Gayle Harvie, the woman whose public records requests eventually led to former Sultan Police Chief Fred Walser's yearlong jail sentence last month, is suing Walser's former assistant, Carol Pepperell, whom Harvie believes poisoned her dogs.
Walser was deposed in that lawsuit on June 26, and he pled the Fifth Amendment to every single question that was asked, except for his name.
He would not say whether he has been desposed before (after saying he had), and he would not even say whether he knew Pepperell, his longtime assistant.
(He also wouldn't answer whether he has been accused of rape; this is related to a 2003 sexual harassment complaint that was filed and dismissed against him. It's believed that Pepperell was his alibi at the time, and that this might be the reason why he covered up her own misdeeds, leading to his conviction last month.)
The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution permits people to not answer questions that could be self-incriminating. Walser has already been convicted for his crimes in the Pepperell case, so one wonders what he has to hide at this point. Did he do more that isn't on the record?
It his right to plead the Fifth. But that doesn't mean he should do it. Walser is running for state Senate, and most voters expect openness from their elected officials. He can't even say whether he actually knew his longtime assistant.
Is this the kind of openness we can expect from him in office?
1 comment:
It would be expected for a Police Officer and especially a Chief of Police to tell a person to be forthcoming and tell the truth in questioning. Police would tell us "it is the right thing to do." A Chief of Police should not lie during an investigation, cover up evidence, and tip the suspect all through an investigation. The Chief of Police would charge a person if they obstructed justice. He would want the person thrown in the slammer for his misdeeds. A Police Chief is normally a man of integrity. A role model for citizens to respect.
In the case of former Sultan Police Chief Fred Walser, he chose to invoke the 5th Amendment to every question except one in a civil lawsuit involving his administrative assistant, Carole Pepperell. Now this is the same man who proclaimed on KIRO TV and to the public "I have nothing to hide, she has nothing to hide." Why is Fred Walser hiding behind the shield of the 5th Amendment if he is innocent and his administrative assistant is innocent? What are they hiding? According to the reports, both refused to speak to Everett PD Internal Affairs investigators during Walser’s criminal investigation. It would seem if he is a man of honor seeking the political office of Senate, he would want to be forthcoming and helpful in a case of wrongdoing.
Law enforcement needs to do a criminal investigation on the fatal poisoning of the neighbor's dogs with the Schedule II controlled substance "sodium pentobarbital" that occurred in this case and was one of the main allegations listed in the "Clinko Report". The Clinko report is the Sheriff report that Walser claimed he misplaced and forgot about. Mr. Walser took the 5th on the questions regarding pentobarbital (drug used to euthanize animals by animal control and vets). See www.fred-walser.com for transcript from deposition. According to the investigative reports, his administrative assistant had several years of animal control experience at Sultan and Mountlake Terrace Police Depts.
Voters in the 39th District please vote responsibly. Fred Walser has a good side and a bad side……take a closer look at the bad side of this candidate!
Post a Comment