

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 4:50 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ophiliasgrandma a private message Print Post    
Thunder and lightening, how odd that is around here in the winter. Spooky!

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 4:58 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
Odd that refusing to take the test is chargeable, unless they just mean he has to pay for whatever test he eventually did take?

Thanks for the update, Max.

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 5:05 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
I'd like to know, beyond the nystagmus test, what parts of that test they made him do, considering that he has to use crutches to get around?

Max
Moderator

08-12-2000

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 5:40 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Max a private message Print Post    
Sea, in Oregon, refusing the breathalyzer causes a traffic violation to occur automatically. Not sure what the penalties are.

The only sobriety test they did was the nystagmus test. That was part of the defense becaues the officer didn't do anything else. Of course, as you say, it would be interesting to try having Matt walk a straight line! :-)

Weather-wise, it's official - a tornado touched down in Vancouver, WA. Lots and lots of downed trees, sheared power poles, and damaged houses. One house was completely destroyed, although mostly from falling trees. So far, thank goodness, no one has been reported as being seriously injured. Strange stuff this. APparenly in 1972 a tornado touched down in pretty much the same area. Definitely not normal for us!

Rissa
Member

03-20-2006

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 5:52 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Rissa a private message Print Post    
Max, off topic but can you tell me what part of the city was hit or point me towards a local news site. My cousin lives in NE Vancouver.

ETA Never mind. Found it. Torondo touched down directly West of their home near the Lake just West of Hwy 5. Cuz is on the East side of Hwy 5.

Texasdeb
Member

05-23-2003

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 6:32 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texasdeb a private message Print Post    
I have restored faith in the judicial system now. I just adore Matt, Amy & their kidos & wouldn't want them to have to deal with the mess associated with a DUI. I'm happy.

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 7:03 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
Max, ah, well, that makes sense and maybe Matt had been previously advised that even the fine was better than taking the test, as a little person..

I hope when they include it in the show, which they say they will, that he will cover issues involved for LP.

Yankee_in_ca
Member

08-01-2000

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 7:04 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Yankee_in_ca a private message Print Post    
he will :-)

Sherbabe
Member

07-28-2002

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 9:25 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sherbabe a private message Print Post    
oops. double post.

Max
Moderator

08-12-2000

Friday, January 11, 2008 - 11:05 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Max a private message Print Post    
The Oregonian this morning said a couple of extra things.

"In acquitting Roloff, Letourneau (the judge) noted that the Oregon Supreme Court has found the eye test to be only 77 percent accurate 'and that is not beyond a reasonable doubt.'

However, the judge found Roloff guilty of refusing to take the breath test and not staying in his lane of travel, and fined him $742 for the violations and $103 in court fees.

Under Oregon's 'implied consent' law, Roloff's driver's license was suspended for three years because he refused to take a breath test after his June arrest and had gone through a previous drunken-driving diversion program within the past five years. Even though he was found not guilty in the cdurrent case, Roloff cannot get his license back any sooner."


It's a good thing both the boys have their licenses now or Amy would be running herself ragged trying to shuttle everyone around!

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Thursday, February 14, 2008 - 5:41 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
I just renewed my California driver's license and on the back it indeed included verbiage and I had to agree that I would take tests if asked..

==============

Just got this today..

Roloff Farms Newsletter
Happy Valentine's Day! February 2008


Dear Lynn,

Hello!

Greetings from a very busy Roloff Farms. There's a lot going on, and when I stop to reflect on all the changes, I find it hard to believe that so much can be happening at the same time.



We'd like to thank everybody for their continuing interest in the family and our show, "Little People, Big World." As I look back over the last three years, it's clear that the family has been through many ups and downs, and we are moved that people continue to watch and enjoy the series.



We receive lots of correspondence, and people often tell us that the everyday events of our lives are inspiring to them in some way or another. Let me say, from the bottom of my heart, that all of the viewers inspire us in ways far too numerous to list. We truly regret that we're unable to respond to every e-mail and letter we receive, but know that we read every piece of correspondence that comes our way.

