[Vision2020] shamelessness

[Janesta Carcich]

Thank you, Jennifer.

Janesta

--- Jennifer McFarland <jmcfarland at latah.id.us> wrote:

> Visionaries,
> 
>  
> 
> I have received many emails off line and have read
> several rebukes of the
> Sheriff's Office on line regarding the Sitler case. 
> Before explaining some
> of the facts of his case in general, I will explain
> how we deal with reports
> of sex abuse insofar as our release to the media and
> to the public is
> concerned.
> 
>  
> 
> When we receive a report about sex abuse of a minor
> (most of the codes
> defined in Title 18 Section 15 of the Idaho Criminal
> Code) it is placed on
> the call log under the appropriate heading, "Lewd
> Conduct," "Sex Abuse,"
> etc.  The name(s) of the reporting parties and the
> victims are blacked out
> on the press/public view log (the printed copy that
> is faxed to news
> agencies, etc.).  The investigator (or deputy
> assigned to the case) also
> flags the case noting something along the lines of
> "Do not release, under
> investigation."  There are a number of reasons for
> this but primarily
> because we do not want to tip the suspect off that
> we are on to him/her
> before we can assemble a strategic plan, so to
> speak, about how we are going
> to best investigate the case.  It bears mentioning
> as well that we attempt
> to keep details about cases as close to our chest as
> possible before a
> judgment is made in these cases to protect victims
> from the press and from
> an aggressive public.  The next day the press reads
> the log and calls our
> office and asks what we can say about the Sex Abuse
> case reported the
> previous day.  We tell them (essentially): "Not
> much.  We received a report
> of sex abuse of a 6 year-old in Potlatch.  The case
> is under investigation
> but look to the court records to see when an
> affidavit is filed."
> Affidavits are court records and are open to view.  
> 
>  
> 
> Part of the reason we do this is because I do not
> have the time or the
> resources to follow-up for the media about stories. 
> I also am not in the
> loop once a case has been handed over to the PA for
> a charging decision
> (indeed, the investigator is often not in the loop,
> either, unless follow-up
> investigation is needed or unless the case goes to
> trial).  
> 
>  
> 
> I was instated as the PIO at LCSO in mid-January,
> 2005, shortly after
> Sheriff Rausch took office.  Prior to my taking the
> position, press releases
> about any subject or arrest were rarely circulated
> out of the Sheriff's
> Office.  I published the first Hot Sheet in
> February.  Since I started doing
> the sheets, I have always only published detailed
> items about the arrests
> our agency makes (as well as little safety tips or
> items of interest).  The
> press releases regarding crimes have generally gone
> out after an arrest has
> been made or after a warrant has been issued (i.e.
> Rossignol).
> 
>  
> 
> Speaking specifically of the Sitler case let me
> offer this time-line based
> off the reports from the investigators:
> 
>  
> 
> 3/10/2005  The victim's family learned of the abuse
> and immediately
> confronted Sitler, their attorney, and their pastor
> (the pastor is never
> mentioned by name in the report).  The attorney and
> the pastor both advise
> the family to report the crime to law enforcement
> and offer to help the
> family make the report.
> 
>  
> 
> 3/11/2005  The victim's father along with his
> attorney come into the
> Sheriff's Office to make the report.  The
> investigator is assured that the
> victims are no longer in danger (suspect no longer
> has access to the
> children) and that they are being adequately
> protected by their family, thus
> no exigency is assigned to the case based on this
> and other facts, so an
> interview date is set for3/15/2005, when a sex-abuse
> interviewer is
> available.
> 
>  
> 
> 3/15/2005  First set of victims are interviewed by a
> forensic interviewer.
> Other alleged victims are identified and calls are
> made to those
> family(ies).
> 
>  
> 
> 3/15/2005  LCSO is first aware that Sitler has
> retained an attorney.
> 
>  
> 
> 3/16/2005  Colville authorities are notified about
> the case and are made
> aware of Sitler's presence in their community.
> 
>  
> 
> 3/15/2005 to 5/17/2005  Attempts to interview
> additional victims go without
> fruition.
> 
>  
> 
> 5/18/2005 Case is reviewed and submitted for
> prosecution on 18-1508 and
> 18-1506.
> 
>  
> 
> 6/28/2005 An affidavit is filed requesting a warrant
> on one charge of
> 18-1508.  
> 
>  
> 
> No other case information exists in the LCSO case
> file regarding any action
> in the case after 6/28/2005, except that he was
> brought into our jail on
> 9/26/2005, meaning that by that point the case was
> under the PA's office's
> prevue and that (as highlighted in red above) the
> case was already being
> discussed at the attorney level as opposed to at the
> investigatory level.
> 
>  
> 
> No indication was made anywhere in the case file
> that anyone did not report
> things in a timely manner in accordance with law. 
> There are also no
> indications of obstruction in the case file.
> 
>  
> 
> I will continue to issue the Hot Sheet indicating
> arrests made by our
> deputies in our county.  The press will continue to
> be told to look for
> affidavits filed with the court.  I will continue to
> aid the investigators'
> plight to adequately investigate cases without
> interference that is
> prohibitive to them solving their cases.  
> 
>  
> 
> --Jennifer
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> PIO Jennifer L. McFarland
> Latah County Sheriff's Office
> Public Information Officer
> 
=== message truncated ===>
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