J/K, don't get your panties in a wad. I only mean that most of them are.
See, I present you incontrovertible proof (highlighted for your speedreading pleasure):
07/18/2003
By LEE HANCOCK and ROBERT DODGE / The Dallas Morning News
Surprising Waco police and his attorney, former Baylor basketball player Carlton Dotson voluntarily submitted to questioning Thursday about the disappearance of teammate Patrick Dennehy, authorities said.
Mr. Dotson, who has faced mounting scrutiny after police labeled him a "person of interest," contacted the sheriff's department near his home in Dorchester County, Md., and asked to be taken to department headquarters to give a statement.
Mr. Dotson's motives remained unclear late Thursday, and his Florida lawyer and Texas investigators scrambled for much of the afternoon to learn what he might be doing and saying. His family told his attorney that he wanted to talk after being unable to sleep for several days.
Sgt. Ryan Holt, a spokesman for Waco police, said Friday morning that detectives there are reviewing the transcripts of Mr. Dotson's appearance, but that releasing any details from that conversation "would not be productive."
Waco police are still treating Mr. Dennehy's disappearance as a missing person's case. "From our point of view, nothing has changed since last night's discussion with Mr. Dotson," Sgt. Holt said. "One of our detectives will be in the area in the Northeast within the next 24 hours. Whether or not he will talk to Mr. Dotson, I don't know."
Sgt. Holt also revealed that a Glock 9mm revolver had been found in South Waco on Thursday near the apartment of Baylor basketball player Harvey Thomas, who recently transferred from Fredericksburg, Va. Sgt. Holt said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was testing the weapon and reviewing records to see if there is any link to weapons known to have been purchased by Mr. Dennehy before he vanished.
In Cambridge, Md., the county sheriff, James Phillips, said Mr. Dotson talked to officers and an FBI agent for about two hours before leaving with his high school basketball coach, avoiding reporters by going through a side exit.
"We are just listening," the sheriff said about the session, but he did not provide details.
He said Mr. Dotson is "not a suspect. He is not wanted by any police department. ... There will be no charges based on what happened here tonight."
Later, Mr. Dotson was with his attorney, Grady Irvin Jr. of Florida, said Vic Burns, Mr. Dotson's high school coach.
Mr. Burns would not say where they were, but he acknowledged that he had met with the player.
Speaking outside his Salisbury, Md., house, about three hours after Mr. Dotson spoke with authorities, Mr. Burns said he didn't "know why he went to the police station."
Mr. Burns said his discussions with Mr. Dotson did not cover the particulars of the case. "I don't even want to know. When we talk, we do not talk about any of it," he said. "If anything did happen, I would still love this kid."
He said he empathized with the player who led his team to a 1999 championship. "No one would be happy with something like this," the coach said.
Mr. Dotson's actions, the latest twist in a case that has drawn national attention, come a week after his lawyer said his client would refuse to talk to police unless ordered to do so by a judge.
Mr. Irvin issued a news release Thursday afternoon stating that his office had learned only an hour before "that Mr. Dotson contacted authorities on his own initiative. ...We are not aware of any wrongdoing which has taken place on his part in relation to the disappearance of Patrick Dennehy."
According to Sgt. Ryan Holt, Waco police spokesman, sheriff's deputies said Mr. Dotson had arrived at their facility and "was wishing to talk with detectives about this case." He said a lengthy transcript from the Maryland department would be sent to Waco authorities Thursday night, and "we're going to have to [go] over and evaluate what he said. That's the next step."
Police consider Mr. Dennehy, 21, a missing person but are also investigating the case as a possible homicide. A 6-foot-10, 230-pound forward, he hasn't been heard from since June 14 when he spoke by telephone with a friend in Arlington. They arranged to get together, but Mr. Dennehy never showed. His sport utility vehicle was found June 25, abandoned without its license plates in Virginia Beach, Va.
Tipster accusations
Mr. Dotson has been accused by a police tipster of having shot Mr. Dennehy after an argument. His estranged wife has also told police that Mr. Dotson showed up in her hometown of Sulphur Springs driving Mr. Dennehy's SUV and took her to dinner June 12, the last day Mr. Dennehy was seen attending Baylor classes, according to her father, Sulphur Springs Police Chief Jim Bayuk.
