GUILTY MT - Sherry Arnold, 43, Sidney, 7 Jan 2012 - #3

[Elley Mae]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local...do-for-texas/2012/01/19/gIQAoBJGBQ_story.html

Spell’s public defender twice successfully requested psychological evaluations for him in that case. The results are under court seal.

 

[Elley Mae]

http://thesop.org/story/20120120/do...ard-evidence-in-sherry-arnolds-abduction.html

 

[Questionning Mind]

Williston is my home town and when we were kids we used to drive to Sidney to get our beer (MT had 18 year old drinking). We would take the back roads on the way home, or have a kegger somewhere out in the bottom lands along the Yellowstone or Missouri. It was (and still is) such a maze of tree lines and trails that no one would find us. After I grew up I spent some time working as a deputy for the sheriff's department. I thought I knew the area like the back of my hand, but going out at night to answer a call or bust a party was a nightmare.

Take a look at Noway's map of the area. Click on the satellite view of the map and zoom in for a close look at the river valley between Sidney and Williston. The roads and tree rows are laid out like a Jackson Pollock painting. Once you leave the valley the landscape consists of endless hills and valleys with oil service roads going every direction.

It's easy to see that once someone leaves the highway it would be very easy to bury a body and never be able to find their way back even if they wanted to, and why a search of the five county region would be almost impossible.

I agree here, but don't you think that 2 guys unfamiliar with the area, even if they were "gorked out", would have to get a shovel or something to bury her? And, I don't think they are going to drive around populated areas with a body in their truck. I'm guessing from Holly Sugar or wherever her shoe was found, they found the nearest off the beaten path from their to hide the body. Hopefully soon, we will get a little more information.

 

[Elley Mae]

http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/227061/group/homepage/

Bill Mercer, a former U.S. attorney for Montana now in private practice in Billings, suggested that investigators got some information, directly or indirectly, from both or one of the men that led to the request.

He has told reporters that Waters and Spell, unfamiliar with the region, may not know which state they were in when they allegedly buried Arnold’s body.

 

[daisy.faithfull]

Oh brother, cue the violins...Spell's family is speaking to the press again...

Spell's father, Harry, and mother, Tina, spoke Thursday afternoon, and said that, "Michael is a good kid that got mixed up in the wrong crowd," and that "he wouldn't hurt anyone."

http://www.krextv.com/news/around-t...-As-Extradition-Process-Begins-137720623.html

Well, if Spells is convicted and given the death penalty his parents can be bffs with Jackie Peterson.

 

[daisy.faithfull]

I'm not sure this makes any sense but ... I wonder what the gas situation was in the 1992 Ford Explorer. Source

They would have to fuel up a couple of times just to get to Sidney. Could LE determine where they got gas, and based on the amount of gas in the Explorer, figure how many more miles they put on the vehicle after they last got gas? I guess that would have to mean that Waters wasn't driving around Williston ... grasping at straws here I guess. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr at myself.

Distance 756 miles; tank holds 19.3 gallons. Source

The 1992 Explorer gets between 18-20 miles per gallon (depending on 2WD or 4WD and normal variance). Source

Drive time, depending on the route taken is anywhere from approx 12 to 13 hours.
http://www.wildtexas.com/travel-calculator.php

EDIT: How do you make the link to a source a word rather than a URL to click on?

 

[Elley Mae]

Time line

http://www.ktvq.com/news/timeline-sherry-arnold-case/

 

[daisy.faithfull]

Regarding Spell's attempt to sell drugs to a fourteen year old, I wonder if he was targeting that age range because he was trying to get them stoned so he could take advantage of them. Spell was younger when the incident took place, but still.

As far as the other contributing to delinquency of a minor/ rape incident where the charges were dropped, I wonder if LE knew there was more to it but they couldn't prove it and they were just trying to throw anything at him that might stick.

 

[CBTampa]

It sounds to me, but I could be wrong, the charges pending in Colorado are recent and he was out on bond.

 

[daisy.faithfull]

Time line

http://www.ktvq.com/news/timeline-sherry-arnold-case/

January 13th: A press conference is held by the Sidney Police in conjunction with the FBI. Sidney Police chief Frank DiFonzo said a 47-year-old man was in custody in Williston, North Dakota and a 22-year-old man had been detained for questioning in Rapid City, South Dakota, both in connection to Sherry Arnold's disappearance.

