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The Baker File

By K.C. Johnson

[updated] From Ray Gronberg's article in this morning's H-S:Notes officials took from Mayor Bill Bell's regularly scheduled Wednesday morning meetings with City Manager Patrick Baker, for example, show the two discussed the case every week after reports surfaced that police took DNA samples from team members [3-23-06] to the time grand juries indicted the three players [5-15-06].But save for that bare acknowledgment, they don't document the substance of those conversations.Former City Manager and current City Attorney Baker must have received his information about the case from someone in the Police Department. Who kept him informed each and every week? What did they tell him? What did he say in response? What orders, if any, did he give to cover up evidence of misconduct?Some other questions, based on the timeline above:When did Baker learn that the Police Department had allowed Mike Nifong to take over supervision of the investigation (3-24-06)? How did he react?When did Baker learn that Supervisor Nifong had ordered police to run a third lineup (3-31-06), only this time violating their own procedures and confining the lineup to suspects? How did he react?When did Baker learn that even though Crystal Mangum had "identified" people in this lineup (4-4-06), the police didn't even consider her "identification" serious enough to seek a search warrant for the rooms of the "suspects" before police went to the grand jury (4-17-06)? How did he react?When did Baker learn of Supervisor Nifong's decision to hire an outside DNA firm (4-5-06)? How did he react?Was Baker informed of the 4-10-06 meeting in which the DNA lab director passed on news of unidentified male DNA in Crystal Mangum's rape kit? If so, how did he react? If not, what was he told about this meeting?Did Baker's DPD liaison inform him of the evidence Ron Hodge claimed to possess when he told MSNBC on 4-11-06 that the DPD had strong evidence against the players?When was Baker informed that the DPD had waited three weeks before taking a statement from Crystal Mangum (4-6-06)? How did he react?When was Baker informed that Kim Roberts' statement (3-22-06) had contradicted Mangum's in every respect? How did he react?When was Baker informed that despite the requirement that a NTO be obtained only against those who authorities had a reasonable belief could have committed the crime, the police had actually obtained an NTO against Brad Ross, who provided police with evidence (4-12-06) that he wasn't even in Durham on the night of the party? How did he react?When was Baker informed that Cpl...continue to full post

Full post as published by Durham-in-Wonderland on August 06, 2008 (boomark / email).