RSSSuicide Watch for Joran?
This is unconfirmed, but we received word that Joran is on a Suicide Watch after an unsuccessful attempted suicide last night.
This should not be taken as an admission of guilt, but he has been moved to the main prison, a much tougher environment than the police jail.
Scared Monkeys Media Alert
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND …
Tom will be appearing on the Andy Thomas Show again today at 3 pm EDT.
Andy Thomas’s show is heard throughout the Carolinas on WOIC 1230 AM, and also on the internet.
Listen to it here on the internet, The Andy Thomas Show
They will be further discussing the Natalee Holloway story and how blogging has interacted with it.
Red
The Political Teen has the audio of the appearance. Thanks Ian.
Natalee Holloway Morning Update, June 20th, 2005
Very little happened over night that was reported. Joran Van der Sloots father was questioned for two hours, and then sent home.
This is a refresher for those who do not know Dutch and Aruban law. Their system is much different than that in the United States. A prisoner is guilty until proven innocent. However, if the prosecution puts too much information out to the public over the case, the judge has the right to throw out the charges since the prosecution has been seen to unfairly treat the prisoner.
So as the prosecutors in the United States tend to release all of the information to the public that it can, the opposite is true in Aruba. Thus, many things positively may be happening in Aruba that we do not know about. If they were released to the public, the suspects could walk free. So their system requires a level of patience that Americans have been conditioned not to have.
Please keep this in mind as the case progresses.
Aruban police on Sunday questioned the father of a Dutch teenager held in the disappearance of an Alabama teenager, hoping the island justice official may know something to help solve the mystery of what happened to her, an official said.
Paul van der Sloot, a judge-in-training on the island, was questioned for two hours Sunday afternoon after five hours Saturday night, said Police Superintendent Jan van der Straaten.
Joran van der Sloot , 17, was one of the people last seen with Natalee Holloway the night she disappeared. Three other men have been detained, but no one has been charged.
Van der Straaten said the father was asked to come back Sunday because officials were not able to finish the interrogation on Saturday, but declined to give more details.
“He was questioned as a witness, no more or no less,” van der Straaten told The Associated Press.
The attorney general’s spokeswoman, Mariaine Croes, said witnesses are questioned when prosecutors believe they may be able to add something to the case.
Police Commissioner Jan Van Der Straten said police questioned Judge Paul Van Der Sloot while his wife, Anita, visited their son, 17-year-old Joran, who is being held in connection with the case.
Van Der Straten dismissed as “completely false” media reports that police also had interrogated the judge’s wife.
Joran Van Der Sloot is one of three people last reported seen with Holloway before she disappeared in the early hours of May 30.
The judge also was questioned Saturday and remained in the police station for about five hours. Asked Saturday whether the father was being interviewed as a suspect or a witness, a source close to the investigation said “the latter.”
Also jailed in the case are brothers Deepak Kalpoe, 21, and Satish Kalpoe, 18, and a man identified by a family member as Steve Croes, a 26-year-old disc jockey for a popular party boat. He was arrested Friday. (Full story)
The commissioner said the suspects were being held in separate facilities in the capital to ensure they cannot communicate with one another.
The police commissioner said Saturday the arrest of Croes came after one of the three youths named him. The party boat he works aboard docks about 300 meters, or about 1,000 feet, from the Holiday Inn where Holloway was staying.
UPDATE: AP, Judge to Decide if Police Can Hold Fourth Man Arrested in Missing Teenager Case in Aruba
A fourth man arrested in the disappearance of an Alabama teenager – a disc jockey on a party boat – is to appear in court Monday for a judge to decide whether police can continue to detain him, officials said.
Also, here is a site that has captured the video’s of many of the newscasts. The only reason I have not posted previously is that it is a tripod site, and they tend to have a bunch of pop up ads. If you have a pop up blocker, head on over.
Interview With Our Own “DASH” on Aruba trip and Natalee Holloway, Part I
For those of you not familiar with Scared Monkey’s Discussion Forum and comment section, “Dash” have been gracing our pages for over two weeks now commenting and answering questions of the many readers of Scared Monkeys. She is one of the two Mountain Brook, AL teens who appeared on the O’Reilly Factor this past week portrayed as an exclusive. If that was an exclusive, I am not sure what one would call our all access pass we have been privileged to have to Dash. We thank Dash in taking the time to doing an interview with us in hopes of clearing up many questions that either have not been asked or are being reported inaccurately.
We are proud to offer Dash in an unlimited format to offer her side of the story. Dash is a friend of Natalee Holloway’s, went on the Aruba trip and was in Carlos & Charlie’s the night of Natalee’s disappearance.
The following is Part I of our interview with “DASH” in her own words, unedited:
Red: Did the chaperone’s fly back on the same flight as the students?
DASH: Yes, the “chaperone’s” were with us at all times… in fact, I sat by a chaperon on the plane! They were with us on ALL flights and on the bus from Birmingham
to Atlanta and the bus from the airport to the hotel and back. Any allegations that the “chaperone’s” took private jets are completely false… the family took a
private jet to Aruba after Natalee was reported missing. This information has been severely mis-reported.