It is because of the viewers that we continue to do the show, and we appreciate your support. I hope that you will all continue to watch as our lives unfold when another new season launches in March of 2008.

I never mean to get so sentimental, but I can't help it. Now onto the newsletter!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am grateful to everybody who stood by me in the months-long ordeal leading up to my trial. The hundreds of letters and e-mails showing support gave me the strength and courage to stand up and fight for my rights to have my day in court and be vindicated.



I was found not guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol. From the beginning of this nightmare, I tried to explain to the arresting officer that I had just returned from a 4,000 mile road trip, was driving an unfamiliar vehicle, and was exhausted. I was not drinking or effected by alcohol in any way whatsoever.

I know that many of you feel I was guilty because of my prior DUI and my refusal to take a breathalyzer test. I can assure you that ever since my past transgression, which I admitted and did restitution for, I have been firm in my conviction to never drink and drive. The facts will bear me out, as did the criminal justice system. I am thankful to the many friends who offered to testify to my constant refusal to drink and drive. My doctor even offered to share with the court all the possible ways my recent health issues could have played a role in that night, but my lawyer decided to keep things simple and place the bulk of my defense on the bottom line: I was not drinking and driving.

It was a scary experience, and I am thankful that it is over. I was, however, found guilty of driving over the yellow lines; which I readily admit. I was too tired to be driving an unfamiliar vehicle on a winding, curvy road after having driven a 42-foot RV from California earlier that day.

It would have been much easier to plead guilty, pay a fine, and keep this whole embarrassing event in my life quiet and out of the public eye - but I've always told my children, just like my father told me: "When you are right, be willing to fight."

Although it was an uncomfortable experience, and something I would rather have not had to go through, I felt it was important to not sweep this event under the rug. My family has shared our ups and down for over three years now, and despite the embarrassing nature of the charges, I felt we owed it to viewers to tell this story. So the cameras were there, and everybody will have the opportunity to see all the details of the case unfold when the new season of "Little People, Big World" premieres in March.

But enough about me. Here's more about the rest of the family. . .

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amy continues to teach preschool full-time. In addition to this, she is an active member of a local bowling league.

Since returning to her alma mater, CentralMichiganUniversity, to give a speech, Amy has begun to embrace public speaking. She has just returned from a series of workshops and speeches at CornellCollege in Mount Vernon, Iowa, where she talked about health issues specific to individuals with dwarfism.

In the coming months, Amy will be speaking at IllinoisStateUniversity, Old Dominion, and we are even talking about a doing a few speeches together. If any of these events have tickets available to the public, we'll make an announcement on my homepage.

Jeremy continues to move forward and make strides toward his goal of aviation and becoming a pilot. Earlier this week, he completed work on a hovercraft and took it for a test spin in a big, wide-open parking lot.

He built another hovercraft when he was much younger - but this one makes the last one look like a toy. Jeremy's resourcefulness and ingenuity in seeing great potential in what others would consider a pile of scraps never fails to amaze me. I'm encouraging the producers to feature more of his endeavors on the show!

Zach and Jeremy had a few bumps in the road grade-wise back in the fall, but they have studied very hard this semester, and brought their GPAs up considerably. Amy and I are very proud of them.

Zach seems to be in a budding relationship with a young lady from school. Because he can drive now, Zach can conveniently get away with not letting Amy and me in on too many of the details, but we did get some nice pictures of Zach and his date before their winter formal.

Molly is still getting straight A's, and we recently starting laying out a field to plant raspberries. We used to have a raspberry patch on the farm, but raspberry plants have to be replaced after so many years, and Molly has been pushing for a new one for quite some time. She even helped with the geometry that was required to figure out how to plant the rows straight. All of this planning will likely be featured on an upcoming episode, so keep an eye out for our plotting about how to grow those delicious berries.

