Costra County Sheriff Warren E. Rupf Apologizes For Mistakes In Jaycee Dugard Kidnapping Case

The New York Times:

Law enforcement authorities were in Phillip Garrido's house at least twice in the last three years, but never discovered that a young woman he had allegedly abducted 18 years ago was living there along with the two children he had fathered with her, the sheriff of Contra Costa County said on Friday.

Read the whole story: The New York Times

Comments

[everlasting]

I'm not a gun proponent at all, but I also find this disconcerting about Sheriff Warren Rupf.

Sheriff Warren Rupf also has what's known as Contra Costa Sheriff's "The Posse" . This is actually just a private club/auxillary and I believe Rupf is the president. About half of the members of the Posse owned a concealed gun permit in 1999 (163 CCW permits while the group size was 380).

"For those not in the Posse, however, a permit is harder to come by, he said ... In preparation for court, March said he researched county elections records and looked at who had made campaign contributions to the sheriff.

He also looked into the sheriff's practice of issuing concealed weapons permits. March concluded membership in the Posse seemed practically to guarantee getting a permit, he said.

'The real problem is the law,' said David Beauvais, a Berkeley lawyer who brought March's unsuccessful suit. "All the unfettered discretion is with the sheriff to issue or not issue a permit," he said."

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=105426

[greenwitch]

I don't work in law enforcement, but I'd bet that an "Investigation 101" course would teach these simple questions to ask when someone is kidnapped in South Lake Tahoe:

1) Have there been any other kidnappings in the area? Where? When?

2) Were the crimes solved? If so, who were the perpetrators?

3) Are they currently in prison? If not, WHERE ARE THEY?

Garrido was on parole for his prior kidnapping and rape crime that occurred in SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, and his whereabouts should have been readily available to law enforcement. The screw-ups of the last three years are very disturbing, yet why wasn't this case solved right after it happened? The mind boggles.

[newtom]

The problem with your logical theory is that the authorities suspected Dugard's step-father, Probyn, from the moment the crime was reported until the day Garrido admitted being the perpetrator. They had their suspect and they worked hard to prove he was guilty -- ignoring all other leads and tips (of which there were several) that would have lead them to rescue Dugard. Meanwhile, they have ruined Probyn's life while this horror continued for more than 18 years.

[greenwitch]

Good point. Another case of tunnel vision, with devastating consequences. After readiing Garrido's statements that were made after his prior arrest, I'm shocked he was ever paroled. He is one sick and scary dude.

[Xanadu-Xanadu]

The sheriff's "apology" is not good enough. Both he and his investigating deputy should be fired for incompetence.

[everlasting]

another case about Sheriff Warren Rupf

http://www.kaiserconsumers.org/Coroners%20Page.htm

"In 2001, I filed a lawsuit against the Contra Costa County Coroner (Brian Peterson), Sheriff Warren Rupf. In that lawsuit, which is on file with the Superior Court, I have alleged that he assisted Kaiser Permanente in covering up the accidental death of Mark A. Miller, a 41-year old man with two teenage children whom he had raised himself as a single father after he and their mother divorced."

That while Department needs to be investigated.

[newtom]

They should be charged with dereliction of duty!