I don't know if this has been mentioned or not, but I wonder if Spell was only being questioned at first because it was the Explorer that was seen at the scene of the crime and not one or both of the suspects.

So since the car belongs to Waters and/or he was in possession of the car when LE found him he was arrested immediately.

Didn't it seem that they two were picked up by LE at the same time? Since Spell was a bit of a distance and may not have had a car, I wonder at how easy it was for LE to get to him if Waters was apprehended first.

Maybe they were tipped off regarding Spell because he was talking to people and then finding Waters was easier because of his car.

 

[liltexans]

Through his court-appointed attorney, Tina Fang, Spell told the judge on Jan. 5 he needed to go to Texas because his brother had been in an accident there.

Forty hours after the judge's permission, Arnold left her Sidney home for a run. Within 10 minutes, when the 43-year-old math teacher was on Holly Street, she was kidnapped by Waters and Spell, Richland County Attorney Mike Weber said.

Searchers found one of her running shoes there several hours later.

Fang on Thursday declined to comment, saying she can't say anything about a client's case, including whether he waited to leave Colorado until he got the judge's OK.

http://www.twincities.com/ci_19782628?source=most_viewed

 

[Eoanthropus Dawsoni]

I agree here, but don't you think that 2 guys unfamiliar with the area, even if they were "gorked out", would have to get a shovel or something to bury her? And, I don't think they are going to drive around populated areas with a body in their truck. I'm guessing from Holly Sugar or wherever her shoe was found, they found the nearest off the beaten path from their to hide the body. Hopefully soon, we will get a little more information.

The ground is frozen. If they did actually bury her in the ground it would have required a lot of time and effort. They would need a pick ax as well as a shovel to dig a grave, and at least some minimal planning.

What I found interesting is that LE has asked land owners as far away as Montrail County to check their property. That is at least an hour drive away from Sidney. They asked people to look for "matted grass" which would seem to suggest that they have information that she was buried. However they also asked people to check their shelter belts and farm yards, mentioning old rotted trees and manure. That might indicate that they stashed her body in the trees and piled stuff on top of her. That would be quicker and require no planning and preparation.

That LE has this much information suggests that one or both of them said something to someone regarding the disposition of the body. I guess we'll probably have to wait until the district court paperwork is filed to find out what might have happened.

 

[Eoanthropus Dawsoni]

I don't know if this has been mentioned or not, but I wonder if Spell was only being questioned at first because it was the Explorer that was seen at the scene of the crime and not one or both of the suspects.

So since the car belongs to Waters and/or he was in possession of the car when LE found him he was arrested immediately.

Didn't it seem that they two were picked up by LE at the same time? Since Spell was a bit of a distance and may not have had a car, I wonder at how easy it was for LE to get to him if Waters was apprehended first.

Maybe they were tipped off regarding Spell because he was talking to people and then finding Waters was easier because of his car.

I read at least one article which said that Waters was arrested in Williston on the 12th and Spell was detained in Rapid City on the 13th. I find it interesting that LE had Spell back in Williston on the 13th, yet there have been no reports out of Rapid City of any hearings. That indicates to me there there may have been some cooperation from Spell.

 

[loreet]

Well, I have to be honest, my patience is beginning to run out in this case. I have been defending our local media and law enforcement in the face of limited information. I have been a proponent of the "hope for the best" hit-and-run-hide-Sherry's-body theory. But it has been too long, with too little information from law enforcement and all kinds of speculation and media conclusion based on what information is out there. It is bound to happen in a vacuum of truth.

If there are searches, let's hear an update, 'cause as we have all mentioned, there is a vast area of land to be searched, and limited local law enforcement resources. I am terribly afraid that this beautiful brave teacher, wife and mother has been left somewhere she could be found, if law enforcement properly mobilized the resources they have. Yes, the FBI used the media to ask landowners to check their properties. Have they actually used the tax rolls to contact each and every landowner? I am sorry, but if they have to get those guys out there to find her, then do it. As one of the articles mentioned, the suspects may have no idea what state they actually were in when they hid Sherry's body. I find this extremely likely. Neither seems particularly intelligent. Sherry's family is being denied closure at this point. And bringing her home should not be a bargaining chip.

