OCT 14, 2021
Steve Pankey trial: Former officer testifies about Pankey’s arrest for being ‘unruly’ the day before Jonelle’s disappearance – Greeley Tribune
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The second day of trial focused on 13 witness testimonies including Mayor John Gates, then a Greeley police officer, a neighbor, officers involved in the investigation and a former FBI agent.
On Thursday morning, Jonelle’s friend from church, Rochelle Davy, formerly known as Rochelle Baxley, took the stand with information relating to a car on the night Jonelle disappeared.
The two friends were sitting on the bus together during their ride back to Franklin Middle School from the choir concert they sang in on Dec. 20. Davy said the bus was parked outside of the bank on 11th Street facing west, when a car drove past the left side of the bus that “caught their attention.”
She described the vehicle as a smaller, orange-red car. Jonelle in particular seemed startled and agitated about this car, according to Davy’s testimony.
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The orange-red car became relevant later on during the trial when Davy’s father, Russel Baxley, took the stand. Baxley was a family friend to the Matthews and a property manager of the Nazarene church they attended.
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A group of men took him to the parking lot to his European style, orange-red car, according to Baxley. That was the last time he saw Pankey, who eventually stopped attending the church before the Matthews family began attending.
Viorst implied Baxley’s accounts could be unreliable due to his never being asked about the color of Pankey’s vehicle until 47 years later and the reports Baxley’s daughter gave him about the vehicle’s color the night Jonelle disappeared.
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Witness John Lyons, a Former FBI special agent in Fort Collins, hopped on this case due to his close working relationship with the Greeley Police Department and the suspicious nature of Jonelle’s disappearance.
Lyons conducted hundreds of interviews for the case, including one with Pankey in 1985, according to his testimony. Lyons never saw the report the police department wrote about the Pankey interview, but he confirmed he was never a suspect prior to 2019.
Lyons said Pankey was interested in giving information about Jonelle in return for information about the investigation. Pankey said a cop confessed to him about hiding Jonelle’s body, but he had to keep it confidential as a pastor, according to Lyons’ testimony.
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Angela Hicks, Pankey’s ex-wife, and the Nazarene church’s Pastor James Christy confirmed he wasn’t a pastor. Christy was aware of Pankey, because he attended the church for about a year and a half, according to Christy’s testimony.
Prosecutors asked Christy about his involvement in the search for Jonelle. Christy, an important figure and friend to the Matthews family, helped search for their daughter and started a tip hotline with a committee group from the church.
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During cross-examination, Christy admitted he eventually had knowledge about evidence that was not shared with the public, which Pankey also said he knew about prior to the release of news.
The evidence hidden from the public was footprints located in the snow near the back of the Matthews’ home on Dec. 20, which were obliterated by a rake.
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Dave Mathis, a retired Greeley police sergeant, took photos of the crime scene the night of Jonelle’s disappearance.
Mathis said he paid close attention to the footprints found in front, back and side of the house. He found the footprints suspicious due to the fact that some were raked over, some were found on the steps that led up to the landing of the home, and some lead up to four or five windows of the home.
Mathis also highlighted a few of his takeaways from the night:
- There was no discovery of similar prints in neighbor’s yards throughout the area that was searched.
- The raked-over footprints were never released to the media.
- None of the shoe prints matched any of the Matthews family members’ shoes.
Judge Byron Howell, a Greeley police officer on patrol the night Jonelle went missing, also confirmed he did not share the evidence regarding the footprints during his testimony to prosecutors. He confirmed the footprints were the same pattern and size throughout the scene, but he was unable to pan out any leads.
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Mathis took items into evidence after he investigated the crime scene, he stated during his testimony process. Items he collected included:
- Jonelle’s pantyhose found in the family room
- A small piece of ribbon found in the master bedroom
- A jewelry box that was found open
- Threads and fibers throughout home, including a red fiber found on her shoes and a fiber in the front landing of the home
- An Afghan crochet
- A framed photo of Gloria and Jonelle found in an unusual location
- A rake
He said there were no signs of forced entry discovered on the scene.
Jason See, Jonelle’s 16-year-old neighbor that night, was babysitting his sister when Jonelle was taken. Around the time she was kidnapped, See’s dog was “barking with intensity” toward Jonelle’s home, See said.
See testified his dog mostly barked at other animals in the area, and he would listen on commands to stop. He made two attempts to get his dog to stop, but See said the barking lasted for 15-20 minutes between the time of 8:30-9 p.m.
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Three other witnesses — Jonelle’s friend Deanna Ross, her brother Brent Ross and Jonelle’s choir teacher Georgianna Pollard — testified about the night after the choir concert.
Following the concert, Pollard saw Jonelle leave the school with “trusted” people. Russ and his daughter Deanna gave Jonelle a ride home.
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During cross-examination, Viorst asked about Jonelle’s demeanor that night. Deanna said she seemed happier than usual, had weekend plans and thought it would be easy to skip school the next day since her mother was out of town.
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Mark Blaszkiewicz, a Greeley police officer in the 80s, talked about Pankey’s criminal history prior to Jonelle’s disappearance. The day prior to Jonelle’s kidnapping, Blaszkiewicz arrested Pankey for being an unruly customer at a credit union in Greeley.
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The last witness to take the stand was Mayor John Gates, who was a former Greeley police officer, to talk more about his involvement in the Jonelle case.
Gates said he only had three roles the morning he was called to assist: traffic control, going to Franklin Middle School to inform the principal and neighborhood canvassing.
Prosecutors asked questions about his father, who formerly owned the 7 Up Bottling Company where Pankey worked. Gates said he knew who Pankey was but had never worked with him.
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During Thursday’s trial, Weld District Court Judge Timothy Kerns dismissed a juror for “inattentive” behavior, including having her head down during opening statements, falling asleep during testimonies and doodling in her notes.
The trial will continue 8:30 a.m. Friday morning.
