6/28/11
Judge said good morning and JB asked for a sidebar
GOOD MORNING! Here we go.
SIDEBAR #1 (8:55-9:03)
Both sides ready to proceed?
Jury coming in (9:04)
DIRECT EXAMINATION OF JOE JORDAN BY CM
He is employed with a dental supply company in Sanford. In June - Sept of 2008 he volunteered to work with TES. This is the first time he had been involved in searching. He became a team leader - having 10 and 30 people assigned to him. On Sept 1 he searched the Suburban Drive area. They were given direction to search a certain area and this was one of the areas.
He was shown Defense Exhibit #57 (a blow up photo put on the easel)
LDB objected to this exhibit and said that there was another one that had already been marked.
CM then had another copy of the same photo marked as Defense FH.
The witness said he recognized the scene. The photo was then put on the overhead.
The photo showed the area of Suburban that he searched. The photo was marked as Defense Exhibit 65.
He doesn't recall how many times he searched on Suburban Drive. He was searching with TES and lead a team - but not every time. He lead a team the first time and there were probably more than 10. He indicated where he parked and indicated the main focus of the search. At the time, there was no fence and they were able to go back. Then about 5 of them came up and walked into an opening (a path). He doesn't know if they made it up to the wooden fence. Himself, Laurie Kree, Jennifer Craig, Brett Churchill - he can't recall if anyone else, searched. They went into the woods about 5 feet. There was a red cooler and a pink baby blanket and that is as far as they went. He marked the blanket on his field activity report which he turned over to TES. He does not know if OCSO retrieved the blanket.
They also searched an area west on the other side of Chickasaw area on the first day.
Later that day he had a dog handler from another team bring their dog up that way. It was the same day. He had the dog check the baby blanket and the cooler. He brought 2 dog handlers into the area.
One was a cadaver dog?
OVERRULED - hearsay - OVERRULED
HE did not know the qualifications of the dog.
Do you know the qualifications of the dog?
OVERRULED - hearsay - SUSTAINED
He told the OCSO that he was there with a police officer from Panama City. Did the dog conduct an inspection in that area?
OBJECTION - hearsay - OVERRULED
He had the dog check the two items.
There was a second dog. He had that dog sniff those two articles of interest.
Were you ever taken back out there to be shown where the remains were found? He did go back there with Red Churchill to be shown. He did not know the distance, but he explained...
OBJECTION - hearsay - SUSTAINED
CM used a tape measure and measured out a distance.
OBJECTION - hearsay - SUSTAINED
Do you know how far the remains were from the side of the road? No
Did you go into the woods as far away as I am from you? He stated the entry way was not a straight line.
He doesn't recall how many times he went to the location. He doesn't even know if there was a third time. There were many other areas of interest to look at.
Do you remember when the remains were found? I don't know the exact date in December.
12/13/08 email? He sent this to YM and JA. He did not remember the exact content. He was shown a copy of the email. He conveyed that he believed he was in the location of the area where the remains were located and that he had what he believed to be 2 qualified dogs. He does recall telling them he believed the remains were moved after his search.
How many people do you recall searching?
OBJECTION - SUSTAINED
How many people?
OBJECTION - what area? - SUSTAINED
CM showed him the area. How many people do you recall searching that specific area? The area from the fence to the pathway. How many people?
He had about 5 people walk along the side of the road because the brush was heavy.
Other than on your team?
OBJECTION -
He did not see anyone else from TES search that area.
Other than TES how many people? He did not see anyone besides the people on his team search that area.
11/5/09 taped interview - On page 25 - JE asked him if there were 100+ people? He doesn't remember being asked that. The only people that searched the pathway described are the number he already stated.
The area from the privacy fence to the pathway? Explain the pathway.
There were not 100 people searching there when he was present.
He did know where the A's house was when he was searching. They drove along that area and there were a lot of media trucks. There were generally a lot of people around the house at that time.
CM taking a moment to confer with JB.
Any knowledge as to what was done in response to the email he sent on 12/13/08? No.
No further questions.
CROSS EXAM BY LDB
Prior to becoming involved with TES, he had begun to email OCSO. He was trying to help them find Caylee. When he volunteered for TES, they required he keep paperwork. It was his responsibility as a team leader to document the people searching with him. He was given maps and he was to indicate the results of his search and there was a place for follow-up. After the search, he was to get debriefed by someone from TES.
On 9/1/08 he became a team leader. He has seen his original paperwork. He was shown State's RN and identified it as his original paperwork. He took detailed notes.
He was shown page 1 of his paperwork. It was his field team report. Laurie Cree, the Churchills and Jen Craig were also listed.
There were maps attached.
The "Describe Search Efforts" section accurately reflected the locations he searched on that date.
The church is the location off of Chickasaw Trail.
Behind elementary school was at the end of Suburban Drive where he started.
Dogs were not fresh - the man who he had check those two articles...
OBJECTION - hearsay - Exception? - OVERRULED
Danny Iverson told him his dog was not fresh when he checked those two articles. He did not know if that was correct.
Locations not covered - non-highlighted area - the areas on his map that were not highlighted were not searched.
2 humerus bones - he noted those. He checked the forensic anthropology book and the bones turned out not to be human.
Suggestions for further searches - non-highlighed areas and when the water receded.
The water was about knee deep as soon as you entered the brush. He believed it was too dangerous for people to enter. It was the concern of him and TES that they would step on the remains under water.
Half buried back and mounds needed to be further searched.
On the last page of document - the highlighted areas were made by him as the area that he searched - as detailed as he could be.
The lines with other markings were items of interest found and didn't highlight the entire area because it was not thoroughly searched.
Pink baby blanket, cooler, Gap bag, mound and toys were marked on the map. That was as far away from the end of Suburban that he got in the woods. He agreed that the furthest west was the line LDB drew.
He couldn't get into the woods very far in that area due to relatively deep water.
The documents were created before Caylee's remains were located.
When he emailed YM and JA on 12/13/08 he did not know exactly where the remains were found - only what he saw on TV. He knew he was in the area.
He made a mistake
No further questions
REDIRECT EXAM BY CM
Did you tell us Mr. Churchill told you where the body was found? Yes.
He saw the media trucks...
OBJECTION - leading - sustained.
He did not go to the scene on 12/13.
Did he recognize what he saw as an area that he searched? He thought he did.
The water was clear and the bottom was sand.
Were you threatened by the presecution of felony prosecution? The witness began to take the 5th.
SIDEBAR #2 (9:47