This is a valid question. So here are the facts of the case.
As you know, I didn't steal any documents. As you posted, I "received" stolen documents. So- what happened?
First, I will say that the person who took the documents did so with non-malicious intent, as we know. He didn't take any physical Kingdom Hall property or vandalize the buildings. He targeted the documents that he felt should be exposed and in the hands of the police.
I think it was clear he wanted those documents not only turned over to the authorities, but also exposed in a way that would shed light on the JW "database" of documents related to child abuse.
By sending the documents to a whistleblower, he knew that 2 things would happen- the community would become aware of the documents, and that they would find their way into the hands of the police. Both of those things happened.
For reasons I won't go into here, the JW elders became aware of the missing documents, and suspected the person who took the documents, and promptly disfellowshipped him. He appealed this decision and the appeal was rejected by Jehovah's Witness headquarters in New York (CCJW).
Local elders in those congregations contacted law enforcement immediately and reported the stolen documents. By that time, some of the documents had been redacted and published on the Faith Leaks / Truth and Transparency website.
Law enforcement then contacted Truth and Transparency and questioned them about the stolen documents. Thier response to the police was to say "We don't know who took the documents, and even if we did we are under no obligation to report our sources."
The police accepted this explanation with no further concerns except for one thing- they wanted to know why the Jehovah's Witnesses were harboring documents about crimes in their community.
Later, after I had been able to make contact with some of the individuals mentioned in the documents, and around the time of the publication of the Atlantic article, I was able to contact police in Maine where many of the alleged crimes had occurred, and I turned over all documents related to those cases.
I worked with Law enforcement at length to ensure they understood these documents and all of the terminology and references in those documents. For example- there were extensive references to elders manuals, BOE letters, Watchtower articles and so forth.
After working with the police for quite some time, they were satisfied that they had sufficient cause to launch a criminal investigation, and that's what they did. The criminal investigation has been ongoing for nearly 2 years, and has finally resulted in a complete investigation. The process was stalled and delayed because of Covid, partly because there were an extensive number of interviews to conduct in multiple states, with multiple victims and alleged abusers.
I can now confirm that the case has been turned over to the District Attorney- and it is in their capable hands. Unfortunately they are backed up about a year because of Covid, so it may be some time before we see any charges filed, if they decide to formally file charges.
I feel very confident and comfortable in what has taken place. I went to the police, and there was never a question about why I had received these documents, and never a question about why someone removed them from congregations in Massachusetts and elsewhere. They were concerned with the crimes contained within the elders' notes, which was the priority.
While I do not advocate people breaking into Kingdom Halls, I will say that when people do such things for noble reasons, law enforcement understands that these are special circumstances that warrant special consideration.
I am forever grateful to "Judas and Jezebel" for their bravery in taking those documents and getting them to the right person. Not only do the police have the documents, but we have these documents to prove the extent of child abuse and child abuse records that are kept both in congregations and inside of Watchtower's headquarters.
[re-posted my reply since the original reply was missing a large amount of what I had posted]
