GUILTY MT - Sherry Arnold, 43, Sidney, 7 Jan 2012 - #2

[Jacie Estes]

Wow! It is so gorgeous up there, but I don't know how you all deal with that weather!

I really hope they can find Sherry and bring her home to her family. I hope the reports that it could have been an accident end up being true only because it means that she might not have had to suffer other horrible things.

We are still in Wyoming; finally home tomorrow after 9 days on the road and I hear it is snowing there.

One thing I was noticing yesterday was that all of the lakes, streams and rivers are frozen in Wyoming so they would be in Montana, as well. Sherry's remains would not be in water and I doubt that a hole could be dug that was deep. That leaves either wells/dry holes or her body on the ground covered by brush but brush is pretty sparse in wintertime.

 

[daisy.faithfull]

Things that make me ask ?'s. I wonder how it is that they split up. Where they traveling together? Did one pick up the other before or after sherry went missing?

I know, its interesting that they separated. I guess it only had to be one of them that actually abducted Sherry and then got the other to help out with hiding her.

Criminals do stupid stuff all the time, which is great because it helps LE catch 'em

 

[stg]

The FBI issued a statement late Sunday saying Arnold's body might be buried in an area with a line of mature or rotted trees, and the surrounding grass might be matted.

The agency requests that North Dakota property owners in Williams, McKenzie and Mountrail counties, and in extreme northeastern Montana, check such areas.


http://billingsgazette.com/email/to...cle_bc549dde-3fe1-11e1-98bf-0019bb2963f4.html

My former in-laws own a farm in Williams County, N.D. They are only there part of the year, mostly in the warm months (so I hope they see this story)! Having been up there a couple times, all I can say is, it is wide open country, with farmsteads vastly spread out. Could be tough to locate a body without more specific info, so I can see why they are depending on the owners. The good news is that trees are also not all that prevalent in these areas (though most farmsteads have them), so that detail about a row of trees might help a bit, at least, though they have the issue of searching private property.

 

[liltexans]

Additional details released in Sherry Arnold case

Chief DiFonzo says authorities received tips that led them to the two men. But he does not know if Waters or Spell were passing through the town of Sidney or working in the nearby oil fields of North Dakota when the crime occurred.

Authorities have a truck in their custody at this time and the FBI released a letter Sunday night in regards to Arnold.

"We believe she was kidnapped and taken from Sidney. We don't know whether she was immediately transported into North Dakota, it's a matter of what can be determined once we locate Sherry. We would like to hold out hope that she might still be alive, but it appears that may not be the case. It's been quite a while."

http://www.kpax.com/news/additional-details-released-in-sherry-arnold-case/

 

[liltexans]

Montana teacher's kidnapping and death echo Sjodin case

The two suspects now face charges that carry a possible death penalty under Montana law. Two men are on death row in Montana and only two have been executed since 1976, according to the state prison's website.

Under Montana law, aggravated kidnapping carries a maximum sentence of death.

If Arnold was taken across the state line into North Dakota before she died, the case would become a federal kidnapping charge; federal kidnapping resulting in death carries a maximum penalty of death.

Bertram of the FBI said Sunday in an email to the Herald that the FBI became involved in the case because Sidney is so close to North Dakota that a state line may have been crossed in the alleged kidnapping.

Sidney, with about 5,000 people, is in the booming Oil Patch of the Williston Basin and is only a few miles from North Dakota, and about 45 miles southwest of Williston.

But the FBI made clear Sunday they — and perhaps the two suspects — don’t know for certain if a state line was crossed in the alleged kidnapping.

http://www.parkrapidsenterprise.com/event/article/id/31186/

 

[Jacie Estes]

Map Link from above

Do you think she was on tribal land and that is why there has been such limited and confusing information? It would explain the comment about the names needing to be released by the correct court.

eta
I don't know anything about tribal law except what I've Googled in the past few days but wonder if the murder charges would have to come from tribal court.

Noway; I was thinking about this yesterday but couldn't post it from the road. The Major Crimes Act would be invoked IF Sherry were an enrolled member anywhere AND any perps were Native.
Major Crimes Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

IF Sherry is not Native but the POIs/suspects are AND and her remains are found on rez land or the crime was committed on rez land then it is jurisdictional dependent on the agreements in that area i.e. tribal/state agreements/compacts. It is confusing and IF any of these circumstances apply then it might explain the delays in doc drops/info release. Indian reservation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sorry, it is confusing; Native Studies Law weren't my favorite courses.

 

[KrazyKatLadi]

First post, so I hope I'm doing this right.

This is SO confusing! What do they mean about holding out hope she's alive but its been so long? Sounds like they maybe left her somewhere alive?
I can't imagine what this poor family is going through. Such a creepy confusing crime!

 

[hollyblue]

If it was an eyewitness to the crime itself, it doesn't make sense that they would feel the need for anonymity.

However, if it was someone who knew one or both of the perps and noticed something like fresh front end damage to the vehicle one of them was driving... well, that person may well have reasons to want to be anonymous.

I think they are basing her death on viewing the above^^^^, imo. The truck must be talking.

They both were from Parashute, CO..."recently". How and why did Waters get from FL to CO? Is Spell from FL too...they met in the pokey, etc. ???

