[Vision2020] shamelessness

Thu Jun 8 10:07:36 PDT 2006

I'd like to thank Jennifer for her input on this issue, as well as her 
continuing valuable contributions regarding the Sheriff's office.  I ask two 
rhetorical questions, and I am not asking Jennifer to answer them.  As has 
been asked before, where was the local media?  And how is it that a serial 
pedophile gets a 1 year sentence, in a time where a perpetrator of a 
victimless crime such as marijuana possession could well face a stiffer 
sentence?   Carl Westberg Jr.

>From: "Jennifer McFarland" <jmcfarland at latah.id.us>
>To: "'Art Deco'" <deco at moscow.com>, "'Vision 2020'" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>Subject: RE: [Vision2020] shamelessness
>Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2006 09:29:57 -0700
>
>All:
>
>
>
>I will answer as may of these questions as I can with the information I 
>have
>in the case file.  Court records and prosecutorial records must be gathered
>from those entities.  This will be my last posting about this case; I 
>simply
>do not have time to do the job of an investigative reporter, court clerk,
>and secretary in addition to my duties at the Sheriff’s Office.  I suggest
>if you are truly interested in this case you take the time to gather the
>court documents yourself and base whatever opinions about this case off of
>those rather than off anecdotal comments from parties not involved in the
>case.  I once again must note that decisions about charges and sentences 
>are
>not made by law enforcement.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>On what date did Sitler first confess his pedophilic acts to local law
>enforcement authorities?
>
>Sitler was not interviewed by local law enforcement authorities (local=any
>law enforcement agency in Latah County)
>
>
>
>To what agency and to whom?
>
>  See above
>
>
>
>Were there more than one confession to law enforcement authorities?  If so,
>on what dates were these made, to what agency, and to whom?
>
>Again, Sitler was not interviewed by local law enforcement.  There are no
>reports from other agencies in the case file.
>
>
>
>On what date(s) was the Latah County Prosecutor first made aware of this
>confession or confessions?
>
>The PA’s office would have to answer this question
>
>
>
>Is it true that Sitler's confession indicated that he molested other
>children in the same family of the single victim from whence his conviction
>arose?
>
>Although the detective’s report alludes to having spoken to someone who
>mentioned Sitler had made a confession and was cooperating fully with
>agencies in Colville, there are no reports in the case file detailing the
>confession
>
>
>
>Is it true that his confession indicates that he may have sexually molested
>as many as 120 children?
>
>  See above
>
>
>
>On what date was Sitler first arrested or a criminal complaint issued?  Was
>there an arrest or a criminal complaint?  Was there ever bail request or
>set?
>
>The detective wrote an affidavit for a warrant of arrest that was notarized
>on 6/28/2005.  There is no indication in the file that an arrest warrant 
>was
>issued or served
>
>
>
>Please tells the dates of when Sitler first was jailed (including
>pre-conviction incarceration).
>
>  I can only report those days he has been at the jail as LCSO.  I do not
>have any special access to jail or prison records in other jurisdictions.
>Sitler was incarcerated at LCSO jail on 9/26/2005 after being sentenced on
>the felony charge.  He was released to the custody of the State on
>10/3/2005.  He arrived back at LCSO jail on 2/21/2006 on an order of 
>return.
>He remains in this jail.
>
>
>
>After his initial conviction, was he sent to the penitentiary?
>
>  When he was released to the custody of the State the DOC and judge decide
>where to house the inmate.  They don’t tell the Sheriff’s Office that sort
>of detail.
>
>
>
>When did he start his post conviction sojourn in the Latah County Jail?
>
>  See jail dates above
>
>
>
>Is it true that he is allowed to drive himself unescorted to both Pullman
>and Clarkston for "counseling?"
>
>  By order of the judge, Sitler is allowed to do so
>
>
>
>Is it true that he was recently allowed to go unescorted by local law
>enforcement to renew his driver's license?
>
>  The only in/out comments on Sitler’s jail activity record indicate being 
>in
>and out for treatment four times since he has been here
>
>
>
>Where else has he been allowed to go unescorted by local law enforcement?
>
>  The records only indicate him being released for treatment
>
>
>
>When he is out unescorted does he wear any kind of working electronic
>monitoring devices?
>
>  Not that I am aware of
>
>
>
>Does the LCSD intend to widely circulate posters with Sitler's photo asking
>for parents of other possible victims to communicate with the LCSD?
>
>LCSO (we are an office of an elected official, not a department) does not 
>do
>this in general.  As with all sex offenders, when Sitler is released, his
>picture will appear along with the other sex offenders.  He will be given
>the same treatment by law enforcement as we give all sex offenders.
>Privileges like work release and treatment release are not given by jail
>staff or by LEOs; they are given by judges.  If Sitler were to escape
>jurisdiction (like Rossignol) we would send his photo out on the media
>circuit just as we did with Rossignol.  We do not have the money or the
>resources at LCSO to print and distribute flyers, posters, etc. on every
>case that offends our sensibilities.
>
>
>
>If you are outraged by the response from law enforcement in this case, I
>suggest you lobby the BOCC for more officers to be added to the force.
>Currently we all have an average of 43 hours comp time on the books and 154
>hours of vacation, each.  Our 50 sworn and non-sworn personnel collectively
>have accumulated 2,140.38 hours or comp and 7,666.35 vacation.  The jail is
>perhaps the most egregiously overworked and underpaid.
>
>
>
>I think there is a distorted perception, too, that I have special access to
>information that I do not and that I have a duty to report about certain
>things that I do not.  I would love to be an endless source of information
>for you, but I simply do not have the time or resources to get all the
>information you want.  I am swamped from the moment I get in the office
>until after I was supposed to leave—like most of our officers here, I also
>come in on days off to take care of details and am called at home at all
>hours of the night to respond to calls (without monetary compensation,
>often). Further, a lot of questions I am asked are about areas that are not
>my responsibility to report upon.  Essentially people are asking the Baker
>for a side of beef.  If I had an assistant to help me compile stats,
>records, records from other agencies or entities, and someone to help my
>sort that information, you’d probably be happier with the results.  
>However,
>since I do not have those people helping me it is not unreasonable to take
>the entities that do have the information you seek to task.
>
>
>
>I realize I did not provide much information, but this is what I have 
>access
>to with our in-house records.
>
>
>
>--Jennifer
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>PIO Jennifer L. McFarland
>Latah County Sheriff's Office
>Public Information Officer
>PO Box 8068
>Moscow, Idaho 83843
>(208) 882-2216
>Fax (208) 883-2281
>  <http://www.latah.id.us/Dept/Sheriff_Main.htm>
>http://www.latah.id.us/Dept/Sheriff_Main.htm
>
>Truth is the summit of being; justice is the application of it to affairs.
>***Ralph Waldo Emerson
>
>
>
>
>¯¯¯¯¯¯
>

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