MN - Jacob Wetterling, 11, St. Joseph, 22 Oct 1989 - #5

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To me, 120 feet up someone's PRIVATE driveway is a long ways.

And please explain why the Rassier dog was not going crazy with what was going on? There was a lot of activity with a kidnapping in a yard. Dog's sense trouble, It makes them very uncomfortable as in barking
 
40 yards(120') isn't much. I live on a street with 80' wide lots...so it's walking from my driveway edge to the center of my neighbor's lot....you can walk that in less than 30 seconds. The 40 yards relative to the length of DR's driveway is very small if you look at the aerial map. Yes, it is his 'driveway' but appears more as a road until after the curve when the farmstead appears. As for the dog....I don't know.
 
Private driveway is the key here to me. I live on a road in the country where the setbacks are 85 feet. I am looking at my garage which is not even the 120 feet off of the road thinking how daring it would be for someone to come up my driveway. By setback, I mean the distance from the road, not a neighbor's property line.

If you are saying it is not far up the DR driveway, that is correct.

So, the perp must be familiar with the driveway to know the house is further back.

Remember, there were no google maps back then.

Living out in the country, there are different setbacks required in different zones. I used to do some things where I would drive up someone's driveway where I had no idea where their house was. That was in the daytime. I cannot imagine driving down a stranger's driveway in the dark night wondering if their vicious dog was going to come and attack me because I was on their property. That is while I was out of the car. And on top of that, a lot of people in the country have a couple of dogs who are very protective. Perhaps the owner with a shotgun not be far behind. That is the way we are out here if someone comes on our property in the dark.
 
Yes...people in the country live differently than people in the city. Personal property + privacy is greatly expanded. I wonder tho with DR's property if the perp could have simply backed in to position that 40 yards and the dog or DR for that matter could not see him? We have a maroon shed in our backyard 50' from the house and on a moonless night can barely see it.
 
That is so correct. The perp would have no idea where the house is. Daring!

The beauty of dogs is that they hear things far away. That is why people have watch dogs. They alert far in advance that something is amiss.

When one lives a distance from others, you have to be alert and aware.

And if it is not people on your property, it could be a destructive animal that needs to be dealt with. When a dog barks, there is a reason
 
This this from a St. Cloud times article. February 24th 2004.

-- Oct. 28, 1989 -- About 240 Guard members, volunteers and law enforcement officers scour
several square miles around the abduction site while three helicopters conduct an air
search. A white sweat sock is found about 100 yards from the site, but a Minneapolis
bloodhound can't track its scent farther than a nearby road.

Wonder if the white sock had ever been tested for DNA? Wonder what "nearby road" they are referring to? Also, I wonder if the sock was a children sock or an adult sock? So many question!

Also, assuming that this timeline is accurate, why did it take authorities almost a whole week to find a sock which laid 100 yards away from the abduction scene? Was the sock planted by the perp?
 
Interesting Marlin.

So true about the DNA. That must be info they are holding back for some reason.

I am really fuzzy on those details, but I do think that the sock was found earlier . There may be info on the road.

If you have the inclination, you can go to the library if you still live in St. cloud and get the old newspapers on microfiche.

I am particularly interested in an article that states DR stuck his head out of the window that night and said he was too tired to search. His name is not listed and it makes it sound as if he was a teen, rather than a 30 something .
 
The article says that the sock was found a 100 yards from the abduction site and that the bloodhounds tracked the scent to a "nearby road".

Funny, I dont recall there being any roads within a 100 yards of the abduction site. Could the "nearby road" be DR's driveway?

Also, I thought the bloodhounds were tracking Jacob's footprint scents? This is the first article that I have read which states that the bloodhounds were also tracking the scent of the sock.

Unfortunately, I dont live in St. Cloud anymore, so I cant access the article.
 
The article says that the sock was found a 100 yards from the abduction site and that the bloodhounds tracked the scent to a "nearby road".

Funny, I dont recall there being any roads within a 100 yards of the abduction site. Could the "nearby road" be DR's driveway?

Also, I thought the bloodhounds were tracking Jacob's footprint scents? This is the first article that I have read which states that the bloodhounds were also tracking the scent of the sock.

Unfortunately, I dont live in St. Cloud anymore, so I cant access the article.

Darn.

I remember about all of that, but no details.

I do plan on going there but when the weather gets bad. I hate the indoors and am not going to spend nice days in the library.

I have to quit being lazy and ask my library if there is a charge for research.

I have asked for research on different topics in other states and some charge and some do not.
 
This this from a St. Cloud times article. February 24th 2004.

-- Oct. 28, 1989 -- About 240 Guard members, volunteers and law enforcement officers scour
several square miles around the abduction site while three helicopters conduct an air
search. A white sweat sock is found about 100 yards from the site, but a Minneapolis
bloodhound can't track its scent farther than a nearby road.

Wonder if the white sock had ever been tested for DNA? Wonder what "nearby road" they are referring to? Also, I wonder if the sock was a children sock or an adult sock? So many question!

Also, assuming that this timeline is accurate, why did it take authorities almost a whole week to find a sock which laid 100 yards away from the abduction scene? Was the sock planted by the perp?

