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THE FRANKLIN COVER-UP -- CHILD ABUSE, SATANISM, AND MURDER IN NEBRASKA |
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CHAPTER 8: "SOMEBODY HAS TO TELL THE STORY" Caradori did find victims who would talk. Four of them allowed him to videotape their stories, in nearly 30 hours of sessions during late 1989 and early 1990. These interviews contained detailed allegations of sexual abuse, drug usage, pornography and other crimes by prominent Omaha citizens. Implicated, among others, were individuals already named by Nelly and Kimberly Webb, Brenda Parker, and Loretta Smith, as abusers or pornographers: Rusty Nelson, Deward Finch, Larry King. What these victim-witnesses related became the central matter of the Franklin case, but nobody except for a few law enforcement personnel, state senators, and grand jury members has viewed the Caradori tapes. Snippets were aired on television in Omaha. With their contents largely unpublicized, the tapes became a target of speculation and denunciation, rumor and doubt. The interviews are reported here for the first time in considerable detail. The excerpts that follow are from Caradori's written precis of the interviews, which include his notes on discrepancies in the testimony, corroborative details, and ideas for follow-up investigation. *** On October 30, 1989, Gary Caradori and his assistant Karen Ormiston went to the Women's Reformatory in York, Nebraska, to interview 21-year-old Alisha Owen, who was incarcerated there on a bad-check conviction. Caradori had had Owen's name on file for some months, as a potential lead. He noted in his daily report for October 30: Ms. Owens [sic] was informed of the purpose of our visit and was asked for her cooperation in the matter. Ms. Owens indicated, after a three-hour interview, that she had been heavily involved with various individuals in Omaha, including former members of the Franklin Credit Union. She indicated that she was also involved with other minors involved in pornography and homosexual acts involving various people in Omaha. Several of the individuals she mentioned were Alan Baer, Harold Andersen, and also former Police Chief Robert Wadman, who had participated in many parties. It should be noted that Alisha also indicated that Mr. Wadman is a pedophile. Contrary to impressions that the Omaha World-Herald tried to convey, Alisha Owen not only did not seek out Caradori, but she told him only a fraction of the story at that first meeting. As she later described to the legislative Franklin committee, she was extremely reluctant to get involved at all. After Caradori left, she contacted the prison psychiatrist, who directed her to Superintendent Lawrence Wayne. He advised her to tell the truth and to cooperate with the Franklin committee. Caradori's daily notes for November 4, 1989 record what happened next: Upon arriving from out-of-state on the above date, this writer received word that Alisha Owens had called this writer in an attempt to reach me regarding a meeting that I had conducted with her previously. Upon receiving this information, arrangements were made to speak with Alisha by telephone. ... Alisha went on to state that she did not relate to me all of her experiences during the first time that we had met because she was "unsure" of this writer. She stated that she now wanted to come forward with the information that she had previously withheld. Specifically, she indicated that she was one of the minors involved in flights to other states, and she knew of other minors who were on these flights also. On November 7, Caradori and Ormiston proceeded to York prison and took a sworn video statement from Alisha. The taping lasted from 11:38 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. In addition to the video record, Caradori made an annotated transcript, which is excerpted here. Alisha Owens [sic] After pursuing many leads, on October 30, 1989, this writer contacted Alisha Owens at the Women's Reformatory in York Nebraska. I spoke with Alisha for approximately three hours, during which time she indicated that she had been heavily involved in pornographic and sexual activity with various individuals in Omaha, including former personnel of the Franklin Credit Union. During this discussion with Ms. Owens she initially indicated that homosexual activities also occurred involving Alan Baer, Harold Anderson (sic] and Robert Wadman. It should be noted that Ms. Owens remitted this information without being directly questioned about these specific individuals. ... Following is the information gained from Alisha during the videotaped statement (of Nov. 7]. During the course of the statement, Alisha stated that she first became involved with Larry King in August of 1983. Alisha was 14 years old at this time. She indicated that she met Larry King through some boys from Boys' Town, among them Mark Powers*. Mark