Rape Case

[retdetsgt]

The vicitm can't describe them or anything else.

Kinda makes you wonder if she met them AFTER she was drunk then.... If you stop and chat with some guys before you drink the beer, I'd think you'd be able to remember something about what they looked liked. However if you were already hammered........

I hate to be such a pessimist, but I've had so many where the victim did something really stupid and then came up with something out of a movie or comic book about how it happened. Without fail, it turned out they lied when it wasn't necessary and screwed up the case. If they'd been honest in the first place, we'd have had a case. In fact, in several I can recall off the top of my head, they were close to what you discribed..... Some guys slipped them ONE beer or drink that was drugged. As I got into the investigation, I learned they'd been drinking all night before they ever met the suspect.

[SERENAs UNIT]

GHB can wipe your memory out.

It'd probably be good for us all to take a refresher class on the stuff.

Especially since it seems that most officers have a hard time believing that the victim wasn't already smashed and/or that something like that simply can't happen.

No offense or meaning to be disrespectful, but GHB is a horrible AND VERY SCARY thing.

A lady can be perfectly sober, get GHB slipped into her FIRST drink & forget the whole evening from the time she started getting ready to go out. Trust me.

Kind of makes me think of the time I fell off of my horse onto the pavement late one evening, head first: I didn't remember eating breakfast that morning. The whole day was gone from my memory immediately.

Or, people who are in accidents, struck on the head w/an object, etc etc etc.

The brain is VERY complex.
And, some chemicals can certainly do some crazy things. Look at people who take the incorrect prescription, or those on METH -- doing things that NORMAL people wouldn't do. How many of those people have shocked their own parents? It's the chemicals.

Guys & gals - please don't assume the victim SHOULD know this or SHOULD know that. It's not always true & you can lose a person's confidence in you, the department, and the system if you blow her off bec. YOU (someone who's never experienced anything like that, or been around it) can't believe what she's saying based on your own LOGIC.

Sometimes, things aren't so logical.

KNOWLEDGE IS THE BEST DEFENSE.


((The abovesaid comment is written with lots o' love & all due respect for all officers ...and victims of rape))

[Valor55]

GHB can wipe your memory out.

The responsible thing to do as the first responding officer is to document everything. I did the best I could to get all the information out of her, it's not my job to interrogate her or accuse her of anything. I'll let the detectives like RDS who have the experience figure out what was going on and either prove her story or disprove it depending on where the chips fall.

I really think that rapes are under reported because so many women either make up reports or lie about how they happened. That is so common that real victims are afraid of being lumped in with them. A few bad apples ruin it for everyone else.

For what it's worth I believe her on this one. She may have gotten drunk with the guys or she may have gotten slipped the GHB but otherwise she provided enough detail that was corroborated by the boyfriend and matched some other stuff I had that there is some credibility.

[suzanne1020U.S.]

Gee, everyone always buys me drinks and I just never thought things like that could happen. Thanks for the insight, Valor, again.
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"To thine ownself be true."

[Because I Can]

Doesn't GHB stay in your system for a day or so? Maybe a tox screen could help.

Cases like that are one reason I got out of Detectives. You got the victim of a horrific crime and only a slim chance to find the perps. And even if you do, unless they confess there isn't much of a case. Cases like that kept me up at night. Give me a speeder any day.

Keep up the good fight Valor.

Jim

[gooddawg]

A very sad case Valor.

I feel that if you are caught with GHB in your possession you should be charged with attempted rape. Rape is the only reason a person would carry GHB around.Yes they may be selling it and that should make it open season for women. No excuses just automatic jail time or be used for three months for K-9 unit bite training without the pads. Women should have the final say on all rape cases.

[CTUCop]

GHB only stays in the body a relatively short period of time. Consequently, blood tests for that drug frequently show a negative result. If GHB is thought to be the drug used, the officer has to request additional tests that are not normally used.

Its real technical stuff, and I for one don’t understand all of the medical jargon used in the advisory we have. The bottom line is that a “normal tox screen” won’t necessarily show it. But, there are way to identify it.

[Valor55]

GHB only stays in the body a relatively short period of time. Consequently, blood tests for that drug frequently show a negative result. If GHB is thought to be the drug used, the officer has to request additional tests that are not normally used.

Its real technical stuff, and I for one don’t understand all of the medical jargon used in the advisory we have. The bottom line is that a “normal tox screen” won’t necessarily show it. But, there are way to identify it.

The forensic nurse who also does the evidence recovery stuff was in on my interviews and knew what to test for.

[suzanne1020U.S.]

I believe people until they prove otherwise.
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"To thine ownself be true."

[retdetsgt]

I believe people until they prove otherwise.
__________________________________________________ __


"To thine ownself be true."

Depends entirely on who I'm talking to. I believed rape victims too, but I also never ruled out all other possibilities either. I treated all victims kindly, but I never forgot I was an investigator, not an advocate.

[retdetsgt]

The forensic nurse who also does the evidence recovery stuff was in on my interviews and knew what to test for.

Good, that'll be the key to the whole case probably.

[suzanne1020U.S.]

Depends entirely on who I'm talking to. I believed rape victims too, but I also never ruled out all other possibilities either. I treated all victims kindly, but I never forgot I was an investigator, not an advocate.

By the way you speak, RetDet, I can tell you have compassion, and that's all people need in a crisis.