 

[daisy.faithfull]

I read at least one article which said that Waters was arrested in Williston on the 12th and Spell was detained in Rapid City on the 13th. I find it interesting that LE had Spell back in Williston on the 13th, yet there have been no reports out of Rapid City of any hearings. That indicates to me there there may have been some cooperation from Spell.

Thank you! So they got to Waters first, maybe because he was with the car if that car was seen when the two abducted Sherry.

We do know that Spell told his estranged relative that he was threatened to go along with the crime or Waters would kill his wife and kids. So at the very least we know that he's not hiding the fact that he and Water's committed a crime.

I think he talked to LE and he gave them some kind of information.

I'm glad he talked and at the very least incriminated both himself and Waters. But usually criminals aren't that stupid. If he is compromised intellectually I wonder if the police have to tread on thin ice when they question him.

 

[daisy.faithfull]

The ground is frozen. If they did actually bury her in the ground it would have required a lot of time and effort. They would need a pick ax as well as a shovel to dig a grave, and at least some minimal planning.

What I found interesting is that LE has asked land owners as far away as Montrail County to check their property. That is at least an hour drive away from Sidney. They asked people to look for "matted grass" which would seem to suggest that they have information that she was buried. However they also asked people to check their shelter belts and farm yards, mentioning old rotted trees and manure. That might indicate that they stashed her body in the trees and piled stuff on top of her. That would be quicker and require no planning and preparation.

That LE has this much information suggests that one or both of them said something to someone regarding the disposition of the body. I guess we'll probably have to wait until the district court paperwork is filed to find out what might have happened.

Because the cold limited where they could hide Sherry I wonder if that caused them to drive around quite a bit trying to find somewhere that would be suitable.

I can understand how someone who is drunk or high would have a difficult time remembering where they were when they are out in the middle of no where, but you'd think they would have been able to give perhaps a ballpark figure of how long they drove around, if they passed through larger towns, crossed the border or other stuff like that.

 

[daisy.faithfull]

Through his court-appointed attorney, Tina Fang, Spell told the judge on Jan. 5 he needed to go to Texas because his brother had been in an accident there.

Forty hours after the judge's permission, Arnold left her Sidney home for a run. Within 10 minutes, when the 43-year-old math teacher was on Holly Street, she was kidnapped by Waters and Spell, Richland County Attorney Mike Weber said.

Searchers found one of her running shoes there several hours later.

Fang on Thursday declined to comment, saying she can't say anything about a client's case, including whether he waited to leave Colorado until he got the judge's OK.

http://www.twincities.com/ci_19782628?source=most_viewed

Both men lived in Parachute, Colo., and apparently didn't leave for Sidney until the afternoon of Jan. 5, when Spell got permission from a judge to leave the state.

and then:

Fang on Thursday declined to comment, saying she can't say anything about a client's case, including whether he waited to leave Colorado until he got the judge's OK.

So the bottom line is we may not have a definite date that Spell/Waters left CO.

 

[daisy.faithfull]

I was thinking about the recent mention that Spells might have relatives in TX.

So far we know that:

Waters was in FL.

Spells has family in Lafeyette, LA

Spells might have family in TX

Spells was in Ordway, CO

Spells was in Parachute, CO

Waters was in Parachute, CO

When I hear TX I think of I think of the southwest because I'm in AZ and TX isn't too far from here.

But then I realized that Texas is a biiiiiiiig state whose eastern border isn't that far from LA, which isn't that far from FL.

Just trying to figure how these two hooked up.

 

[Amster]

Who can LE mobilize to conduct a massive search? The Nat'l. Guard?

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/227061/group/homepage/

Bill Mercer, a former U.S. attorney for Montana now in private practice in Billings, suggested that investigators got some information, directly or indirectly, from both or one of the men that led to the request.

He has told reporters that Waters and Spell, unfamiliar with the region, may not know which state they were in when they allegedly buried Arnold’s body.

I know what state they were in...the state of Confusion!