had invited her to a party that next Friday night. This first party was held in August of 1983 at a Twin Towers penthouse. Alisha arrived with Troy Boner and Mark Powers at approximately 10:00 p.m. in a car that Troy was driving. Present when they arrived at the party were Larry King, Bob Wadman, Alan Baer, Harold Anderson, and other adults that Alisha did not identify at this time. ... Alisha estimated that there were approximately six adults and 20 minors. Mark Powers had told Alisha prior to going to the party that there would be marijuana, alcohol, and so much cocaine available at this party that "she would think it's snowing." ... Alisha stated that the party was held at Alfie Allen's apartment in this building. ... There was a "professionally made" pornographic tape showing portraying two males, approximately age 17, engaging in homosexual acts. Alisha observed Larry King and Larry (Last name unknown [Lnuk], black youth) going into one of the bedrooms. She observed later when the black youth emerged from the bedroom that he was tucking in his shirt and fastening his pants. Alisha also observed Alfie Allen going in and out of the bedroom numerous times. She observed a young boy approximately 14 years old sitting on Harold Anderson's lap. She then observed this boy and Harold Anderson going into one of the bedrooms. Alisha observed Alan Baer using "two lines" of cocaine and smoking marijuana. ... A young boy was sitting on Harold Anderson's lap with his pants undone. He was stroking the child's penis. The name of the child is unknown. ... A third party occurred on the 21st or 22nd of September, 1983, at the same Twin Towers apartment. Alisha had turned 15 on September 18th. Present at this party were Troy Boner, Alan Baer, Robert Wadman, Mark Powers, Larry King, Larry (Lnuk), Danny King, and Harold Anderson. Harold Anderson was "with" Danny King. On the above evening, Robert Wadman told Alisha that she was pretty and asked her if she was wearing anything underneath her clothing. He asked her if she was wearing a bra. Sometime around 10:00 to 12:00 p.m., she was sitting on his lap. He indicated to Alisha that he knew she wasn't a virgin and he then felt her breasts. He told her that she had nice breasts. He felt her genitals and unzipped the zipper to the jumpsuit she was wearing. She asked him to stop and he grabbed her wrist very tightly and twisted her wrist. He then removed her clothing and asked her if she knew what fellatio was. He said that he would show her what it was. He then instructed her to perform oral sex. Robert Wadman's pants and underwear were down. He pinched her on the breasts. She was kneeling on a cushion on the floor and he was stroking her hair and her breasts, while she was performing oral sex, and he was also grabbing her head and forcing her to perform oral sex on him. ... After this sexual activity, she began to cry and went to the bathroom where she vomited. Wadman then told her that he would buy her a new dress. ... While at the French Cafe, Wadman gave her this dress and said that he wanted to show her the wine cellar. ... She removed her clothing and put on the dress. He said that she would look better without the dress so she took off the dress and he removed her panties and sat her on top of a table and spread her legs. He then began touching her and she was crying because she was afraid that he would rape her. He masturbated and ejaculated on her. When he ejaculated, she physically drew back which made Wadman very angry ... She stated that during parties sexual encounters would occur between adult males and minor males. Usually present at these "parties" were Larry King, Robert Wadman, Gene Mahoney, Alan Baer, Peter Citron, Harold Anderson, and the superintendent of a school. ... She told me that a photograph was taken of her at a later party while she was tied up. It is probable that the photograph was taken by Rusty Nelson. She describes Rusty Nelson as having blond hair, average build, approximately 27 years old, and that he has acne scars on his face. ... Reference group sex, photos were taken of the group sex encounters by Larry King and the photographer, Rusty Nelson. She mentions that her hands were handcuffed and her feet were tied up. ... She said that Alan Baer "cruises" the Old Market area for young boys, then takes them back to his office where he has them run naked on a treadmill while he watches them. This has been corroborated by Troy Boner who did perform this activity for Alan Baer. ... She states that she witnessed a young boy sitting on Bob Wadman's lap at a party and that he had his hands between the boy's legs. ... She also discussed the activities of Harold Anderson. She said that he likes young boys and that his "regular" boy is named Jeremy (Last name unknown) and that he was approximately 14 years old when she witnessed them together. She said that Harold Anderson gives money to boys and that she