A man with some kind of mask accosted the three boys (Jacob, his older brother and a friend) as they walked near the driveway to DR's farm (which was set back quite away from the road). The man chose one of the boys (Jacob) and told the others to "run away". They ran towards the Wetterling house where they were staying at about a 1/4 mile away and called Jacob's parents, who in turn called 911.
Kevin, who had a Police Scanner, heard the dispatcher's call and went straight to the scene, No one is there so he waits, then a St Joseph PD patrolman shows up, figures him for a "lookie-loo" and tells him to "beat it" without taking any information. Apparently Kevin uses DR's driveway to turn around. Presumably other PD soon shows up.
DR later claims that he saw the police activity and call ST Joseph PD (was it a 911 call?) Accounts I have read do not make it clear if the intent of the call was to inquire about the police activity or to report seeing a car "turn around in his driveway".
The Police notice some vehicle tracks on the dirt driveway and child’s footprints leading a short distance up the driveway. They seem to have concluded that Jacob was taken to a vehicle in the driveway and driven away from there. We do not know what the basis for this was; was it DR's call, some other call, perhaps just a "hunch".
At that point, all resources are directed at a search for an unknown vehicle with an abducted child. Nobody goes up to DR's house to talk to him or "look around"; nor do they "knock on doors" of other houses in the area. They assume the Perp has left the area with Jacob. (Apparently DR and other neighbors were interviewed the next day).
When Kevin came forward years later, it opened up a whole new possibility: that there never was another car and the Perp lead Jacob away on foot. If this happened, DR's house was at the end of the driveway while there were no other houses in the immediate vicinity. The Perp with Jacob in toe would have had to walk 100 yards or more along the road.
The significance of Kevin is that he could have told the investigators where he was when he heard the dispatcher and the route he took to crime scene and when he got there. More importantly, he could have told them of any vehicles he passed coming from the direction of the crime scene. Very likely, they could determine if any reports of vehicles in the area were actually Kevin. Also, Kevin's tires could be used to compare with other tire tracks on the driveway.
SOP is to get statements from all potential witnesses (or suspects) as soon as possible. If DR reported a car in his driveway, that would be pretty important. This pins them down before memories fog and information starts to spread. When appropriate, it is also SOP to ask a witness/suspect for permission to conduct a "search". Most likely they would not do a thorough search but they would be very interested in the reaction to the request.
My own WAG (wild *advertiser censored* guess) is that the perp hid his car in DR's driveway and took off with Jacob after the boys had run some distance away, but who knows? It seems crazy for DR or any other neighbor, to abduct a kid, in front of two witnesses, that close to their own homes, but stranger things have happened.
Kevin, who had a Police Scanner, heard the dispatcher's call and went straight to the scene, No one is there so he waits, then a St Joseph PD patrolman shows up, figures him for a "lookie-loo" and tells him to "beat it" without taking any information. Apparently Kevin uses DR's driveway to turn around. Presumably other PD soon shows up.
DR later claims that he saw the police activity and call ST Joseph PD (was it a 911 call?) Accounts I have read do not make it clear if the intent of the call was to inquire about the police activity or to report seeing a car "turn around in his driveway".
The Police notice some vehicle tracks on the dirt driveway and child’s footprints leading a short distance up the driveway. They seem to have concluded that Jacob was taken to a vehicle in the driveway and driven away from there. We do not know what the basis for this was; was it DR's call, some other call, perhaps just a "hunch".
At that point, all resources are directed at a search for an unknown vehicle with an abducted child. Nobody goes up to DR's house to talk to him or "look around"; nor do they "knock on doors" of other houses in the area. They assume the Perp has left the area with Jacob. (Apparently DR and other neighbors were interviewed the next day).
When Kevin came forward years later, it opened up a whole new possibility: that there never was another car and the Perp lead Jacob away on foot. If this happened, DR's house was at the end of the driveway while there were no other houses in the immediate vicinity. The Perp with Jacob in toe would have had to walk 100 yards or more along the road.
The significance of Kevin is that he could have told the investigators where he was when he heard the dispatcher and the route he took to crime scene and when he got there. More importantly, he could have told them of any vehicles he passed coming from the direction of the crime scene. Very likely, they could determine if any reports of vehicles in the area were actually Kevin. Also, Kevin's tires could be used to compare with other tire tracks on the driveway.
SOP is to get statements from all potential witnesses (or suspects) as soon as possible. If DR reported a car in his driveway, that would be pretty important. This pins them down before memories fog and information starts to spread. When appropriate, it is also SOP to ask a witness/suspect for permission to conduct a "search". Most likely they would not do a thorough search but they would be very interested in the reaction to the request.
My own WAG (wild *advertiser censored* guess) is that the perp hid his car in DR's driveway and took off with Jacob after the boys had run some distance away, but who knows? It seems crazy for DR or any other neighbor, to abduct a kid, in front of two witnesses, that close to their own homes, but stranger things have happened.