Jacob's grades continue to be very strong as well, and he loves his video games and his soccer more than ever. Mike and Jacob have finished the new trebuchet with plenty of time to practice launching before pumpkin season. We're very proud of Jacob, especially in the way he's rebounded after the trebuchet accident of a year and half ago. While he would have good reason to never want to touch a trebuchet again, he took the chance to learn from the experience and get back up on his feet. While our kids' safety is always a top priority, we've always tried to encourage them to dust themselves off and try again when things don't go their way. Jacob and his trebuchets have been the perfect example of this, and just wait until you see the new trebuchet. It's awesome!

Continue below for more about the farm and other projects. . .
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Amy and I bought the farm 20 years ago, people thought that we were crazy--or at least they thought I was crazy. The house was a small, rat-infested shack, and we could barely drive our car up the deeply rutted muddy path that hardly qualified as a driveway.

It was a very inauspicious beginning for Amy and me, but I knew that over time, we would be able to turn it into the most amazing dream house we could imagine.

This year, if things go according to plan, the house will finally be finished! Believe it or not, the two-decade master plan is nearly complete! I've always promised Amy a garage, and after 20 years of promises, we built out to the east.

Well, it started out to be a garage. But, you know the way I think. If we're framing a garage, might as well add a bathroom upstairs. . .and Amy's wanted her own office for a while. . .and the kids need a little more space upstairs. . .so, like things so often do, what started out to be a small garage turned into a HUGE remodel.

People may be surprised by the overall scope of the project. It is big. It's a huge change. But it's always been in the back of our minds, and you only live once. . . so why not?

Anyway - if all goes according to plan (but then again, how often do things go according to plan at Roloff Farms?), we should be finished with our three-month remodel sometime around the spring.

There are other changes on the farm as well. While my shirts will probably always be red, Roloff Farms is going GREEN!

Right now, we're exploring the possibilities of wind power, geothermal energy for the house, solar panels, and maybe even some kind of hydro-electric power from the new waterwheel if it is possible.

Of course, the new adventures aren't just limited to the farm. In the coming season, expect to see more trips--traveling is a big part of who we are and what we do. Remember, "A Rolling Roloff gathers no moss."

I admit that the show does give us the opportunity to take more trips than we might normally take. However, Amy and I have been eager globe-trekkers since our honeymoon. My business life afforded Amy and me numerous opportunities to travel to Europe, the Caribbean and South America long before the TV cameras ever showed up in our lives.

Traveling and experiencing life, and exposing our children to different cultures has always been important to Amy and me. I am glad that television gives us that opportunity - and to my way of thinking, our travels are embodied in the title of the show, "Little People, Big WORLD."

And speaking of upcoming travel opportunities. . .for years, I have been a HUGE fan of Colonel Sanders, and more importantly, his seven herbs and spices! Amy and I will spend Valentine's Day at Opryland, speaking at a meeting of KFC Franchise owners.

While we're there, we will attend the Grand Ole Opry, do some antique shopping, and tour Nashville's Parthenon. This may be a good warm-up - because Molly is pushing us to see the real Parthenon in the not-too-distant future. Stay tuned!

On the business side of things, Direct Access Solutions continues in its mission to make hotels accessible for little people. We will be attending a HotelWorld Expo as a part of International Hospitality Week in Las Vegas at the end of the month.

This is also a great opportunity for me to meet up with some good little people friends I haven't seen in a long time, so a group of us that I have dubbed the "Little People Rat Pack" are going to get together for a weekend before the convention. I'm not sure what to expect, but we're going to try and have as much fun as Frank, Dean and Sammy out there on the Strip.

Direct Access Solutions is also busy working with a local web design firm to construct a new website. That should be going live around the first week of March, so keep an eye out for an updated look from DAS.

And just one more thing. . .

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our production company tells us that they found another batch of great storylines lying around on the cutting room floor. This is what they like to call our "Lost Episodes." Six of these episodes will be coming out over the next few months.

With the cameras rolling all the time - it's amazing how much material the producers are able to find, and how many great stories happen all the time in our family. We especially enjoy these lost episodes, because they often have footage of the kids off having adventures that Amy and I would otherwise be unaware of.