Mr. Dotson, who left the basketball team in April and went back to his hometown in mid-June, has not been charged. Mr. Dotson spoke with the lead detective in the case in late June, after Mr. Dennehy's SUV was discovered in Virginia.
No counsel present
His attorney's statement said the 21-year-old apparently "opted not to have counsel present" when he contacted Maryland authorities.
It said that one of Mr. Dotson's relatives called Mr. Irvin's office to tell the lawyer what was happening about five minutes before Mr. Dotson submitted himself to police.
Mr. Irvin had talked with Mr. Dotson by cellphone that morning, and "again while he was sitting in one of the sheriff's office's unmarked vehicles."
"Our office is unaware of what Mr. Dotson will say to authorities, but a family relative has stated that Carlton has not slept for several days," the statement said, adding that Mr. Dotson "is a praying person, and speaks often of God and his love of Jehovah."
Mr. Burns said he had previously planned a social call with Mr. Dotson in the morning, but the player didn't telephone to confirm. A call came later in the day.
"I love the kid. It is tough on him, and it is tough on his family. His life is practically ruined," Mr. Burns said. "The kid hasn't been charged with anything."
A call to Mr. Dotson's cellphone on Thursday afternoon was answered by the following message: "Yo. You've reached Dotty, and, obviously, my phone is off. I just don't want to talk to you. Leave your name and your number, and I might just holler back at you."
A woman who wouldn't identify herself at the house north of Hurlock where Mr. Dotson was reared would not comment and hung up the phone.
Mr. Dennehy's stepfather, Brian Brabazon of Carson City, Nev., learned about Mr. Dotson's decision from reporters Thursday.
"We're hoping for good news, but right now, Pat's mom and I have pretty heavy hearts," he said, his voice breaking into a sob.
Sulphur Springs Police Chief Bayuk said he was encouraged by Mr. Dotson's decision to speak with police. He said he has been urging his stepdaughter for weeks to tell Mr. Dotson, her estranged husband, to "tell what happened."
"He knows something," Chief Bayuk said. "Maybe the good Lord finally convinced him it was time."
In Albuquerque, N.M., Mr. Dennehy's girlfriend, Jessica De La Rosa, said she hopes Mr. Dotson has "information that helps us find Patrick."
Ms. De La Rosa, a student-athlete at the University of New Mexico, where Mr. Dennehy played before transferring to Baylor, said that she spoke with Mr. Dotson after Mr. Dennehy disappeared and said she knew "he was scared of something," although he wasn't more specific.
Baylor athletic spokesman Scott Stricklin said: "We are not aware of this development and hope the police will be able to resolve this in a timely manner. We're not going to speculate on what might be happening. We want the authorities to do their job."
Baylor basketball coach Dave Bliss was unavailable for comment.
Last week, Mr. Bliss said his coaches were aware that Mr. Dennehy had complained about someone breaking into his car and apartment. But the coach disputed accounts from Mr. Dennehy's friends and family who said the athlete had also complained about being stalked and feeling threatened and bought guns as protection.
John Cunningham, a Baylor speech communication professor who had Mr. Dennehy and Mr. Dotson in classes during the last academic year, said Thursday that he talked to Mr. Dotson on July 4, a few days after Mr. Dotson stopped talking to reporters.
"I just called to tell him I was praying for him," Mr. Cunningham said from Waco. "I knew he was going to be bombarded with calls regarding the case, but I just wanted to call and show him support.
"He said he was doing as well as could be expected. He didn't sound like he knew what was going on. He sounded legitimately concerned about finding [Mr. Dennehy]."
Cellphone use
Mr. Dotson's decision to talk to police came a day after Mr. Dennehy's girlfriend told The Dallas Morning News that someone continued using Mr. Dennehy's phone several days after he was last seen or heard from.
Mr. Brabazon, Mr. Dennehy's stepfather, said Thursday that police told him they were seeking a court order to obtain information from the cellphone service provider to try to determine which mobile towers might have picked up the signal from Mr. Dennehy's phone during those calls.
Actually, I'm just curious if anyone knows the story behind this, was this guy raised a witness? Also, please tell me whether he is the murderer or not.