News -> INDReporter WED, MAY 25 10:58AM by The Independent Editors

A note to our readers

At the proverbial 11th hour, as The Independent Weekly staff made final edits to this week’s issue before sending it to the press, the editors learned that William Kalec, the author of the cover story, pleaded guilty in January of this year in Jefferson Parish to “transmitting lewd and lascivious comments online.” Kalec’s arrest was the result of an all-too-familiar online sting operation by Kenner Police involving a detective posing as a minor female. Kalec made a plea deal with prosecutors, escaping jail time, and was sentenced to five years probation.

Now a resident of California, Kalec is a registered sex offender there as well as in Jefferson Parish and Lafayette Parish, where he lived until very recently.

A quick, easy Google search would have revealed Kalec’s criminal history and, had we performed due diligence, The Ind would never have entered into a freelance agreement with him. We feel, however, that the writer’s criminal past has no bearing on the validity of the cover story. We stand by its content and analysis.


Walter Pierce
About the author:


Comments (16)add
...
written by A. Friend , May 25, 2011 - 01:41 pm
What your lack of Due Diligence also didn't reveal to you is that Mr. Kalec has been dutifully attending an AA group for sexual offenders every Monday evening for over two years while his case had been pending in the judicial system. He also was committed to his church in Lafayette and went to mass every Sunday. He has many influential friends here in Lafayette and southern Louisiana and he was honest with all of us from the beginning. We gave him forgiveness for his honesty and commitment to his community and himself to right the wrong he had done and has earned our respect. I think it is terrible that the editors of this publication have felt it necessary to publicly smear Mr. Kalec clearly on purpose. If the readers wanted to know about his past they could have looked it up on their own. Shame on The Independent for it's blatant ugliness to a repentant sinner.
...
written by wow , May 25, 2011 - 02:35 pm
It's OK I didn't read the story, because it didn't apeal to me. But I liked this after thought.
...
written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , May 25, 2011 - 03:19 pm
THE BIBLE, tells the story of the repentant ass who preyed on the yearling mares, each time the Ass was found to be guilty of preying on the yearlings, he would beg forgiveness and each time he was forgiven, the Ass would once again prey on the yearling mares.............
...
written by A. Rational Person , May 25, 2011 - 03:48 pm
I have to agree with "A. Friend", what was the point of publishing this person's criminal past? How many other writers at The Independent have criminal backgrounds that are going to be published? Clearly he made a mistake and was punished by the judicial system, and has made amends to make his life better. He's obviously a good enough writer to the point where you would PUBLISH his work, so why would you publicly mock him for something that happened 5 years ago?!
...
written by Walter Pierce, Managing Editor , May 25, 2011 - 04:09 pm
We posted this note because had we not we're confident a reader would have pointed out the writer's past in the comment section of the cover story, at which point an engaging discussion of Lafayette's economic performance over the last year would have been derailed by prurient prattle about sex offenders.
Believe it or not, A. Friend and A. Rational Person, there are readers who want nothing more than to attack this newspaper's credibility, regardless of whether it's warranted.
William Kalec is a gifted writer and we wish him the best. We, too, believe in redemption. But as we point out in the note, had he been forthcoming with us his byline would not have appeared in our publication.
This is all I'll say on this topic. Y'all, of course, are free to continue the sniping.
...
written by queenbee , May 25, 2011 - 04:10 pm
Maybe I missed something...? Is the Ind throwing a stone? and when does the media hold their own accountable? I absolutely believe in repentance, but your actions have consequences
...
written by A. Friend , May 25, 2011 - 04:26 pm
To Shotgun, the Ass only talked the talk of repentance, He did not perform his penance over and over, and get himself right with his lord and soul and community. The Ass was a liar. Mr. Kalec was forthcoming to his friends and family. He needs to earn a living like everyone else. His confession in the professional writing world was not necessary or relevant for credibility to his work as clearly the IND has shown.
...
written by A. Friend , May 25, 2011 - 04:36 pm
Yes and to the managing editor, wow! Really?! You just preemptively executed the worst reason to "cover you Ass" and incompetence. And at the expense of a "READER" who just so happened to be a writer in your paper. You should have waited and handled any "hypothetical" comments that you thought could have come up.
...
written by A. Hole , May 25, 2011 - 06:23 pm
How bout putting the Co-Publisher Cherry May's mugshot for DUI up on your site also. And take her name off the masthead....jab jab jab