I'm sure that these Lost Episodes will have viewers learning new things about the family, and Amy and I will enjoy watching them for the first time right along with everybody else!

That brings everybody up to date, I suppose.

Thanks again for watching, writing, and keeping in touch.

Keep an eye out for new episodes in March, lost episodes in the spring and another newsletter next month!

Happy Valentine's Day,
Matt, Amy, Jeremy, Zach, Molly & Jacob

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Thursday, February 14, 2008 - 5:54 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Seamonkey--Thank you!!! :-)

Ophiliasgrandma
Member

09-04-2001

Wednesday, February 27, 2008 - 5:06 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ophiliasgrandma a private message Print Post    
New season on Monday, I think.

Ophiliasgrandma
Member

09-04-2001

Friday, February 29, 2008 - 7:46 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ophiliasgrandma a private message Print Post    
Monday for sure. I think it features Matt's trial.

Miked789
Member

03-03-2008

Monday, March 03, 2008 - 7:33 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Miked789 a private message Print Post    
I hate to point it out, but Matt lied when he said in his newsletter: "I was not drinking or effected by alcohol in any way whatsoever. ...I was not drinking and driving."

In the courtroom he admitted to having a beer. I don't know if this put him over the limit, no-one does, since Matt refused to take a breathilizer test.

I am disappointed in him, he is an amazing person, with a lot of drive, but I think he is teaching his kids the wrong lesson, which is "dont do whats right, just do what you have to get out of the problem".

Jami
Member

10-08-2003

Tuesday, March 04, 2008 - 5:07 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jami a private message Print Post    
I think he drank the beer at 8PM. The traffic stop was at 11PM or so and he had just started driving. I don't know anything about drinking,,,,I don't drink at all. But I would think that having one beer and then waiting 2 hours to drive would be ok.

Twinkie
Member

09-24-2002

Tuesday, March 04, 2008 - 8:41 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Twinkie a private message Print Post    
3 hours after drinking one beer he should have been fine, but would a breathalizer be accurate on a little person?

Kathyb
Member

05-17-2006

Thursday, March 06, 2008 - 7:04 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kathyb a private message Print Post    
In my state also, refusing to take a breathalyzer tests means an automatic DUI. I guess where they live, it's smarter to refuse.

Seattlemom
Member

05-10-2005

Thursday, March 06, 2008 - 8:21 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seattlemom a private message Print Post    
Kathy In Delaware also! Refusing to take a breathalyzer tests means an automatic DUI.Different states are Different My husband drives Tractor Trailer and oh my gosh some of the laws state to state!

Ophiliasgrandma
Member

09-04-2001

Thursday, March 06, 2008 - 5:00 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ophiliasgrandma a private message Print Post    
Food for thought: Just don't drink and drive...problem solved.

Max
Moderator

08-12-2000

Friday, March 07, 2008 - 3:11 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Max a private message Print Post    
Drinking a beer three hours before driving a vehicle does not make you a drunk driver. Not by any means. An average-sized person would barely register anything on a breathalyzer test under such circumstances.

As for the voracity of the test on a little person, I don't know. Apparently there are some issues with it.

What I thought was much more telling was the way the defense attorney ripped into the officer for using one of a battery of field sobriety tests to make his determination. He chose very poorly since the nystagmous test is considered one of the least reliable tools in that battery of tests.

I think Matt probably copped an aggressive attitude when he got out of the van (which, by the way, it's never a good idea to get out of the vehicle before the officer has approached the car -- it makes the officer, understandably, very nervous), the officer then got angry, Matt got angrier, and the whole thing got blown out of proportion.

As it ended, Matt got his license suspended anyway because of refusing the breathalyzer and because of his previous DUI.

So, it appears to me that both parties made mistakes in this situation and both came away a bit tarnished, FWIW.

And I agree, don't drink and drive. And when you do drive, make sure you can reach the pedals comfortably, no matter what size you are! :-)