Justice Watch Discussion Board "Linda Arndt then and now!" [ Main ] [ Post New Thread ] [ Help ] [ Search ] Table of Contents ................................................................... Linda Arndt then and now!, tweety, 09:41:13, 5/11/2000 Tweety, Policedog, 10:02:26, 5/11/2000, (#1) Linda is not a "key" to this case, CommonSense, 10:05:11, 5/11/2000, (#2) Reply if Interested, tweety, 10:17:57, 5/11/2000, (#4) CommonSense, Policedog, 16:05:16, 5/11/2000, (#24) Policedog, Sioux, 10:15:31, 5/11/2000, (#3) Arndt's Priorities , tweety, 10:21:34, 5/11/2000, (#5) Sioux, Policedog, 10:32:40, 5/11/2000, (#6) she wasn't strong enough, Edie Pratt, 10:51:40, 5/11/2000, (#7) Edie, yep,, gaiabetsy, 11:32:48, 5/11/2000, (#8) and I am so sick of this, Edie Pratt, 12:00:37, 5/11/2000, (#10) Edie, frankg, 13:33:50, 5/11/2000, (#15) I agree, Frank, Edie Pratt, 13:53:49, 5/11/2000, (#20) frankg post#15, Sioux, 13:44:15, 5/11/2000, (#17) Policedog and Eddie, Sioux, 11:44:02, 5/11/2000, (#9) Eddie is right, CommonSense, 12:06:29, 5/11/2000, (#11) I find their, Househazard, 12:12:47, 5/11/2000, (#13) Bad Karma, LurkerXIV, 12:11:10, 5/11/2000, (#12) Sioux, Policedog, 12:44:26, 5/11/2000, (#14) Another place, Faith, 13:57:25, 5/11/2000, (#21) Sorry Faith, Sioux, 15:11:02, 5/11/2000, (#23) Househazard, Gemini, 13:52:48, 5/11/2000, (#19) Sioux, Perpetta, 13:42:59, 5/11/2000, (#16) link, Twinkle, 13:48:08, 5/11/2000, (#18) Twinkle and perpetta, Sioux, 15:10:10, 5/11/2000, (#22) frankg--I agree with you about Linda Arndt--, fiddler, 18:23:31, 5/11/2000, (#25) And don't forget, momo, 19:08:46, 5/11/2000, (#26) Ardnt, Aurora, 20:51:13, 5/11/2000, (#27) Aurora (love that hat), starry, 21:28:22, 5/11/2000, (#28) Imagine . . ., Anton, 00:17:38, 5/12/2000, (#29) Anton and all, Sioux, 10:06:13, 5/13/2000, (#38) Sioux . . ., Anton, 14:21:55, 5/13/2000, (#39) Anton, Watching you, 05:57:45, 5/12/2000, (#30) starry, Aurora, 07:42:41, 5/12/2000, (#31) Hey, Anton, Smit isn't, fiddler, 09:08:01, 5/12/2000, (#33) fiddler . . ., Anton, 10:41:33, 5/12/2000, (#36) Motive for Murder, tweety, 08:59:42, 5/12/2000, (#32) Oh, Tweety, dear...., Policedog, 10:30:18, 5/12/2000, (#35) tweety, canadiana, 09:37:26, 5/12/2000, (#34) Arndt aren't talking, Seashell, 13:17:36, 5/12/2000, (#37) ................................................................... "Linda Arndt then and now!" Posted by tweety on 09:41:13 5/11/2000 I would like more information about Linda Arndt. I cannot understand why she was taken off the case in May 1997, why she refused to share what she knew with other detectives (source-Steve Thomas), and why she resigned in March of 1999. What was she wanting to say, that warranted a gag order? Why was she so hell bent on fighting for her right to speak, while an investigation was still ongoing? [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 1. "Tweety" Posted by Policedog on 10:02:26 5/11/2000 You've posed some interesting questions. I may be able to help with just a few of them, and perhaps others can fill in some other blanks for you. Every BPD employee was held under a gag order about this investigation. Linda Arndt was not singled out for one. What she really wanted to do was to publicly defend herself about the allegations of her mis-handling of the initial crime scene. She was not allowed to do so, primarily because the gag order prevented her from stating any factual information publicly. Further, she was ordered to not speak to the press at all, effectively preventing her from any defense of herself. Again, she was not singled out; all of the BPD employees were/are under this order. She filed suit against her superiors because she felt her reputation had been ruined, she was not allowed to defend herself, and she consequently resigned. It's very unusual to be able to file suit against your bosses and continue with your job. Hope this helps. [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 2. "Linda is not a "key" to this case" Posted by CommonSense on 10:05:11 5/11/2000 I have no interest in knowing every detail of Linda's background. If she's really a man - she looks pretty good in drag. Oh, maybe she was the queen that Haddon used at his party - or maybe Patsy's. This stuff gets laughable sometimes. [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 4. "Reply if Interested" Posted by tweety on 10:17:57 5/11/2000 I am curious as to how Linda Arndt is so insignificant to this case. If she isn't, then who is? Steve Thomas? Is his opinion more significant because he wrote a book? She was the first investigator at the scene, was she not? She had the ability to protect the crime scene, did she not? She had information that she could share with her co-workers that were also working on the case, did she not? She was taken off the case and reassigned early on, was she not? She filed a lawsuit against her employer, did she