Heading for a Stormy Summer in STL

I typically date within a decade of my age, but last summer a fun and handsome guy about fifteen years younger asked me out, and I decided to give it a try. He was sexy and kind, and I really liked him, but in the end I couldn't get past the age difference and the feeling I was a father figure.

One of the most jarring examples was when he shut down an east side strip club, and one of his much older friends, Michael Haley, 44, ended up careening into a state trooper on his way home, seriously injuring three people. Fortunately my gentleman caller wasn't with him, but we were on a day trip days later when he received a call with instructions on what story to give to the police. The concocted tale apparently omitted certain substances and shutting down the east side club.

"Do not lie to the police, they will find out!" I said sternly.

The guy was smart and I doubt he would've altered his story, but I know people want to help out their friends and he was feeling pressured.

Jim Weckmann, owner of Rehab and Bombers Hideway, was also pulled in to Haley's web of lies.

"Trust me when I say I'm over Michael Haley. We were one of the bars he said he was at. We had to prove via cameras and credit card slips that he wasn't part of our establishment. That was last year and just last week we got another letter stating we may be called! Called for what? Never cared for the man and I feel for the cop."

I hadn't thought about the DUI incident in some time, but I was notified yesterday that Haley posted a message of encouragement to the group behind the debunked smear that I made fun of people for being HIV positive on this blog. A smear so blatantly false that it could only weather an eight minute storm before it was removed.

My illustrious list of detractors here in St. Louis includes people with rap sheets for domestic violence, assault, identity theft, sex crimes, and repeat DUI convictions. The group seems to grow and mutate by the day, and is now coalescing around a fledgling media organization. I've been threatened with both bodily harm and a cease and desist letter, my Facebook updates are always being reported, I even dealt with a bizarre attempt at blackmail.


But at least my body hasn't been destroyed by them, as of this writing. Unlike former tropper
Jeremy Potocki, a married father of three, who suffered serious brain and back injuries, and will never return to his job.

The trooper and his wife are haunted by the seeming lack of remorse from Haley.

"An apology would go a long way, that I even thought he was sorry. But I just feel he's sorry he got caught" Mrs. Potocki told KMOV. 

Of course Haley is a "no regrets, no apologies" kind of guy.

We've got a couple of months before the release of Delusions of Grandeur, and it appears it's going to be a turbulent summer in this haunted old river city as the worst people crawl out of the sewer to throw whatever they can at me.

People like to say "I don't have time for this" but the fact is I cleared my schedule last year and came to St. Louis to complete and publish my book, so I've got a little time.

Let's play.