has seen young boys performing oral sex on him. She stated that she has witnessed Danny King performing oral sex on him. ... I asked her to elaborate on the superintendent she mentioned as attending the "parties." She said that he lives approximately 40 miles from Omaha, is gay, older, balding, has bad teeth, and stands approximately 6'. She stated that this individual had sex with Troy Boner at the Twin Towers apartment and that he gave money to Troy for this. ... Corroboration: You will later see that another witness, Danny King, identifies Deward Finch, former superintendent of the Fort Calhoun High School as an individual who he had sex with on many occasions. He also fits the description as related by Alisha. Other information from Alisha was that Troy Boner and Danny King were taken to Council Bluffs by adult males for sexual purposes. Corroboration: Troy Boner and Danny King related these events in detail in their respective videotaped statements ... Alisha also describes a forced sexual encounter which occurred at the French Cafe in August of 1985. Present were five boys from Boys Town, Tom McKinney (sic], and Judge Theodore Carlson, among others. Larry (Lnuk) told her that "someone is waiting downstairs and you'd better be good." She performed oral sex on Judge Carlson, and the encounter lasted approximately 20 minutes. ... It should be mentioned at this time that the individual identified as Larry (Lnuk) is known as Larry King's "henchman". I have been unable to determine his last name. It wasn't usual for the individuals in this group to divulge their last names, and it was also common to use aliases. ... Please note that Alisha became very upset when discussing her sexual activities with Bob Wadman, and with other individuals. The video was stopped several times so that she could compose herself. She said that Wadman had told her that Larry King "owes him a lot" and that "he had done a lot for Larry King." ... She said that she was told that [Omaha Mayor] P.J. Morgan supplies a lot of drugs. ... Alisha took numerous plane trips at the direction of Larry King for sexual purposes. These trips include trips to Los Angeles, Kansas City, Pasadena, CA. On these flights were other minors. Information regarding these flights is as follows: ... Private Flights: The first private flight that Alisha was on occurred in March of 1984. ... The plane landed at a small airport in California. ... Upon their arrival, Danny and Alisha were taken to an Embassy Suites type motel, and two businessmen came into their room. One man had sex with Danny, and one man had sex with Alisha. They received no money. Please note that she said that Larry King had ordered her to take this trip. The man that Alisha had sex with she describes as "extremely weird." He hurt her, forced her to have anal sex, slapped her and threw her around. He took out a knife and threatened her if she didn't perform oral sex on him, and threatened to cut off her nipples. She was afraid and crying. She stated that when the men finally left, that they were both very upset. She described Danny as being very upset and angry. Their ordeal with these two men lasted approximately six hours. Also, they were both afraid to take a shower for fear that the men would come back. ... Corroboration: Troy indicates in his video statement that Alisha, after this ordeal, was extremely upset and "smelled" and was a "mess". ... When Alisha was asked who participated and who was aware of the transportation of kids across state lines for sexual purposes, she said that Larry King and Alan Baer were aware of this. It is probable that other adults were also aware of this. She stated that Bob Kerry [sic] knew about these activities and that Larry (Lnuk) had told her this. Larry (Lnuk) also indicated that Bob Kerry knew about the closing of the Franklin Credit Union before it fell. Other issues discussed regarding Bob Kerry consisted of Alisha's statements that she had a friend who works for Dixon and Dixon law firm who is responsible for maintaining the keys to the file room. Her name is Jackie Compton, and she has told Alisha that there are various documents with Bob Kerry's signature on them that relate to the Commonwealth ordeal. This is explained in detail in the first video taped statement. ... Alisha discusses the friendship between Judge Carlson and Tom McKinney, Assistant Douglas County Attorney. ... She stated that McKinney and Carlson are also involved in drug activity. ... She also knows Peggy* West, the daughter of Gary West who is a good friend of Larry King's. She said that Peggy may have also been exploited and/or is aware of these activities. She is also acquainted with Gary West and indicated that he is a bartender at the Max Bar in Omaha. When questioned about satanic cult activity, she said that Troy Boner and Danny King were involved in this activity, and that at one time Danny King was extremely "anti-God." ... She also mentioned a house on Leavenworth where there is, or was, a pentagram drawn on the kitchen floor. She also saw satanic pictures on the walls of this house. ... In addition she stated that she saw Bob Wadman coming out of this house on one occasion. Corroboration: Loretta Smith mentioned that a person actively involved in cult activity was a male identified as Kings Horses. She [Alisha] said that Larry (Lnuk) who was/is Larry King's "henchman" is known as Kings Horses. She also indicated that she knows an individual identified as James Teddy Broom. She describes him as black, with greasy hair, a flat nose, slitted eyes, and that he "walks funny." Said that he does the "dirty work" for Larry (Lnuk). Corroboration: Loretta indicates that Teddy Broom was instrumental in satanic cult activity, and threatened her if she said anything about what happened at the meetings. Loretta Smith also indicated that Teddy Broom raped her mother, Jackie Smith*, as a warning to her. ... She knows an individual named Frank Kessler who she thought was "very strange" and who always talked about the occult, but wanted to get out of it. You will also see a transcript of a taped interview from Lisa Sutherland*, who discussed satanic activity and teenage prostitution in Omaha. She too mentions Frank Kessler as being involved in cult activity. She also knew of a social worker identified as Florence Davis who may be associated with this group of people. She stated that Larry King could "get anybody out of anything" by offering them bogus jobs. It is also possible that Florence Davis may be involved in "funneling kids" into certain foster homes. See a transcribed interview with Millie Boggs* the Director for the Omaha Children's Home for further information regarding Florence Davis. ... Caradori filed a back-up report for this part of the precis, entitled "Taped conversation with Gary A. Caradori and Millie Boggs." GC: But I'm also interested in when I asked you about what's her name, she was living "high on the hog." MB: Florence Davis? GC: Florence Davis. MB: See, I'm not. ... Let me tell you a little bit about what I know about Florence. I mean, Florence just used to be a line worker. I mean she was a worker like I am. GC: I want you to talk about that because her name has come up. Just because a person's name has come up doesn't make you guilty either. MB: No. GC: And maybe it came up because she had the position at the time. And doggone it, I'm going to get her pulled on the carpet and have her explain herself from back then. MB: You 'II never get her back here. GC: A subpoena might bring her back. MB: Well maybe. I hear she's in San Francisco. I don't know. All of a sudden one day she was just there and the next day she's gone. And nobody can understand how Florence gave up this good job being a supervisor which would, I think had always been her goal ... In late June of 1983 I attended a meeting at the state with Florence Davis, the McArthur children's worker, and Lloyd Linquist, the permanency planner. Basically, the purpose of this meeting was to tell me that the state would not change their minds and that they felt they were in a better position to judge what the McArthur children needed, and that they were going to proceed with adoptive plans of placing the children with the Webb family in Fort Calhoun. A few days later I went with Florence Davis to the Webb home, as Florence thought I would feel better about the placement if l had the opportunity to meet the Webbs. Quite to the contrary, after meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Webb, I was more concerned than ever as I did not feel that this was a proper home for these three children ... Something that I think is extremely suspicious is that about the time that the King mess was surfacing, Florence Davis suddenly left the state, almost overnight, and supposedly is living in California. A short time later, Lloyd Linquist went on sick leave and was gone for many months. And then about the time he was to return, he also resigned. While he was on leave I understand that he took a trip to Tahiti. I think personally that Lloyd Linquist and Florence Davis know a lot about the situation regarding the abuse of these children and they should be found and questioned. ... One time when Florence was working for the state, I believe before she became a supervisor, I noticed that she declared bankruptcy while she was living in her new condo and had her new car. However, after that whenever I would see Florence it seemed like she was dressed extremely well and did not appear to have any monetary worries, although I am not a friend of Florence's and I did nothing with her socially. Lloyd Linquist also was impeccably dressed, although someone told me that he had only rented a room at the Grace Bible Institute and actually didn't even have an apartment. ... I thought it was interesting that Lloyd could take