not? She believes that there may be a link to incest, does she not? Her mind exploded, did it not? She has a bone to pick with her previous co-workers and supervisors, does she not? She resigned from her job, did she not? I would like to know her reasons for all these things, and other than her mind exploding from a glance, and being a sex-crimes investigator that was present at autopsy, I would like to know the rest of her story! Pre-Crime, During her tenure at the BPD, and even NOW! Maybe SHE'LL write a book! [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 24. "CommonSense" Posted by Policedog on 16:08:10 5/11/2000 NOTE: This message was last edited 16:08:10, 5/11/2000 >I have no interest in knowing every >detail of Linda's background. If >she's really a man - she >looks pretty good in drag. >Oh, maybe she was the queen >that Haddon used at his party >- or maybe Patsy's. >This stuff gets laughable sometimes. I've been thinking about this statement of yours all afternoon, and somehow I just can't find a way to see this as anything but an ugly smear. I'm offended. It does nothing but add to the nasty stereotypes many female officers face, and is degrading all on its own. [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 3. "Policedog" Posted by Sioux on 10:15:31 5/11/2000 **What she really wanted to do was to publicly defend herself about the allegations of her mis-handling of the initial crime scene.** "Allegations"? Is that all there was? If there were just "allegations" I can understand her being pissed and trying to recover her reputation,BUT if those "allegations" were PROVEN to be true, like her MOVING THE BODY to the Christmas tree, then I don't understand how she can have the nerve to be upset. I think she could have been really a good person that made an awful mistake. But then......Just quit without fuss and get lost. Sioux [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 5. "Arndt's Priorities " Posted by tweety on 10:21:34 5/11/2000 Was her reputation so important to her that she had to "defend" herself. More important than sharing information about the crime scene with co-workers and solving JonBenet's murder? Maybe that is the "why" she got removed from the case. Her priorities were all mixed up. [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 6. "Sioux" Posted by Policedog on 10:32:40 5/11/2000 I am just stating what I know. It's not my intention to speculate about her motives, or necessarily defend her. What I do know is that the moving of the body was not the only allegation made against her. If you had the opportunity to watch her interviews, then you have heard much of what she has to say about the accusations against her. My take on it is that she felt a lot of her actions were defensible, or at least that much of what occurred happened under mitigating circumstances that she was unable to explain due to the gag order. She felt she was hung out to dry, when, in fact, much of what occurred in that house that day was a direct result of decisions that were out of her hands. [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 7. "she wasn't strong enough" Posted by Edie Pratt on 10:51:40 5/11/2000 to counter JR's countermeasures. He plunked a corpse on the floor where contamination was inevitable,and she tried to correct that by placing the body in an area less trampled. As she bent over the body, JR was imediately behind her and asking to cover JB, as he went ahead and did it anyway. Nomatter what LA asked of JR and the rest, they went ahead and did as they pleased. And this, as I'm sure most of us women have experienced, is nothing unusual in a man's world. She was impotent. The "fix" was in on THAT years before J&P killed their little princess. [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 8. "Edie, yep," Posted by gaiabetsy on 11:32:48 5/11/2000 you're right on top of it. Arndt was probably made to feel "out of place" and "awkward" and "insinuating on a private situation" rather than being the police person in charge of an investigation. I've been there more times than I care to count. I really feel sorry for her. I'll tell you something else, I think I like her intuitive responses to John and Patsy. I think they're "right on". Plus, I think the male policeman's "take" on Patsy was equally real. You know, the one who saw her looking around through her fingers while crying her eyes out over her child?! [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 10. "and I am so sick of this" Posted by Edie Pratt on 12:00:37 5/11/2000 nitpicking of police in general. It's become a rule to put them on trial every time a wealthy maniac kills somebody. The Ramsey's make it sound like the police WANTED them to be guilty. Of all the ridiculous aspects in this case, that tops the list. WHY would ANYONE want the perp to be a parent? I can think of no other fate worse