Truck-stop brothels run by a web of ex-cons…a commonwealth attorney wasted on whiskey and power…protection exchanged for cash and flesh…a brash local reporter exposing it all… This is HOOKERGATE: Criminals and Libertines in the South. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Introducing: Hookergate: Criminals and Libertines in the South

Truck-stop brothels run by a web of ex-cons… a commonwealth attorney wasted on whiskey and power… protection exchanged for cash and flesh… a brash local reporter exposing it all… This is HOOKERGATE: Criminals and Libertines in the South. I am your host, Dr. Lindsay Byron, author, historian, and lifelong wayward woman—and this forgotten scandal happened in my hometown. Join me as I use crumbling news clippings, interviews, and dramatic re-enactments to bring to life for the first time in nearly 50 years this wild ride of hedonistic corruption. 

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Tragedy strikes as the feds move in and the working girls rush out. Joe Whitehead is desperate for help, but doesn’t anticipate Robin’s next move. Rodney reflects on his journalistic triumph until everything suddenly changes.
 
Written and hosted by Lindsay Byron - goodtimesbadgirls.com
 
Music and sound design by Guy Kelly - guykelly.com
 
CAST:
Newscaster - Lauren Vogelbaum
Defense Attorney Rosenberger - Sean Rhodes
Janet Barker - Anney Reese
Prosecutor - Ben Bowlin
Robin Dowdy - Sam McVey 
 
SOURCES:
All courtroom scenes come from The United States VS Joseph Whitehead, Landon Wayne Holley, and Aubrey Henderson trial. These transcripts are located in the National Archives in Philadelphia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Storm

Joe Whitehead is enraged by recent events and makes brazen threats to Moss and Rodney. Rodney has an incredible opportunity to learn everything about the case, but he won’t be able to print a word. 
 
Written and hosted by Lindsay Byron - goodtimesbadgirls.com
 
Music and sound design by Guy Kelly - guykelly.com
 
CAST:
Newscaster - Lauren Vogelbaum
Prosecutor - Ben Bowlin
Deputy Moss - Ramsey Yount
 
SOURCES:
The first-hand accounts from Frankie Jones come from an interview I conducted with him in June 2022.
The newscast detailing Whitehead’s ill-fated visit to the Sheriff’s office comes from the 1977 Grand Jury report indicting Whitehead, Holley, Henderson, Boyd, Dowdy, and Barker (“The Big Six”) on Federal RICO charges. 
The first-hand accounts from Rodney Smith come from an interview I conducted with him on January 26th, 2022. 
The courtroom exchange in which Moss details harassment from Whitehead comes from US Prosecuting Attorney Robert Amidon’s direct examination of Deputy Sheriff B.H. Moss on December 5, 1977.  
The newscast describing Whitehead’s harassment of Rodney Smith comes from the 1977 Grand Jury report. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Threats

The out of town builders return to the truck stop to finish what they started. Janet and Tommy are filled with regret as the truck stop operations get flipped upside down.
 
Written and hosted by Lindsay Byron - goodtimesbadgirls.com
 
Music and sound design by Guy Kelly - guykelly.com
 
CAST:
Prosecutor - Ben Bowlin
Officer Turner - Ramsey Yount
 
SOURCES:
The opening courtroom exchange is from the December 6 1977 direct examination of US State Trooper Raymond Paul Turner Jr by US Prosecuting Attorney Robert Amidon.
This and all courtroom scenes come from The United States VS Joseph Whitehead, Landon Wayne Holley, and Aubrey Henderson trial trial trial. These transcripts are located in the National Archives in Philadelphia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Swarm of Bees

The truck stop operators feel the squeeze of Whiteheads increasing demands. Whitehead feels the pressure from a local deputy. Rodney receives backlash from unexpected sources after his initial reports are published. Tommy reveals his dark side to Janet.
 
Written and hosted by Lindsay Byron - goodtimesbadgirls.com
 
Music and sound design by Guy Kelly - guykelly.com
 
CAST:
Newscaster - Lauren Vogelbaum
Prosecutor - Ben Bowlin
Harold Wayne Dowdy - Joe McCormick
Janet Barker - Anney Reese
 
SOURCES:
All courtroom scenes come from The United States VS Joseph Whitehead, Landon Wayne Holley, and Aubrey Henderson trial trial. These transcripts are located in the National Archives in Philadelphia.
The newscast that describes Officer Moss’s unpleasant encounter with Whitehead comes from the 1977 Grand Jury Report indicting Whitehead, Holley, Henderson, Boyd, Dowdy, and Barker (“The Big Six”) on Federal RICO charges. 
The first-hand accounts from Rodney Smith come from an interview I conducted with him on January 26th, 2022.
The courtroom exchange in which Harold Wayne Dowdy describes negotiations with Whitehead comes from US Prosecuting Attorney James Hastings’s direct examination of Dowdy on Dec 12, 1977.
The courtroom exchange in which Janet Barker details the deterioration of her relationship with Thomas Barker comes from her cross examination by Defense Attorney David Epstein on December 9, 1977. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Pressure Builds

Janet grows uneasy with the truck stop operations as Tommy struggles to keep the money coming in. Robin finds her way out of the back room and into the front office. Joe Whitehead spirals out of control and takes out his frustrations on Janet. 
 
Written and hosted by Lindsay Byron - goodtimesbadgirls.com
 
Music and sound design by Guy Kelly - guykelly.com
 
CAST:
Defense Attorney Rosenberg - Sean Rhodes
Breanna - Lauren Vogelbaum
Robin Dowdy - Sam McVey 
Newscaster - Lauren Vogelbaum
Prosecutor - Ben Bowlin
Janet Barker - Anney Reese
 
SOURCES:
The first-hand accounts from Frankie Jones come from an interview I conducted with him in June 2022.
The courtroom scene in which a woman recounts being forced into prostitution comes from Defense Attorney William Rosenberger’s cross examination of Breanna (not her real name) on December 7, 1977.
The courtroom exchange in which Robin Dowdy says she is “much more capable” of running the truck stop comes from her cross examination by Defense Attorney Rosenberger on December 14, 1977.
The newscast that describes Whitehead’s psychological state comes from
a psychological evaluation on January 3 and 4, 1978, by interviewer Nancy L. Foley, stored as evidence in the National Archives in Philadelphia.
The courtroom exchange in which Janet Barker describes Whitehead’s explosive behavior comes from US Prosecuting Attorney Robert Stubb’s direct examination of her on December 9, 1977. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Introducing: Hookergate: Criminals and Libertines in the South

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