Opinion ID: 1937428
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Appellant Initiates Conversation on His Criminal Conduct

Text: Burdened, apparently by his guilt, on November 20, 1986, Olson approached Lee, a counselor in the prison weight room locker area. Lee was changing clothes in preparation for a workout. They exchanged hellos, and Olson raised the topic of a former inmate, Dan Cady, who was involved in a rape case in Rapid City. Both Olson and Lee remarked on the stupidity of such an act. Lee, who counseled Olson, sometimes as often as three times a week, asked Olson: How is it going for you? Olson gave a negative answer which Lee considered unusual. Olson asked Lee: What would you or what would a staff member need to do if someone told them something bad that they had done? Would you need to report it? Lee testified at trial as to what happened next: I thought about it for a few minutes and I guess my response was something like, my personal rule is that if it affects the individual negatively and if it's potentially threatening or damaging to that person or someone else, then I would feel obligated to report it. In Lee's words, Olson carried on: Well, he [Olson] seemed to take a few minutes to kind of think things over a little bit. And then his remark was, well, this is something that's already happened, so, you know, I guess I can tell you. It's not going to hurt anyone. And then he said, can I trust you, and I said, well, if it goes along with what I told you before, that it's not potentially dangerous for you or for someone else, yes, you can tell me. Lee related that Olson then confessed: He [Olson] asked me if I read about the rape case that had been in the paper that week and I said, you mean the one in Monday's paper, and he said yes, that's the one. I said, yes, I read it. And he looked at me and he said, well, I did it. (emphasis supplied). Lee's response was disbelief, but Olson repeated his claim. Lee, knowing Olson was supposed to be in the prison cottage at the time the rape occurred, asked him how he could manage that. Olson remarked that it was not that difficult, and made references to the cottage schedule and a garbage pick-up. Lee testified that Olson then sensed Lee's difficulty in absorbing his bombshell, and the conversation changed into a discussion of treatment for Olson's problems. After a duration of 60-80 minutes, they separated, and Lee advised Olson that he would do nothing without talking to him again. Lee still could not believe what Olson had told him. He eventually went home and talked the matter over with his wife. He reread the newspaper article about the rape, and noticed that it indicated that the rape occurred in an apartment, whereas Olson had stated that it took place in a home. Lee decided that he needed more details to decide whether Olson was truthful and returned to the prison at 8:30 p.m. He found Olson cleaning up the administration building. They went back to the locker room and resumed their conversation. Lee said he needed more details. Olson asked Lee what he needed to know. Lee asked questions, and Olson answered, apparently quite willingly. Olson described the apartment as part of a home basement, described his journey from the cottage and back, and located the rape scene near the church he had escaped from in the Augustana area (newspaper accounts reported the crime scene only as an apartment in the southern part of the city). Regarding the rape itself, Olson related that he had threatened victim with a pen, but told her it was a knife, and admitted blindfolding her, making her unable to identify him. Olson made a specific reference to victim's thanking him for not hurting her. As the conversation continued, according to Lee, Olson became increasingly uncomfortable, and appeared to show remorse. The tenor of the conversation remained calm, however, and Lee did not become accusatory in manner. Lee informed Olson, midway through this talk, that he could not keep the matter to himself. Lee suggested that Olson speak to the warden, or duty-captain, or security personnel, but Olson was unwilling, and pleaded with Lee to give him time to consider his options. Lee agreed to simply advise the cottage security staff to keep a close watch on Olson that night. Olson and Lee then left, going their separate ways. Lee informed both the cottage security officer and duty officer at the penitentiary control room that Olson was upset. He asked them to watch him. The next morning, Lee went to the cottage and asked Sergeant Walters where Olson's room was. To Lee's amazement, Walters replied that Olson really did it this time by lying to Lee. Troy Haase, Olson's roommate at the cottage, reacted just as Walters had. Olson had already begun spreading a story that he had told this terrific lie to Lee. Lee, shortly thereafter, went to the warden's office and reported Olson's tale.