Chapter 59: Press Conference
*You can, you should and, if you’re brave enough to start, you will. – Stephen King*
It was because of the interest that the case was generating, mainly from Hank’s family, that Douggie scheduled a press conference for Monday. Reese hired a lawyer for Jolene and a second one for the family. They in turn immediately filed for a divorce and orders of protection.
Douggie usually did not release pictures of crime scenes while the investigation was still going, but sometimes you had to fight with facts.
And sometimes you had to keep your hand hidden. Like the fact that he had video footage of the locals not investigating and simply accepting the suspect’s word. But that could wait.
After all, *that* would be a separate investigation.
To set the public record straight, he commandeered the community room at city hall. There was a long table sitting up front with three chairs behind it. Three microphones sat on the black tablecloth. An emerald green banner hung across the front of the table with Morgan City written across it. The city logo was on the banner in front of the city name with the city seal at the end of it.
There were two large TV’s sitting on either side of the table. Currently, members of the local press milled around talking with one another. Douggie and Gina were surprised to see a few national reporters. There were several freelance reporters and a few internet bloggers and vloggers.
Chief Devonshire added a chair to the table and sat down at it. He wore his blue uniform with his badge and ribbons. It looked freshly pressed and left several people wondering if it had just been taken out of its package earlier that day. His thin white hair was teased and coifed up to make it look thicker. It only emphasized the fact that the man was going bald.
Just as the utility belt under his gut only emphasized how out of shape the man was.
Douggie tilted his head in that direction and Gina just smiled. Marti, Jolene’s lawyer, got an evil look in her eyes and smiled at the police chief as she sat down.
There was at least twenty years between the two men. And where Douggie knew that he was never going to be muscular like some of the men in law enforcement, he made sure that he remained fit. He was barely tall enough to be on the department at five feet nine. And his wiry frame made him appear weak.
But his dominant personality and air of authority had people stepping out of his way.
Douggie whispered something to Gina, and she nodded just before she went and sat at the table. A moment later, Douggie took his position and turned on his microphone.
“I would like to thank you all for coming today. My name is detective Stephen Douglas with the state police. Your sheriff asked that our department handle this investigation to ensure fair and unbiased proceedings. I am flanked by sheriff Gina Robbins, Marti Pinkston representing the victim and chief Devonshire has decided to join us. Chief, I will let you speak first.”
The chief shifted; he was not expecting for the detective to acknowledge him. A microphone was hastily set up in front of him. He pulled it closer to him and sat up a little straighter.
“Thank you, detective. I’m chief Devonshire of the Morgan City Police Department. The man who was arrested is one of my officers. I’m sure that the other law enforcement officers here can confirm that we have strong ethics. I’m certain that once the investigation is completed, it will be dismissed as a simple misunderstanding.”
A woman stood up. “Hi chief, Polly Markowitz with the Morgan Tribune. We requested a report from the city 911 dispatch, it seems your department was called out to that address nineteen times in the past three months. Why was nothing done sooner?”
“I don’t think that is correct. And their neighbor seemed to have an issue living next door to a cop.”
“Which neighbors?” the woman pressed.
“The one that was constantly calling.”
“The report shows that at least six different neighbors have called.” She held up her paper as evidence of what she was saying.
“I’m sure… well… umm.”
“And one neighbor, a former police officer, was told to quit harassing the couple and the department.” She continued, glancing at the paper.
“Was that Mr. Neosho?” Douggie asked.
“Yes, sir. And Mrs. Perkins, on the backside of the building, was not aware that a police officer lived there.” She persisted. “So, again, chief, why was nothing done sooner? After fifty-four calls, why was this not addressed? Is this something that is rampant in the department? Is this a failure from the top down? Or is this nepotism in action? The suspect is your nephew, is he not?”
The whole room looked at the man who was squirming uncomfortably.
“I assure you, Miss Markowitz, those are concerns that we will address.” Douggie said. “Sheriff, would you like to add anything?”
“I was made aware of the situation when my brother called me. His girlfriend, the victim's mother, called him after she received an emergency notification through her first alert app. The victim’s mother heard, through the app, the suspect beating and choking her daughter.”
Gina paused, giving a moment for the soft murmurs to quiet down. The members of the press were frantically writing notes. Once the crowd had settled down again, she leaned forward to speak into the microphone and collection of recording devices lining the table.
“The suspect told the victim several times that the cops would do nothing, because he was one. Due to my own close connection to the victim and the fact that a LEO was involved, I thought it prudent to bring in an unbiased third party. I, myself, and my deputies have stepped away from the investigation. We will only assist when we are asked.”
She looked towards Douggie. “Detective Douglas has taken possession of all evidence that we collected. Copies of all body cam footage have been provided to the state for the investigations. I think that covers everything from my side.”
Douggie gave Gina a slight nod before turning and looking at the other woman at the table. “Marti?”
“Thank you, Detective Douglas. My client has recently been brought out of a medically induced coma due to this atrocious attack. She has been unable to make any type of statement, but at her written request, we have filed for a divorce.”
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