trips to Europe which I know that he did in the years that he was a permanency planner, and other exotic vacations on the salary that he was paid by NDSS. Caradori' s summary of the testimony from Alisha resumed: During the second video taped statement, [Alisha] again discussed the pornography aspect of this case. She said that Rusty Nelson develops his own photographs and that he would more than likely have the negatives of the group and individual pornographic photos, possibly to blackmail Larry King at a later date. She reiterated that Rusty Nelson and Larry King would "direct" these photographic sessions. She said that she would cry and try to get out of participating in these sessions, but she would be "slapped around" if she didn't participate. ... She also states that Alfie Allen had been given a Mercedes Benz by Larry King, and that Alfie was very upset when the money stopped coming in because of the closing of the Franklin Credit Union. ... She again discussed the parentage of her child. She said that she is 99.9 percent sure that her child is Bob Wadman's, and that conception occurred in August of 1984. She had sexual intercourse with him on August 8th, August 10th, August 17th, and August 22nd. All of these sexual encounters occurred at the Starlight Motel, with the exception of August 10th which occurred at the Twin Towers apartment. ... Caradori recommended 62 individuals and documents to be subpoenaed on the basis of Alisha Owen's testimony. He finished the precis with a list of alleged perpetrators, named by her: 1. Larry King *** Owen provided Caradori the name of Troy Boner as a victim-witness who could testify on the same events. After beginning a search for Boner, Caradori received a telephone call from him at 4:40 a.m. on November 25, 1989. From 4:30 p.m. later that same day, until 10:22 p.m., Troy Boner told his story. Troy Boner ... Troy then stated that he met Larry King in July of 1984. He stated that Alan Baer had talked to Larry King about him, so Larry King approached him in July of 1984 in The Max Bar and grabbed Troy's crotch. ... Since it was apparent that Troy had met Alan Baer before meeting Larry King, I asked him when he first met Alan Baer. He said that he first met him in August of 1983 through a friend of his named Tim Prescott*. He said that Tim picked him up in Alan Baer's car and told him how he could make some money. Tim took Troy to Alan Baer's residence in the Twin Towers which Troy stated was apartment #201. ... He said that he knew he was there so Alan Baer could get acquainted with him, and so he could make some money. He thought that he would let Alan Baer perform oral sex on him for him because Tim Prescott had told him what the "arrangements" would be. ... He said that he walked back to Alan Baer's apartment later that afternoon at Alan Baer's request. Alan met him at the door in a yellow Ralph Lauren bathrobe. Alan Baer asked him to get undressed. (Troy stated that he thought he was going to get $50.00.) He started undressing in the hallway and Alan Baer asked him to go into the bedroom. Alan Baer then got undressed and a sexual encounter ensued, including mutual masturbation and oral sex. After this sexual encounter, they took a shower together and he received $400.00 in fifty-dollar bills. Alan Baer told him to call him that next Tuesday. Troy met with Alan Baer again five days later, after Troy had called him from his residence in Council Bluffs to make the arrangements. Corroboration: Get the telephone records for his residence in Council Bluffs at this time. ... On February 5, 1984, Alan Baer took Troy and another young kid to Des Moines, Iowa. The other boy's name was Shawn (Lnuk) and he was approximately 12 to 13 years old. They drove to Des Moines in a tan Mercedes, which Troy thought might possibly be rented. They stayed at the Savoy Hotel in downtown Des Moines. Troy and Shawn stayed in the room at the hotel while Alan Baer attended some business meetings. The three of them had several sexual encounters while in the hotel. At one point, Troy left the hotel and upon returning found Alan Baer asleep holding Shawn. Troy's mother had filed a missing persons report while he was in Des Moines. He then called the mother of his girlfriend and had her pick him up in Des Moines. He left without Alan Baer's knowledge. Corroboration: Check for a tan Mercedes possibly leased/rented to Alan at this time. Check to see if Loni Boner did file a missing persons report at that time. Who was Troy's girlfriend at that time? Check her and her mother to see if they did pick up Troy in Des Moines. Check the hotel records at the Savoy Hotel for that time period. ... In July of 1984 Troy was approached by Larry King at the Max Bar. Larry knew what Troy looked like from the pictures he had received from Alan Baer. Larry King grabbed his crotch while at the bar. Please note that he was a minor at this time. ... Larry King then