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IP addresses are revealed
By Bill Hankins
The Paris News
Published August 6, 2009
CLARKSVILLE — Attorney Mark Lesher and his wife, Rhonda, of Red River County have zeroed in on a group of bloggers they say have for more than a year filed “malicious and damaging” messages against them.
The Internet Protocol addresses were provided to the Leshers by Internet provider Topix after it was ordered by a California court to comply with the request by the couple, who have sought the identities to pursue a lawsuit against them.
Armed with the names, the Leshers quickly amended the original petition that named “John and Jane Doe,” inserting the names of Shannon Coyel, her husband, Gerald Coyle, and his brother, James Coyel.
It also includes a business, Apache Truck and Van Parts in Kenndale and two of its employees, Charlie and Pat Doescher.
The Leshers allege computers tied to the IP addresses were used by the Doeschers.
Gerald Coyel is listed as the owner of Apache Truck and Van Parts, and denied any part of the blog messages.
“I did not have anything to do with things on Topix,” he told The Paris News. “I sometimes read Topix but I have never posted anything, and to tell the truth, I barely know how to operate a computer.”
Coyel accused Mark Lesher of “just liking publicity.”
“He first became involved with the waste dump proposal in Red River County, then in the last election, he was trying to put his cronies in office,” Coyel said. “Now he is pursuing this Topix lawsuit.”
Rhonda Lesher said there will be a lot of depositions and pre-trial hearings before the case comes to trial.
“It probably will be about a year before it comes to trial,” she said.
The IP addresses were ordered released by Judge Kevin J. Murphy, of the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara.
“This was a victory for us,” said Austin attorney Will Demond, who represents the Leshers.
The messages have been appearing for a year on Topixs, and according to Rhonda Lesher have grown more “vile” with each passing day.
“Some months ago, we put Topix on notice to save all the blogs that concerned us, ” she said.
She said the bloggers’ aim apparently is to destroy the Lesher businesses in Clarksville.
Mark Lesher has a law firm with offices in Clarksville and Texarkana, and Rhonda has a salon and hair care business in Clarksville.
The blogger messages began appearing about the time the Leshers were arrested in March of 2008 on sexual assault charges brought by Sannon Coyel.
They were found not guilty of those charges in January in a Collin County courtroom.
“Those charges and the blogging messages apparently all were a plot to destroy us,” Lesher said.
The Leshers said they have downloaded and printed out messages every day, and “it has taken volumes and volumes, and it hasn’t stopped yet. They have said about everything they can think of and then it still continues.”
“This is going to be a precedent setting case,” she said.
The Leshers are represented by the Austin law firm of Connot-Demond.
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