URGatorBait;n81202 said:
Reading that article something stands out to me. From the beginning when they didn't know who the alleged rapist was, things seemed to go according to protocol. However, once she named Winston, everything changed.
This is the most interesting portion of the article as well.
Haven't read the article, but actually things didn't go by protocol from the beginning. ( but for the same reason- football program)
For instance, few things come to mind right away.
. She had identified that a man named Chris, who said he was the only freshman starter on the football team had handed her a drink shortly before all this happened, that she was going to meet him outside, and the next thing is she is having partial memories of being in taxi seeing his face , someone else (winston) in backseat, and she thinks someone else in front. Argulo could easily have known Chris's last name just from her description if he followed recruting and practices closely.
1. . Chris was identified as a football player. TPD policy was to alert the chief of police ( I am not sure if the new chief of police was in office then or if TPD was being investigated at that point, , but corruption within TPD is NOT a new theme in tallahassee and has been covered some in past by the tally democrat and also ABC 20 /20 (Rachel Hoffman death drug investigation) That is why the police chief was replaced. Tallydemocrat started its coverage of winston in 2013 by emplhasizing the TPD corruption angle because it was a reoccutring theme. By the 3rd article this line was shut down- by then I think SAO was also involved))
Argulo ignored this policy. I have no idea why. . But it is interesting as he DID inform other government people either then or when Winston was identified without notifying his boss as required.
2. The lead she gave them of Chris the freshman starter was not followed up- at all. That alone was not investigating. The UAA was probably notified but I don't have a clear memory of that. It has more recently been written somewhere that Argulo had been at winston and casher's apartment area talking to them previously.( maybe about an incident?) If that is true, then he already knew who Chris was and probably some of the other incidents he had already been involved in. This is if he didn't already know as a fan who chris was.
3. He did not go to Potbelly's to get videotape despite her and family repeatedly requesting it. ( although that should not have required a victim request or monitoring)
4. The taxi angle was not followed up. That was relevant at the beginning, not just after winston was identified.
5. He, especially as a very involved policeman fan, would have known where Chris the freshman starter lived from the other incidents Casher had already been involved in. Therefore he also had a lead of where the rape could have been, even though initially the young woman just had a partial memory of some scooter colors as they left. As the drug effects on memory wore off she started getting more images of the location and relayed them to Agrulo.
6. Argulo told her family, as he did later after winston was identified that interviewing Chris the freshman starter would tip the investigator's hand and limit the effectiveness of the investigation.
7. The lab specimens, while collected promptly, even soon enough to possibly reveal GHB- (which is reportedly a very narrow window) were mot sent to lab ( until 39 days after drawn).Not sure when the lab requests were dated now, but the TPD request did not show any check marks in the boxes for requesting tests for date rape drugs. I don't know if these were filled out before or after Winston was identified. The DNA samples were sent, but while there was an anal swab sample, there was no report on the results of that, one way or the other, for foreign DNA. ( at that point, all they could test for was for general foreign DNA) and if it was potentially identifiable) - I don't know if the lab, which I remember( correctly or not) as an FDLE lab, omitted the results or if they just did not appear in the report, but the lab request included an anal swab, and thee FDLE results, even results that could not be clearly identified, were given- except for that one. I will say, if it had not been for FDLE threats to TPD, to get a DNA sample from WInston later on, it might never have happened, and as it was TPD ignored it for months. This is my way of saying FDLE as an organization did not seem complicit in coverup, so I don't have a guess about the lack of result for the one DNA lab sample.
8. No attempt was made to get the cell phone of Chris the freshman whom she had identified as giving her a drink, arranging to meet her outside, and whose face she saw in the cab along with 1-2 other guys she didn't know plus the cab driver.
The first lead of Chris the freshman starter was handled similarly to the later lead of winston, which came when she recognized winston's face, after her central nervous system was more healed from the rape drug and when the trauma shock of the event ( also a nervous system, limbic system mediated response) was less strong.