See post from awhile back, copied / pasted below - the article is no longer online, but there are multiple posters who said they read that the sock was later ruled out as being related to Jacob's abduction:

10-01-2010, 06:11 AM
Trino
Registered User

Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 6,173
Quote:
Originally Posted by shergal
Still looking for the shoe print, but I did locate the other crime scene photos I remembered here:
http://www.sctimes.com/section/wetterling

(click on "on the scene" and then click on "abduction site" on the map pictured) There are also pictures of the dogs searching and LE making the footprint mold under "Timeline." But there is a better footprint pic.
I'll have to search some more tomorrow for the footprint.
Under "Timeline" the photo shows the footprint from the abduction site. It appears to be on the road.

Also, under "Timeline" (photo with the bloodhound) it states the sock was RULED OUT in the abduction.
 
A white sock found 100 yards away....all of these tidbits of information...so frustrating. It could be something or could be a red herring....who knows. I am about saturated with all I can absorb of this case yet feel it spins in circles. I wonder if anyone other than LE has taken all of these tidbits of information and brought them together to begin creating a picture from these puzzle pieces? Or maybe LE is spinning in circles?
Speaking of tidbits....did anyone read the written interview of Michael Bahner by Stearnstruth that was linked on Joy the Curious? I know it's old news on Websleuths but assuming for the moment he was telling the truth....I could not decipher his explanation of the abduction -specifically where the cars were parked and the sequencing. I was just trying to relate this to Joy's latest 2 pieces regarding the suspicious cars as well as DR's statements about cars.
Anyone?
 
On Monday Oct 30, 1989, a motorist reporting seeing a boy matching Jacob's description with a man in a white car. The FBI issued a statewide bulletin on the white car, and sent several investigators to Hector, MN to pursue the lead.

The man was described as in his late 20's, 6' 1" tall, 160 lbs. The bulletin described the car as a late model GM car, off-white or gray in color, with flat hubcaps and a square in the middle. The man had a dark complexion and was wearing gold or silver rimmed glasses. He was wearing a brown or tan cap and a light gray jacket with letters on the sleeves.

The boy appeared to be urinating by the side of the road, had brown hair, wore a red hockey jacket and blue sweatpants.

The motorist provide details in the bulletin while under hypnosis.

A motorist saw a man and boy get into a white Chevrolet near a Renville County road 2 miles east of Hector. The motorist approached them to see if they had car trouble, but the car drove off. The motorist said the man appeared to have a gun. The man in the Chevy ran a stop sign as he sped east on Hwy 212.

Less than an hour later, a deputy spotted a car matching the description. The officer followed the car to Eden Prairie and pulled the car over. The man was arrested for carrying 2 handguns. He was alone in the car, which was a white 1978 Chevrolet Malibu. However, the motorist witness was unable to identify this man in a photo lineup.

Source: October 31, 1989 St. Cloud Times.
 
I remember this day so well. I was so excited as were the reporters on this info.

Then nothing panned out.

Since he was arrested, I wonder what his name is
 
A white sock found 100 yards away....all of these tidbits of information...so frustrating. It could be something or could be a red herring....who knows. I am about saturated with all I can absorb of this case yet feel it spins in circles. I wonder if anyone other than LE has taken all of these tidbits of information and brought them together to begin creating a picture from these puzzle pieces? Or maybe LE is spinning in circles?
Speaking of tidbits....did anyone read the written interview of Michael Bahner by Stearnstruth that was linked on Joy the Curious? I know it's old news on Websleuths but assuming for the moment he was telling the truth....I could not decipher his explanation of the abduction -specifically where the cars were parked and the sequencing. I was just trying to relate this to Joy's latest 2 pieces regarding the suspicious cars as well as DR's statements about cars.
Anyone?

We are missing huge pieces such as why was DR selected as POI?

What is in that sealed warrant? What is the new technology that allowed them to make more discoveries in order to get that search warrant?
 
According to Joy's Blog, DR was in fact teaching at Roccori the day after the abduction. So much for the theory that DR also had parent teacher conferences the next day.
 
According to Joy's Blog, DR was in fact teaching at Roccori the day after the abduction. So much for the theory that DR also had parent teacher conferences the next day.
Was Dan teaching school part-time or full-time at Rocori's three elementary schools at this time? Part-time would mean that there were some days that Dan didn't have classes at all or didn't have to be in school on some mornings or afternoons.
 
Was Dan teaching school part-time or full-time at Rocori's three elementary schools at this time? Part-time would mean that there were some days that Dan didn't have classes at all or didn't have to be in school on some mornings or afternoons.


Good question. I am not sure whether or not DR was full time or part time at Rocori. Joy's blog just mentioned that he was pulled out of his class room the day after the abduction to be questioned (as a witness) about the Wetterling abduction.
 
Hm. The info came from Dan so who knows what that means.

He could have been working in his room.

I think it would be hard to pull a teacher out of a room with kids. Where do the kids go?
 
This will sound very strange given the circumstances...just a random thought that occurred to me after listening to Sheriff Sanner say they have failed the people which is why they continue the investigation.....is it possible LE has nothing on DR? And since they have nothing....they had to DO SOMETHING. If they actually had someTHING then why not use that THING and indict him? Why wait for ANOTHER thing?
 
This will sound very strange given the circumstances...just a random thought that occurred to me after listening to Sheriff Sanner say they have failed the people which is why they continue the investigation.....is it possible LE has nothing on DR? And since they have nothing....they had to DO SOMETHING. If they actually had someTHING then why not use that THING and indict him? Why wait for ANOTHER thing?

They couldn't have obtained a search warrant on "nothing." I'm sure the have something, just not enough proof.
 
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