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Sheriff Willing To Meet With Aisenbergs
By THOMAS W. KRAUSE tkrause@tampatrib.com
Published: Jun 29, 2005
TAMPA - Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee said he is willing to meet with Steven and Marlene Aisenberg to discuss their missing daughter and the sheriff's office investigation into the girl's disappearance.
The offer came in a court document filed Tuesday. A written invitation to the Aisenbergs is expected soon.
``I've never met the Aisenbergs,'' Gee said in an interview. ``To be honest with you, I just want to give them a fair shake in this process.''
If the couple have additional information about their daughter, Gee said, he wants to hear about it.
Sheriff's office attorney Christopher Sabella said the Aisenbergs are in a unique situation. They have not been ruled out as suspects in their daughter's 1997 disappearance, he said. On the other hand, he said, the sheriff's office is investigating the possibility that the child was kidnapped, as the Aisenbergs have contended.
``They're still a family that is potentially a victim,'' Sabella said.
Barry Cohen, the Aisenbergs' attorney, said he and his clients are more than willing to meet with the sheriff as long as it is recorded and transcribed to protect the integrity of the meeting.
``In fact, I'll go see him right now,'' Cohen said Tuesday evening. ``But we're not going to let him come to a meeting just to tell us they're committed to finding the baby, without giving us some facts.''
The Aisenbergs have an ongoing lawsuit against the sheriff's office and several deputies. They say they were maliciously prosecuted for their daughter's disappearance.
As part of the suit, the Aisenbergs requested a copy of the sheriff's office investigative file detailing the case.
This month, Judge William P. Levens met privately with sheriff's office attorneys to look at exhibits and hear testimony about the investigation. On June 21, he ruled that the Aisenbergs cannot see the file because the investigation is ongoing.
Despite the judge's ruling, the Aisenbergs said they do not believe the investigation is active. They have asked the judge to clarify his ruling to say why he thinks it is an ongoing investigation.
On Tuesday, the sheriff's office filed a response backing the judge's decision.
Sabella said the sheriff will release a general statement this week that will show the resources the sheriff's office has used in its investigation. The statement, Sabella said, will not offer specifics about facts but will include statistics that will help prove the investigation is active.
``The sheriff wants to alleviate any concern out there,'' Sabella said.
Cohen said the Aisenbergs want to see new scientific findings or specific evidence that shows detectives are seeking information.
If the Aisenbergs are still suspects, Cohen said, he wants to know why.
``The bottom line is, what facts support them as being suspects?'' Cohen said. ``Name any fact that the courts haven't ruled out as being nonsense.''
In 1999, the Aisenbergs were named in a federal indictment charging them with lying to investigators. The indictment cited incriminating statements recorded by a sheriff's office listening device planted inside the Aisenbergs' bedroom.
The charges were thrown out when two judges determined the recordings were inaudible and the transcripts of those recordings could not be verified. Reporter Thomas W. Krause can be reached at (813) 259-7698
Link:
http://news.tbo.com/news/MGBBH0JWIAE.html