had Troy move into the Travel Lodge Inn. ... During this three weeks, Larry would stop by at various times, usually in the afternoon, for sex with him. They would perform oral sex on each other, and Larry King performed anal sex on Troy. Larry King also wanted Troy to urinate on him in the bathtub, which he did. ... In May of 1985 he (Troy] talked with Danny King about how Danny could make some money. Danny initially objected and said he did not want to get involved, but he later changed his mind. Troy had also told Alan Baer about Danny King. Troy then took Danny to Alan's apartment at the Twin Towers during which time Alan Baer asked Danny some questions about himself. Alan Baer then told him [Troy] to leave. He waited for approximately three hours before Danny came out of the apartment, and Danny showed him $300 that he said Alan Baer had given him. Danny said no sexual activity went on, but Troy stated that he later found out that Alan had anal sex with Danny. In June or July of 1985, he went to a party where a 15-year old boy was in the center of the room with his pants down. An adult male was inserting beads into the young boy's rectum. Other adult men were seated around the young boy masturbating. Troy was ordered at this party to play with the young boy's genitals. He stated that he thought the adult male who was inserting the beads into the young boy's rectum was a police officer. An individual named Mark* (Last name unknown) had told him that this adult male was a police officer. The alleged police officer masturbated on the young boy in the center of the room. ... Troy also stated that an individual he identified as P.J. Morgan was there, also masturbating while the young boy was being exploited in the middle of the floor. ... He stated that he met Alisha Owens in February or March of 1984. He stated that Alisha did lose her virginity with him, and that he did introduce her to Bob Wadman at a party held in an office in the Woodmen Tower. ... When asked for further information about Bob Wadman, he stated that he likes to have sex with young kids and that in addition to Alisha Owens, there was another young girl he was involved with identified as having the last name of Hovel*, who was a runaway from Chicago. He stated that the last time he saw this girl was in May of 1986. He stated that although he did not take any trips with Wadman, that Wadman did take trips with Larry King. ... He said that [the] reason he went on this flight was to have sex with an individual named Ron Gilbert. He stated that Ron Gilbert is a movie producer for a television series. He stated that he received no money for having sex with Ron Gilbert, and that he and Larry King also had sex while on this trip. ... The next trip occurred in a private plane to California. Present were Troy, Danny King, Alisha Owens, two smaller kids. and Larry King. ... he said that he knew Danny and Alisha were going to be used for sexual purposes, even though neither one of these individuals wanted to go. The two smaller unidentified kids got dropped off by Larry King and Troy at two different locations. He stated that he believes that these two kids were "sold." ... He stated that Ron Gilbert, the television producer from California, is also involved in making pornographic movies. He described Ron Gilbert as an older, Jewish man. Troy also discusses Robert Andreson [sic] having a collection of pornographic photographs. He feels that this individual works for Union Pacific Railroad and that he lives in La Vista, NE. ... He also stated that the following individuals supplied illegal drugs:
Larry King Troy also stated that Bob Wadman brought two grams of cocaine to the party in North Omaha. ... Troy stated that Claire (Lnuk), Alan Baer's secretary, would set up "appointments" with kids for Alan Baer. He described Claire as an older woman, petite, with gray hair that she wore in a bun. Troy stated that Claire knew who he was. He stated that Larry King and Bob Wadman and a couple of other men took a trip somewhere and with them were two young boys. He stated that the two young boys did not return from the trip. ... When asked what other kids were involved in these activities, he stated the following:
Rusty (Lnuk) On December 4, 1989 and December 5, 1989, I took Troy to the Omaha, Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, Iowa, areas in order to identify the various locations he made statements about in his videotaped statement. See Exhibit PH-1 for the photographs and his identification of these locations. See T-18 for the daily reports covering these two days. On December 22, 1989, I videotaped Troy again for corrections that he wanted to make reference certain details in his first video taped statement. ... It is recommended that the following individuals and/ or documents be subpoenaed reference the statements and allegations made by Troy BONER. [60 names and references are listed.]
