Whichard Com., Sgt. Shelton & Cpl. Addison

KC Johnson's report of yesterday's Whichard Committee proceedings is the most detailed and comprehensive I’ve found. The N&O and H-S reports today don’t come close to what he’s providing readers.

Among other services KC has posted the list of the 13 issues the defense attorney’s told the committee they would strongly encourage the committee to look at.

Number 2 on the list is: Sergeant Shelton. I’ll say more this evening about why I think Shelton is up there in the number 2 spot. Right now I just want to offer this excerpt from a June 3, 2007, JinC post, DPD’s Sgt. Shelton & Cpl. Addison :

[Consider something very important] Sgt. Shelton, Cpl. Addison and DPD Officer Willie Barfield, who’ll enter this post shortly, all knew on the night of March 13/14.

They also knew it on March 24 when DPD officers working the case were told to report to DA Mike Nifong and Addison began acting as DPD spokesperson.

And they knew it on March 28 when Addison sent out the text of the Durham Crimestoppers Duke lacrosse Wanted poster Brown cited.

What those three officer knew is such significant and irrefutable evidence that a beating and gang-rape DID NOT take place at the party, that neither DA Nifong nor his DPD "helpers" have ever questioned Shelton and Barfield's decisions to take Mangum to Durham Access, a shelter/short-term counseling facility for substance abusers rather than Duke Hospital.

What's more, those in media who enabled the sliming of the white members of the lacrosse team and the attempted frame-up of three innocent members of it, have largely ignored the matter.

The matter is this: as veteran police officers, Shelton, Addison and Barfield know about the kinds and severity of physical injuries a woman suffers when she’s brutally beaten and raped by even one strong young man, to say nothing of being brutally beaten and raped by three strong young men.

Like all DPD officers they're trained to administer emergency first aid to victims of such horrific crimes while awaiting the arrival of the EMS ambulance and emergency medical assistance.

Addison knew Mangum had suffered no such injuries and needed no emergency medical assistance. He knew she hadn’t even suffered slight injuries.

That's because Addison knew Sgt. John Shelton, who responded to a call shortly after midnight on March 14, found Mangum in Roberts’ car at a Kroger parking lot, in Shelton’s words, “just passed out drunk.”

Had Shelton seen any signs of injuries he would have arranged to take Mangum to Duke Hospital, which is less than a mile from the Kroger parking lot.

But Shelton saw no evidence of any physical injuries. So he arranged for another officer, Willie Barfield, to take Mangum to Durham Access.

Barfield also saw no signs of any physical injuries.

Barfield only later took Mangum from Durham Access to Duke Hospital after she said at Access she’d been raped.

Addison understood the significance of his brother officers’ judgments and actions that night.

Addison knew Mangum’s story was false. Yet he went for days telling the public about “horrific crimes” and the players “wall of silence” even though, as we later learned, the players had been extremely cooperative with police.

Why? […]

I’m fairly certain the Whichard Committee is going to ask that question and others relevant to it, in part because number 4 on the defense attorneys’ list is: The DPD Public Statements.

Durham’s citizens have waited 16 months to learn why our police department’s spokesman, a sworn law enforcement officer, began making on March 24, 2006, the day former DA Mike Nifong took charge of the case, false statements about an “horrific crime” he knew never happened.

If you want to get an idea of what a tough spot Addison will likely soon find himself in, take a look at another JinC post from this past March, Addison Series #4 – “They call it ‘squeezing.’”

In the post I speculated on what things would be like for Addison if he was placed under oath during a federal investigation into violations of the players’ civil rights. [excerpt]:

[When] the Feds come on a case and they see that a police spokesperson repeatedly gave the public false information about what they’re investigating, the Feds always want to know why the officer did that.

“Let’s give him a little squeeze and see what he tells us.”

So Addison will be asked, for example, why he told the public the players weren’t cooperating with police when they were. Addison will be talking to people, almost all of whom have police and/or criminal investigative backgrounds. They know how exceptionally cooperative the players were compared to most suspects they’ve dealt with. They know Addison knows. He’s a veteran officer, after all.

And worst of all for Addison, he knows they know he knew.

That will set up a moment of truth or perjury for Addison, recently selected by Durham Jaycees as their Outstanding Young Public Servant of the Year (That information provided by Addison’s DPD supervisor, Maj. Lee Russ, during a 12/06 interview).

Things are going to get very interesting.

I’ll be back this evening.