Opinion ID: 2621777
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Nick Albers-Clearwater County Sheriff (at all times relevant to this case)

Text: Albers testified to the following: he was called to the hospital on September 19, 1981, for what appeared to be a potential case of child abuse. From the beginning, he instructed his investigating team to find Stuart's past friends, family members, and acquaintances to obtain information about him. Because of Stuart's previous contact with the CCSO, Albers had the information necessary to request information from other law enforcement agencies in other states. Because Stuart was from Montana and because of an investigation involving Stuart and his son, Gene Lee, which mentioned Montana, investigators contacted agencies there. Because the CCSO had the information about a fugitive warrant from King County, Washington, they contacted agencies there. He also consulted with experts regarding child abuse in order to determine what questions to ask people being interviewed. Albers' testimony outlines the investigationhow it progressed, who they contacted, and when information was received. The CCSO had all of the information needed to immediately send out teletype requests to other agencies. The initial contact with King County was through a teletype dated September 19, 1981, at 10:40 p.m. Based on information given to them by Stuart and Miller in initial interviews, the CCSO contacted various locations in Montana on September 20, 1981. On September 24, 1981, a CCSO officer picked up a packet containing background information on Stuart from Ravally County, Montana. Albers points out that finding someone in rural Montana is not that difficult and working with small, rural law enforcement agencies means the officers usually know the people in town. An exhibit, a King County offense report, contains Theresa Jacobson's name. King County officers also helped the CCSO make contact with Vicki Nelson's mom, who helped set up a meeting with Vicki. Stuart and Miller gave information about Sheri Dally. The investigation proceeded naturallythe CCSO followed up on leads received from interviews and the information provided by other agencies. Their investigation led them to all three women.