than dieing at the hand of a parent, and I'm confident the police would agree. They should go back to their well dressed gentleman stranger in the neighborhood theory, and keep the police out of it. I could barf when I think of those TWINS OF DECEPTION strategizing over the bouquet for Linda Arndt. Dangerous liaisons,alright. Just cannot fathom how they can stand being in the same room with oneanother. I would loathe a man that could lie so fluidly and often, and I would definitely sleep with an eye open. JR says," the killer is going to kill again... " [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 15. "Edie" Posted by frankg on 13:33:50 5/11/2000 John wouldn't have been able to contaminate the body or the scene if Arndt hadn't let him wander around looking for things out of place. That was the first mistake... well maybe not the first, but clearly a biggie. I also think it's a cop-out to suggest she couldn't control the situation because she's a woman. Puhleez. I know woman cops that can put me on my backside and I am far more physically imposing than John Ramsey. ..and Arndt isn't exactly petite either. I'm not into bashing Arndt but she made mistakes and I really wish everyone would stop looking for excuses. We all make em, some of us are big enough to own up to it. That said, she was also put into a tough situation, was given no support from HQ, etc. So there's plenty of blame to go around. It wasn't all Arndt's fault. As for the wealthy... Edie, I agree. But it's not just wealthy who are making a mockery of our judicial system. Here in CT, the supreme court just overturned a death penalty sentence in a cop killer case because they ruled the guy didn't kill the cop in a cruel and heinous enough manner. I guess if you kill em quickly it's OK. Unfreakinbelieveable... [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 20. "I agree, Frank" Posted by Edie Pratt on 13:53:49 5/11/2000 alot of women cops can knock a fella off his feet. But, usually they are backed by a male cop who shows them respect. This detective was dissed by her own force! What made matters worse, I think, was the fact that JR was witnessing her unanswered calls for backup. That gave him the go ahead to run her over, like dogs do in a pack. Her own department treated her like a ninny, JR saw an opportunity and took it. As for allowing JR to roam thruout, the police officers that were there before Arndt told her, on their way out, that the house had been checked, FROM TOP TO BOTTOM. She respected THEM enough to believe it, hence her invitation to JR& COMPANY. And, as I have said a zillion times, she told them to search top to bottom for anything that looked out of place. She did not say "look for a body", as she had it on good authority that there was NO BODY. She also told JR not to TOUCH ANYTHING, to go get her if he found something. They were all operating on the idea that the child had been kidnapped, so there is no reason for LA to believe at that time that JR would WANT to mess up a crime scene. Now, maybe it's time for some of those male cops to be "a man" and step up to the plate and admit their mistakes, too. [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 17. "frankg post#15" Posted by Sioux on 13:44:15 5/11/2000 Excellent post!!! Sioux [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 9. "Policedog and Eddie" Posted by Sioux on 11:44:02 5/11/2000 Policedog: **If you had the opportunity to watch her interviews, then you have heard much of what she has to say about the accusations against her.** I'm sorry to say I haven't.Are they somewhere in the net to be downloaded? **My take on it is that she felt a lot of her actions were defensible, or at least that much of what occurred happened under mitigating circumstances that she was unable to explain due to the gag order.** I think many of them were because of a few reasons, being the most important to me the lack of support she had from headquarters from the beggining.But I find very hard to swallow the biggest of all mistakes which was moving the body. Eddie: **He plunked a corpse on the floor where contamination was inevitable,and she tried to correct that by placing the body in an area less trampled.** This is unexcusable. So she put the body in a *less contaminated area* and in the process she contaminated it more????? I understand everything else BUT THAT. Even "I" would have done better. ** As she bent over the body, JR was imediately behind her and asking to cover JB, as he went ahead and did it anyway. Nomatter what LA asked of JR and the rest, they went ahead and did as they pleased.