More on “LTC” Royston Potter and polygamy

Following up on yesterday, I have some more info to share on “LTC Royston Potter”. If you haven’t read that post, start there.

According to his Youtube page:

I am a former US Army LTC of 28 years. I served in various Military Police and Military Intelligence positions around the globe. I was also a municipal police officer for about 3 years. I bring my unique experience, training, education, and spiritual insights to bear in analyzing important issues and trends in the U.S. and the world.

When I told him I would be filing a FOIA, he immediately played the standard card that we wouldn’t find anything without his SSN [I have that now too], and that we would need that because:

You do if you want to find me at DOD, which is where you will have to go. You will not find me at NPRC, for a VERY good reason, and it is not that I did not have 28 years. Have fun!

Yes, I’m sure there is a very good reason. Nonetheless, we already filed the FOIA.

There is no Royston Potter in AKO. Additionally, as I said yesterday:

Is he the same dude as this guy who was fired from the police for polygamy? Who knows.

I spent the bulk of yesterday working with Nicki and Hondo looking into that aspect. The reason for that is because we know that the Polygamy thing would have come smack dab in the middle of his military career. This would make his claim even more dubious of course. So I went to my JAG Off. friend.

Convicted by a civilian jurisdiction? Normally you would expect that to result in separation under AR 635-200, chapter 14 I think.

So let’s backtrack and see what I have on that.

On April 30, 1985 the Tenth Circuit ruled in the case of Royston E. POTTER v. MURRAY CITY. Like our video diarist, this Rosyton Palmer was also a police officer.

In this suit the plaintiff-appellant Royston E. Potter (plaintiff) challenges Utah’s proscription against polygamy or plural marriage.1 His principal claim is that the termination of his employment as a city police officer for the practice of plural marriage violated his rights to the free exercise of his religion and his right to privacy. On cross-motions for summary judgment, the district court ruled in favor of defendants, explaining its reasoning in a scholarly opinion. Potter v. Murray City, 585 F.Supp. 1126 (D.Utah 1984). Plaintiff appeals.

Plaintiff is a former police officer of Murray City, Utah. The City terminated plaintiff’s employment after it was learned that he practiced plural marriage. The basis for the discharge was that by his plural marriage plaintiff failed to support, obey and defend Article III of the Constitution of the State of Utah.

Now, is it the same guy? For three different reasons, I believe it is.

As noted yesteday, Youtube Royston made video effluvient mascarading as a movie about Jesus’ brother or somesuch nonsense entitled “The Crimson Thread.” It’s on his Youtube. It is based on his equally wretched book. I found a book review from Jeffrey Needle of the “Association for Mormon Letters” who confirms it is the same guy:

1982. Everyone was talking about Royston Potter. A police officer in the Murray, Utah police department, he was fired when it was discovered he was living “the Principle” — plural marriage. Potter did all he could to fight the decision, but eventually lost as the courts upheld the right of the police department to dismiss him for bigamy.

I first met Roy about 15 years ago. It was a gala birthday party for notorious polygamist Ogden Kraut. The party was held at Roy’s home. I spent a glorious afternoon among those evil polygs — and learned very quickly that I liked them very much! When Ogden passed away a few years ago, I knew I’d lost a good friend. Roy remains very much alive, and very busy at the task of producing a literature that I believe will make an enormous impact on the way we think of religion, God and Jesus.

Indeed, Roy has journeyed quite a way from his roots. His biography has him born a Jehovah’s Witness, a subsequent conversion to Catholicism, and then his journey to Mormonism. When I saw Roy last August, I was amazed at how much he has accomplished in the past ten years.

The current volume, “The Crimson Thread,” has an intriguing sub-title: “The Struggle To Become Jesus During The Revolt Against Rome.” This will come as a surprise to many: why did Jesus, the pre-existent Jehovah, need to *become* Jesus in his mortality? Potter takes the reader off into the intellectual, historical and imaginative world of the young Jesus. And he adds a fascinating twist: what if Jesus had a twin brother?

Now, not that Royston Potter is not a rare enough name, but what about the middle name of “E”. Well, Youtube Diarist Potter helpfully links to his video production company, located at this link. (Based exclusively on his movie, if you hire this guy, you deserve to be kicked in the nuts, super hard.) If you look down on that site, you will come to “LTC Royston Potter”‘s email address:

Royston Potter is available for interviews and other engagements. Please email him at rep4301@netscape.net […] He now resides in Evanston, Wyoming.

The REP portion is presumably his initials. So, I think we can rest on that one.

Hondo did a search of that name with Evanston, and it came back thusly:

(NOTE: Murray City, where the defendant in the case was from is located in Salt Lake County Utah, where the search indicates that the Royston E. Potter of LTC fame is from.)

Now, here is a picture of the groom and his (then) two lovely brides captioned “SALT LAKE CITY: Royston Potter and his two wives, Denise (left) and Joanne, taken on the day of the second wedding April 26, 1983:”

[Picture used under Fair Use.]

Now, note that at the time of the picture, he had 2 wives, neither named “Mary” which is what is listed in the search above. Fear not intrepid reader, for People.com is here to save us:

Meanwhile, Roy’s unusually extended family has drawn even closer together during the crisis. His wives, who call him “the patriarch,” have taken jobs—Denise, 30, as a waitress, Joanne, 31, as an inventory control specialist, and Mary, 26, as a secretary. All praise their family situation and the way they are raising their children…

Roy married Mary last May. Originally the three women lived in separate residences, with Roy shuttling among them. Now, with money tight, Mary has moved into the three-bedroom main house with Denise, while Joanne lives in a nearby apartment. The house is sparsely furnished, the living room dominated by a picture of Jesus praying. The entire family gets together for Sunday dinners.

Per this article dated November 28, 1983, Roy was 30 at the time. (Presumably born in 1953*, which matches the search above.) Mary was 4 years younger, which again matches the search.

*[DOB confirmed as 7/22/1953]

Here is the picture of his face, matched against a picture from his website:

Looks like same dude to me, what do you think?

Now, why is this important at all?

Crazy people are a dime a dozen, I get that. But crazy people who have amassed in excess of 500,000 page views on a Youtube video discussing how the Federal Gov’t, and especially our Special Operations Brothers killed innocent people and then framed two innocent Chechans deserves attention. Even that wouldn’t be worthy, except, as you note here on this video with 385,484 views, he is being billed as “A retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Army.” He’s a primary source for the lunatics at both Veterans Today, and Infowars.

Now, is it possible he was still in the Army despite having been fired from his law enforcement gig in Utah? I suppose if no one in the Army noticed, but this case went up to the Supreme Court before they denied it a hearing. Someone had to have seen it. Besides, how was he both a cop and in the military full time. I guess he could be a reservist or Guardsman, but that suffers the same infirmity: why would he be allowed to stay in the Officers ranks with that notoriety.

And just how deep does this guy’s bullshit go? It’s hard to tell, but I wanted to show you this video of his. I personally liked this quote: “I wanted to read a little excerpt from my journal one day. I wrote it when I returned from the war….which war? Well, I’ll just leave it at that.”

Yeah, must have been a top-secret war, like his military record.

PS, your writing is wretched. I’d say do something different, but I fear it would be acting, and you suck donkey balls at that too.

BTW- His proof that he served in the military? This picture, which I kid you not is this actual size. It could be Potter, Selena Gomez, the Loch Ness Monster or Derek Jeter. Alas, it’s so damn small I don’t find it particularly conclusive.

Category: Politics