Perpetrators : *** On December 3, Caradori taped a third victim-witness. Danny King This writer telephoned Danny King at the Residence Inn and, along with staff member Karen J. Ormiston, proceeded to this facility ... At approximately 9:32 a.m. the interview began with James Daniel King in room 422 at the Residence Inn. Please note that approximately five hours of video was completed. It was quite apparent to this writer that it was very difficult for Danny to divulge the events of his past. ... It is apparent that there are some discrepancies between the statement of Alisha Owens and that of Danny King, however this writer feels that Danny was heavily involved with drugs during this time period and wasn't quite sure as to certain details. As a matter of fact, Danny did not know what month follows December. ... At this time, Danny indicated that he was relieved and wanted to "go forward." It is this writer's opinion that Danny is finally coming to grips with reality. He also indicated that this is the first time he was ever told anyone about the events that have happened to him. From Danny King's videotape: Danny said that he first met Alan Baer toward the end of 1983. This would have made Danny approximately 13 to 14 years old. He met Alan Baer through Troy Boner. ... Danny met with A approximately two weeks later. A and Danny drank schnapps and both participated in oral sex. Danny received 50.00 from A. The time was after school at approximately 5 p.m. He would have been 13 or 14. This occurred at A's residence. ... Danny then saw A for approximately seven months, every week. The same events would occur as stated above. ... In April of 1984 Danny met Larry King at A's residence. Cocaine was used by A and Danny. LK and Danny then went into the bedroom. Danny was lying on the bed and LK had anal sex with Danny. It hurt Danny and Danny made him stop. Danny then gave LK oral sex but spit LK's ejaculation. LK then hit Danny with a shoe on the side of the head because he did not swallow it. Danny received no money for this occurrence. ... At this time Danny started seeing A again and A introduced Danny to "shooting up" cocaine. A gave him a shot in the arm and Danny got sick. A shot up also. Both participated in oral sex and Danny received $50.00. ... Danny mentioned an individual named Larry, Jr. who is LK's righthand man. ... When shown photographs, Danny identified Deward Finch as being "Chuck" who Danny had engaged in sex with quite a few times.
Perpetrators: *** At a press conference on December 18, 1989, Senator Schmit announced that he had obtained videotaped testimony from three victim-witnesses in the Franklin case. It had been viewed by himself and the other members of the Franklin committee, Senators Bernice Labedz, Dan Lynch, Jerome Warner and Dennis Baack. "Members of our committee are dismayed," Schmit wrote in a letter to Attorney General Spire, released at the press conference, "by the fact that no state or federal investigative bodies interviewed any of these new witnesses we have, even though they were discovered by our investigative efforts after a fairly short time and with a very small budget. ... It is the opinion of all committee members that the activities described and the personalities involved scream out for action, whether statute of limitations problems are involved or not. ... As a result of the new evidence and new investigations, we have all become very, very concerned." Schmit expressed his personal inclination to release the tapes in toto, for the sake of "the safety of our witnesses" and a speedy investigation. He abided by the committee consensus, however, to hold them back. By December 1989, local, state and federal law enforcement had received copies of the videotapes of Alisha Owen, Troy Boner, and Danny King. Some officials, notably Douglas County Sheriff Dick Roth, said they believed the victim-witnesses. After watching five hours of the tapes, the Associated Press reported in February 1990, Roth "said he found the witnesses' statements to be credible." But there was no apparent move toward prosecutions.
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