** Again, all this is very understandable. She can be responsable for her actions and her actions only, whatever the rest of the people chose to do it's their problem and THERE SHOULD BE A PROBLEM.I think the people in that house that morning SHOULD be charged with obstruction of justice, including sacred White.They constantly overlooked Ardnt's directions and messed up EVERYTHING. **And this, as I'm sure most of us women have experienced, is nothing unusual in a man's world. She was impotent. The "fix" was in on THAT years before J&P killed their little princess.** Sorry Eddie, while agreeing about this sociological excerpt of yours in every word, that is still not good enough to explain why a cop would move the body of evidence and contaminate a crime scene. Sioux [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 11. "Eddie is right" Posted by CommonSense on 12:13:41 5/11/2000 NOTE: This message was last edited 12:13:41, 5/11/2000 O.J. hadn't been over too long when Patsy and John contaminated the crime scene by inviting over everyone they could think of. These two had every intention of setting the police up for another O.J. - the police mucked up the crime scene/the police are framing us - defense. . . . I just read this "profile" of JonBenet's killer as contained on the Ramsey Family website. It makes me laugh: [PS - I added the stuff in brackets] Profile The killer(s) of JonBenét Ramsey may: Be male [CAUSE IT AIN'T PATSY WE SWEAR] Own or have access to a stun gun (see evidence for more details) [WE LOVE LOU SMIT] Be a pedophile [CAUSE PATSY ISN'T A KNOWN PEDOPHILE] Be a prior sex-offender [CAUSE PATSY ISN'T A KNOWN SEX-OFFENDER] Have resided or been in Boulder, Colorado, during the Christmas holiday in 1996 [HOLY - MOLY! YOU MEAN THAT THE KILLER WAS IN BOULDER ON THE DAY SHE WAS KILLED! FASCINATING!] [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 13. "I find their" Posted by Househazard on 12:12:47 5/11/2000 website laughable. Maybe we should rename John "Captain Obvious" (Richard Jeni fans out there?) Maybe the killer wasn't really in Boulder that night. Maybe it was a distant relative of Melody Stanton and just thought JB to death. Weren't there stun gun videos found in the Ramsey home? Why have videos if you don't have a stun gun??? [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 12. "Bad Karma" Posted by LurkerXIV on 12:11:10 5/11/2000 Linda Arndt was the wrong person in the wrong place at the wrong time. She may have been equal to her male counterparts in every way, except one. She had a woman's heart. Her first impulse was to carry the child to a "safe" place, and then to shield her brutalized body from the eyes of the parents. Linda acted on a goodhearted impulse, which, unfortunately, was a very bad move for a cop. I wish her well in the future with whatever work she chooses. [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 14. "Sioux" Posted by Policedog on 12:44:26 5/11/2000 I have no idea if there are copies of those interviews available online anywhere. [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 21. "Another place" Posted by Faith on 13:57:25 5/11/2000 The Linda Arndt interview is also available at http://members.aol.com/SundanceIM/Kid/JBR/index3.htm [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 23. "Sorry Faith" Posted by Sioux on 15:11:02 5/11/2000 And thank you too! [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 19. "Househazard" Posted by Gemini on 13:52:48 5/11/2000 :-) Yeah, we're long time Jeni admirers. Face it, when it comes to the Ramseys, think "Bradys" ... at least in the past tense. Sorry MsB, but when I think of the B-Bunch, my mind immediately leaps to Jeni's schtick, "his hair is coifed, his pajamas are pressed, there's no drool on his pillow ... he's a Brady!". heh [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 16. "Sioux" Posted by Perpetta on 13:42:59 5/11/2000 **If you had the opportunity to watch >her interviews, then you have heard >much of what she has to >say about the accusations against her.** > >I'm sorry to say I haven't.Are they >somewhere in the net to be >downloaded? The Arndt interviews are available on the Good Morning America site. [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 18. "link" Posted by Twinkle on 13:48:08 5/11/2000 Here is the link http://www.abcnews.go.com/onair/GoodMorningAmerica/gma990911_jonbenet_promo.html [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 22. "Twinkle and perpetta" Posted by Sioux on 15:10:10 5/11/2000 Thank you for the links! Sioux [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 25. "frankg--I agree with you about Linda Arndt--" Posted by fiddler on 18:25:28 5/11/2000 NOTE: This message was last edited 18:25:28, 5/11/2000 I think she made one serious mistake, and that was sending JR off on his "scavenger hunt" without police supervision. Granted, she had no reason at that point to believe JBR was in the house, but still--the house itself was a crime scene, for God's sake. She knew that much. I agree with Edie that she was on her own in a tough situation, though, and IMO the Ramseys were DETERMINED to contaminate