***I think the call to the school on Friday about her death was done by family. Her husband works for the school too, small community, close knit..etc. The media grab it from the school's website and ran before LE could say anything..and the speculations started. IMO

 

[hollyblue]

I don't know any of the answers, either.

I don't even know who was driving! But since, logically, only one of them was driving, maybe the passenger made the driver stop to check on the victim and then they both freaked when they realised how badly injured she was (I'm assuming she was still alive when she was placed in their vehicle due to the aggravated kidnapping charges).

Or, IF Waters was the driver, it could be that his previous hit and run convictions involved relatively low speed collisions and glancing impacts. This time, he may have suspected immediately that it was not a survivable collision and decided (stupidly) to try to hide the victim, hoping to escape detection.

Just pondering....but, with so many arrests for LSOA, is it possible this guy was doing it for fun...? Sick, but maybe he's twisted and not just under the influence? Were all the times he had done this before accompanied by drug or alcohol? Just curious...

 

[KrazyKatLadi]

Just pondering....but, with so many arrests for LSOA, is it possible this guy was doing it for fun...? Sick, but maybe he's twisted and not just under the influence? Were all the times he had done this before accompanied by drug or alcohol? Just curious...

I wondered this too. Maybe they were drunk/high and saw a chance for sick fun in the middle if nowhere.

 

[Elley Mae]

First post, so I hope I'm doing this right.

This is SO confusing! What do they mean about holding out hope she's alive but its been so long? Sounds like they maybe left her somewhere alive?
I can't imagine what this poor family is going through. Such a creepy confusing crime!

Welcome! It is confusing to me as well.

 

[daisy.faithfull]

North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Inmate Lookup:
http://www.nd.gov/docr/offenderlkup/index.asp

Can't find Waters or Spell though.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Welcome Pinki....

I'm just as confused as you and Elley Mae!!

 

[Kelly Faraday]

First post, so I hope I'm doing this right.

This is SO confusing! What do they mean about holding out hope she's alive but its been so long? Sounds like they maybe left her somewhere alive?
I can't imagine what this poor family is going through. Such a creepy confusing crime!

Exactly. This has been an extremely confusing case. Hopefully, her family is being given more accurate information. This has to be hard enough on them as it is. Let alone all this backwards talk about her maybe being alive, which I doubt.

Kelly

P.S. I would send you the Welcome Wagon thingie, but I don't know how! Welcome anyway....

 

[davehead21]

Montana teacher's kidnapping and death echo Sjodin case

The two suspects now face charges that carry a possible death penalty under Montana law. Two men are on death row in Montana and only two have been executed since 1976, according to the state prison's website.

Under Montana law, aggravated kidnapping carries a maximum sentence of death.

If Arnold was taken across the state line into North Dakota before she died, the case would become a federal kidnapping charge; federal kidnapping resulting in death carries a maximum penalty of death.

Bertram of the FBI said Sunday in an email to the Herald that the FBI became involved in the case because Sidney is so close to North Dakota that a state line may have been crossed in the alleged kidnapping.

Sidney, with about 5,000 people, is in the booming Oil Patch of the Williston Basin and is only a few miles from North Dakota, and about 45 miles southwest of Williston.

But the FBI made clear Sunday they — and perhaps the two suspects — don’t know for certain if a state line was crossed in the alleged kidnapping.

http://www.parkrapidsenterprise.com/event/article/id/31186/

I have been thinking for a handful of days now that Sherry's case reminds me so much of Dru's and it seems to becoming more similar by the day. I really hope Sherry's family does not have to wait as long as Dru's family did to recover her body.

 

[daisy.faithfull]

:welcome:

 

[justathought]

I wonder if the FBi, due to multi state jurisdiction, is actually contacting the land owners in the area....and asking if they have searched or can someone search and offering a number for those who willingly go out an search, to call to to say that they did......it seems it would be more organized and less random....the more folks who do (or have someone do it for them if they live away) the better it would be. While the area is vast, determining who owns in a radius is very doable.

 

[hollyblue]

I'm thinking maybe there isn't a confession - maybe just evidence (other posters have speculated blood in their vehicle and the anonymous tipster) and the guys won't budge yet. You'd think that if they did confess, there could be some negotiating with them to locate the body in order to not get the DP or something. I mean surely these guys must know the general vicinity of where they buried the body. At least within a couple mile range.

Vehicular manslaughter vs murder charges? How would that play out...along with taking the person/body over state lines? ? They need to find her. I don't think they are talking...maybe just throwing out stories with a bit of truth here or there. JMO

 

[KrazyKatLadi]

Thanks Everyone!

I've been obsessively checking this thread for updates. Patience is not my thing.

 

[Indy Anna]

http://www.mugshots.com/US-Counties/Florida/Indian-River-County-FL/Lester-V-Waters-Jr.html

With Waters' driving record, I doubt that he is a professional truck driver. If a company did hire him as a driver and this case began as a hit and run, I would think the company is legally liable for not checking his driving record or disregarding it. Plus, I don't see how Waters could be issued a CDL by the DMV with his record. So, if this crime occurred in a company vehicle and Waters was one of their licensed drivers, I think the company is busy at this time consulting their lawyers.