Also in the graph showing the great comeback of the economy, it's a little misleading. Gaining a few hundred jobs and making it look like jobs have doubled makes you less credible in any book.
...
written by Morrow , May 25, 2011 - 08:15 pm
You're talking about a registered sex offender. I don't forgive that easily or quickly. In fact when it comes to sex offenders, I'm real reserved with my forgiveness, and if it involves kids, I leave it up to God to forgive them. I don't care much if people agree with that or not. BUT I absolutely agree with Mr. Pierce & if the info on the sex offender had not been forthcoming, The Ind would have suffered a hail storm of criticism.
...
written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , May 25, 2011 - 09:19 pm
A Friend and A Rational Person, If you have children, will you then let the lowlife MoFo, a room in your home...Any one human being who preys on children or any wife beating bastard who will physically abuse a female or a child should be,
" CASTRATED......Forgiveness is God's gig, and I think we should all ask the parents of the children involved in the scenario which brought this pedophile's actions to the attention of the authoritys, prior to the sting operation, if they will forgive Kalec.
You say Kalec attended his Sunday mass, I take it in a CATHOLIC CHURCH, Hell, let the Catholic Church forgive Kalec and they can also transfer him to another parish and get his ass out of our town, and California is the ideal place for a a sexual pedophile. There is another noticable factor here, How many of you sexually perverse
cheerleaders would let him safe haven in your home ? A charge of DUI, can be gained by a social drinker, who drinks two martinis at dinner and drives theirself home.........There is a a widespread extraneous difference in the one case of being charged with a DUI and on the other case of being charged with transmitting odious, " lewd and lascivious comments on line " ! Oh by the way, Stick to the article at hand, "YOU AGREE, YOU DISAGREE, OR NO LASSIAZE
...
written by BoFred , May 26, 2011 - 07:49 am
The DUI remarks are so obviously juvenile & a DUI is a LONG way from sex offender charges or conviction. AND I DON'T PUT A TIME LIMIT ON SEXUAL OFFENDER CHARGES. In fact, I believe they should be considered relevant for the rest of his life. But that's me, and I'd sure be leery of him, but that's not to say he necessarily has to pay for it for the rest of his life. And I agree, I leave the forgiving to God. Again, that's just me. "Lewd & lascivious" that sounds so perverted.
...
written by A. Friend , May 26, 2011 - 05:11 pm
I have heard in public in front of children "lewd & lascivious" language coming from men and women. They knowingly speak in such ways and yet nothing happens to them. And no he isn't catholic. He went to Asbury on Johnston Street. And I feel that for every child that is exposed to such behavior on the Internet that the parents are the failure and share in the guiltiness for that exposure. Technology is not an acceptable babysitter. He didn't lay a hand on anyone. He realized his wrongness in the situation and has begun a lifelong process of making amends.
...
written by A. Friend , May 26, 2011 - 05:18 pm
Oh and shotgun, if you call the Kenner detective on the case they will tell you he had no history on his computers or online chats of doing this before. There was no pornographic material on the computer or in his home. He was at the lowest point in his life and did something stupid online and got busted for it.
...
written by Farrow , May 26, 2011 - 09:53 pm
>a repentant sinner

Are you sure he's repentant? The above notice by the Ind would suggest otherwise.
...
written by A. Friend , May 28, 2011 - 01:05 pm
Which is why I think itches wrong to post it to begin with. It is misleading.
You must be logged in to post a comment. Log in using your Facebook account or register if you do not have an account yet.

busy 
LA LA Land
Advertisement
Most Read
Advertisement
Advertisement
in case you missed it