that scene any way they possibly could, without looking "out of order" to their friends. I think Linda Arndt's real mistake was to rely on her own judgement, rather than following police procedure, no matter what. We've seen a LOT of that in this case. Arndt should not be singled out to take the fall, IMO--there's plenty of blame to go around. Edited to add: I should have said "investigative procedure". I think the greater share of the responsibility for this mess rests with the district attorney's office, frankly. [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 26. "And don't forget" Posted by momo on 19:08:46 5/11/2000 How many times did Linda Arndt call for back-up? How many hours was she the only cop on the scene? LA did the best she could with what she had. I only wish that she would have cooperated in the investigation later on. [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 27. "Ardnt" Posted by Aurora on 07:36:43 5/12/2000 NOTE: This message was last edited 07:36:43, 5/12/2000 Come on you guys.... Ardnt did the best she could under the circumstances. Rams took advantage of her and manipulated her to their advantage that morning. JR..had knowledge ..that Arndt didn't have as to the whereabouts of JBR. He used her search the house ...as a cover... to attempt to destroy evidence at the crime scene. She was merely their pawn...that day. It is easy to look back and blame her for mistakes that happened. How many people do you know..that would carry a corpse upon discovery? NOT ME...no matter who it was! Most would run and get HELP! [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 28. "Aurora (love that hat)" Posted by starry on 21:28:22 5/11/2000 Exactly! [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 29. "Imagine . . ." Posted by Anton on 00:17:38 5/12/2000 You're Linda Arndt, a detective in a town you know is full of secrets (all towns are full of secrets, not exactly a mystery there). You get called to a crime scene two hours after the 911 call. When you arrive, the on-scene patrol officers tell you everything seems hinky. No sign of intruder. A weird ransom note that is obviously false. A mother dressed in clothes she clearly (had not) slept in, makeup, and carrying on with histrionics that don't feel right. The woman sits watching every move the cops make. You're Linda Arndt. You meet the histrionic mother and the joking father. They have friends over. At least one of the friends seems to be suspicious of the father. The note says "I'll call you tomorrow", yet the father insists that "tomorrow" is "today" and wants to wait for the phone call. You monitor the calls. The father won't sit still. He wanders off. The mother huddles in a back room with the friends. You're by yourself, the only cop and all of your radio calls for backup go unanswered or are answered with excuses. What the hell is going on? Is there a kidnapping or not? The father acts like not. The mother is putting on tears like old makeup. The friends are suspicious of the parents. Your cop buddies have abandoned you, apparently. The house had been full of cops until the detectives arrived. Then they all drifted off. If the critical time for the kidnapper to call with instructions was that morning, why did the other cops leave? Very hinky. Then the father comes back into sight and is acting weird, nervous, upset. Something has changed. Earlier, he'd been joking, wandering around, basically entertaining his friends. Now he's nervous and is staying close to you, Linda Arndt. The time has come and gone for the phone call, which logically shouldn't have come that day anyway. Maybe that's what has the father upset. He's nervous as hell. "Go through the house," you tell him. "Don't touch anything but see if anything seems to be out of place. If you find something, come get me. Check the house from top to bottom." The father zips directly to the basement with two of his friends. Maybe two minutes later, one of the friends zips back up, panicked, yelling to call 911. Before you, Linda Arndt, can ask what happened, you happen to see the father come out from the basement stairwell carrying the obviously dead body of a young girl. Not hugging the body, not being ginger about it. Holding it like a big chunk of wood that's got termites and he wants it out of his house. He heads straight for the front door. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" You, Linda Arndt, rush after him. He plunks the body onto the floor. "Is she dead?" he asks. You bend over the body, which has the smell and appearance, the lividity and, of course, that really tight cord deep in the neck. "Yes, she's dead." The father is right behind you, bent with you. You look at him, you see his eyes. He's not a loving, frightened father. You, Linda Arndt, are alone in the house with this man and his strangely-acting wife and their suspecting friends. You've been manipulated. The body was in the basement all the time. Your cop friends didn't find it. The father did, and the father is staring at you. ****************************************** Good thing I'm not a cop. I'd have been out of that house right that moment. Sure, Linda messed up but the only way to get the Ramseys to cooperate was to tie them to chairs and erect cardboard cutouts of caring parents in front of them. Sure, a New York homicide detective would have seen through these monsters. Maybe experienced Denver homicide detectives would have (Lou Smit notwithstanding). Sure, non-cops think that any real cop would have. We weren't in that house. We weren't being manipulated by murderers (that day, anyway). Linda, you should have had support by your department. We know they were having their own "issues" but you shouldn't have been left alone in that house. Not that you can't handle yourself but no cop should have to do what you had to do. I hope you have good friends now, a loving family and a satisfying career of your choice. Anton [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 38. "Anton and all" Posted by Sioux on 10:06:13 5/13/2000 the Linda Ardnt Public Defenders: I agree with you ! I think she was the pawn of these Masters of Manipulation that morning.But I don't see why most of you seem to be so either "pro-Linda" or "anti-Linda". All I am saying is that IN THE CONTEXT of what she was living( a body just found by the father, a father that doesn't seem a loving one at that point, a father whose eyes terrified her and who goes far enough as to say "This is an inside job"), IN THAT CONTEXT, SHE MOVES THE BODY. You see, that is what I don't get. I can understand all the mistakes up to there, because I really don't know to what extent they were mistakes since there was nothing to suggest there was a murder so far. BUT, with a body, that is another thing. So WHY?? Sioux [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 39. "Sioux . . ." Posted by Anton on 14:21:55 5/13/2000 You're right. Moving the body was dumb. Sending JR for another look-see around the house was dumb. Visiting Patsy later on and sending flowers was not wise, IMO. But that doesn't make Linda a fruitloop. I didn't intend my post to be pro-Arndt, per se. I just think it's short-sighted to view her as the problem that day (or since). Her bosses weren't sharp, either. A lead investigator (Thomas) wasn't assigned for three days (or was it two; in any case, not soon enough). I tend to think Linda Arndt was left there alone for a reason. I do find it odd that she, a sex crimes detective (or at least a detective with that experience) was left there alone. I find it odd that any police officer was left there alone. Moving the body further contaminated evidence, which was really dumb. Still, Arndt could argue (and perhaps has) that any contamination from her could be demonstrated. She had no idea where the body had been prior to being brought up by JR. In any case, I don't defend her but I don't vilify her, either. I'm just trying to understand her. Anton [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 30. "Anton" Posted by Watching you on 06:02:15 5/12/2000 NOTE: This message was last edited 06:02:15, 5/12/2000 I'm not real sure about Linda Arndt after reading Steve Thomas' book, but I will agree with everything you said. Ah, come on, youse guys, you had to know this was coming. To cast total blame upon Linda Arndt for things that went wrong that day is asinine. That was an unbelievably casual attitude the powers-that-be took that day in a high-profile kidnapping. I think we tend to forget members of law enforcement are as human as the rest of us are. Just because they put on a uniform and carry a weapon does not make them any less human. That uniform does not automatically give them the wisdom of Solomon. Let me tell you who was at fault that day. The fault lies squarely on the Chief of Police or whoever was in charge. Linda Arndt was forced to make some very fast decisions at a very terrible time. I've talked to my daughter about this and how she would have reacted. What she told me is basically what I suspected, but, here it is - there is no way in hell one officer would have been left alone in circumstances such as this. Every cop knows to secure a crime scene, and what happened in Boulder was way out of line. As a matter of fact, politics being as they are everywhere, the top brass would have been hanging out at that house. In our city, not only would the top city brass had been there, but the New York State Police and the sheriff would have been called in to search, no one would have been allowed into that house, the scene would have been secured, blah, blah, things we already know. Even with a poor family whose child had come up missing, the State Police and sheriff would have assisted with their search dogs - I know this because it has happened here on occasion. Whose responsibility was it to arrange all this, Linda Arndt's? It most certainly was not. This was the most irresponsible behavior by upper management that I have ever heard of in my life. Linda had one huge job to do all by herself. She was forced to make all the observations of all those people, keep physical track of all those people in that huge house, monitor the phone, and try to keep her own wits together. Did she make mistakes? Sure, she did, but at the time it probably felt right to her. My God, people can you even imagine seeing everything just falling apart before your very eyes, a father carrying his stiff little daughter from the basement and dumping her on the floor? What would your reaction have been? Yes, you may have been just a little bit shocked. But, Arndt was a professional - she wasn't supposed to feel anything, just go by the book. Well, sorry, but I've got this feeling she was a little overwhelmed at that point. And, then, after the big shots down at headquarters made the decision to leave her there by herself - no help, no backup - when things got hairy, they let her take all the blame. That, my friends, SUCKS. Put the blame where it belongs - on the guy giving the orders that day, not on a flunky detective who asked for help and was refused. And, think of how you may have reacted that day, youself, in the same circumstances. [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 31. "starry" Posted by Aurora on 07:42:41 5/12/2000 Thanks...my hat means.. "like the dawn* Arndt realized after it was too late...that things weren't quite what they seemed to be. Does that make all that happened her fault? I think ..NOT! [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 33. "Hey, Anton, Smit isn't" Posted by fiddler on 09:08:01 5/12/2000 from Denver--he's from Colorado Springs. Don't even TRY to associate that idiot with us! :) And I agree with all of you. What, in the circumstances, COULD Arndt have done? She did issue proper instructions, but with multiple people milling around through this huge house, completely ignoring her, what were her options? Start shooting? I don't get the impression she was trained in crowd control. It's too bad they didn't send the riot police into that house that day--a little tear gas would have put JR in his place real fast. (Although PR would probably have loved it....) [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 36. "fiddler . . ." Posted by Anton on 10:41:33 5/12/2000 Hey, Anton, Smit isn't from Denver--he's from Colorado Springs. Don't even TRY to associate that idiot with us! :) Oops. Guess the Smit hit my fanny that time. Sorry about that. :-) Anton [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 32. "Motive for Murder" Posted by tweety on 08:59:42 5/12/2000 I can see MOTIVE for murder, when a law enforcement person wants the (obvious to him/her) competancy of the department scrutinized. During a holiday (Staffing Reduced) and a wealthy family (Sure to expect competancy on their behalf, and with Public Relations muscle), What better time, and victims, to showcase the incompetancy of the law enforcement heirarchy in the commmunity of Boulder Colorado? I wonder how many other times members of the BPD had been left in similar circumstances as Linda Arndt had been on 12/26/96? Poor decision making by upper management! How long had this type of mis-management been going on? I can imagine the frustration of working in such an environment. I think that working under those circumstances for ANY LENGTH of time, might make SOMEONE SNAP, and do almost anything in order to get out of such a SCREWED UP...WORK SITUATION. DISTRESS.....Being a cop without competant superiors to help enforce laws meant to protect people. People will do crazy things to relieve the anxiety that the stressful events in their lives produce. Some even get DESPERATE enough to HURT others in order to RELIEVE their own STRESS. [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 35. "Oh, Tweety, dear...." Posted by Policedog on 10:31:39 5/12/2000 NOTE: This message was last edited 10:31:39, 5/12/2000 Hang on tight to that limb you're so far out on. I think it's gonna snap anyway, though. You are really stretching here. [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 34. "tweety" Posted by canadiana on 09:38:17 5/12/2000 NOTE: This message was last edited 09:38:17, 5/12/2000 what? sorry you lost me there... [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ] 37. "Arndt aren't talking" Posted by Seashell on 13:17:36 5/12/2000 In ST's book, she's made out to be a fruitloop. Is that becuz she is or becuz her theory is 180 degrees away from his? She and Smit certainly liked those cozy private chats with the "umbrella people." [ REMOVE ] [ ALERT ] [ EDIT ] [ REPLY ] [ REPLY WITH QUOTE ] [ TOP ] [ MAIN ]