Red: Did you all fly on one charter fight or was there two with students & chaperone’s on each?
DASH: There were two flights due to the fact that there were so many students going on the trip. However, we were broken up in different groups of STUDENTS…
chaperone’s were with BOTH groups at all times, looking out for ALL students.
Red: Describe Natalee Holloway. What made her popular? Why did people like her so much? Why would leaving with these guys been out of character?
DASH: Natalee is the sweetest person! She has worked VERY hard in school, is a respectable girl, and really is just a total doll! She does volunteer work frequently
and is a not only charitable, but a truly compassionate girl. She’s also been very involved in the school, not only participating in honor societies
(she was an officer for Mu Alpha Theta, the Math Honor Society) but also was a member of our school’s dance team, the Dorians. She is kind to all people and is
truly loved by the entire community. Any attacks on her character are totally unfounded… it is VERY out of character for her to get in a car with these
individuals, which is why this whole situation is such a shock. I’m unsure as to whether or not we know the full circumstances surrounding her “decision.” She’s a
genuinely good person, and I think that’s why so many people can identify with her and are so interested in her case… as Beth said, “She’s everyone’s daughter.”
Red: Describe what was explained to you as to what the roles of the chaperone’s was supposed to be?
DASH: I would probably say the better name for the “chaperone’s” would probably be “travel aids” or “adult volunteers” as their job only included helping keep up with passports and being around in case of a medical emergency. (This was explained at length at pre-trip meetings and also given to students and parents of the students in writing in advance.) However, I’d like to mention that they actually, due to their own good-heartedness, went above and beyond for us, making daily checks to ensure that we were all accounted for and enjoying the trip, keeping drug-dealers from bothering us, and also accompanying us on snorkel trips and other vacation activities. Any blame placed on these volunteers is completely unmerited. They did
their job, and then some!
Red: How many people shared a room at the Holiday Inn.
DASH: Different people had a different number of roommates, ranging from two to a room to four to a room. (Natalee had two other roommates, as did I.)
Red: Have you been questioned by the police or FBI? (If yes, you don’t have to say what they asked or what you said if you were told not to.)
DASH: Yes, the FBI has been very responsive. They never told me personally not to speak about the case, nor have the family. Obviously, if my discussing any of the trip was against the wishes of anyone close to the case, I would refrain from doing so.
Red: DASH is there anything else you would like to add?
Yes, Why did the students choose to go to Carlos & Charlie’s?
I feel that a lot of people have the wrong idea about Carlos and Charlie’s. It is not a seedy bar as some have assumed. In fact, it is a very tourist-oriented
place. I went there during the day with some friends and we bought things from the gift shop and took pictures in a photo cut-out. (That’s the standing board that has a picture on it and holes for you to stick your face through. They are common at many
tourist-friendly locations.) During the day, it is a friendly restaurant. At night, it’s not a “wild” party place, but it is a fun atmosphere in which you can dance and relax. Also, I’d like to mention that the reason we decided to go there in the first place
(some students had gone every night since arriving) was due to the fact that our bus driver who was acting as a pseudo-tour guide for us mentioned what a
tourist-friendly place it is and urged us to go.
Morning Update, Sunday June 19th
Just got going, it is Fathers day so say a prayer for Natalee’s Father and Step Father. Natalee’s Mom has been leading in the news, but both of these men must be suffering even more today.
Here is a quick review, we will keep looking for more information throughout the day.
A judge on Saturday ordered the teenage son of a prominent justice official and two of his friends to stay in jail for at least another week while investigators search for clues in the disappearance of a young Alabama woman.
A disc jockey on an Aruban tourist party boat who also has been detained in the case was to appear before a judge Monday, the attorney general’s spokeswoman Mariaine Croes said as the search for 18-year-old Natalee Holloway neared the end of three weeks.
Under Dutch law, which Aruba follows as a Dutch protectorate, authorities can detain individuals for up to 116 days without filing formal charges. A judge must review the case after the first 10 days, and then periodically after that.
A Local Birmingham alternative paper has a great analysis of the Twitty/Holloway initial arrival on the island.
As flyers were posted around the island, the search for Natalee began in earnest. Efforts concentrated around the hotel and at the lighthouse on the north end of the island, where Van Der Sloot, 18-year old Satish Kalpoe, and his brother, 21-year old Deepak, said they had taken Natalee after leaving a local downtown nightclub. As an avalanche of leads and anonymous tips flowed in, friends of the family mobilized into an investigative task force armed with cell phones, two-way radios, and a fleet of rental cars. Psychics, prevalent on the island, began demanding the attention of the family. Each told family associates that “she is in a dark place, and near water.” One claimed that Natalee’s soul was sitting next to her. “Ask her what the name of her dog is,” a family associate asked. “She is crying,” she told him, “she is too upset to talk.” During that early period of the family’s investigation, attempts to get the police involved were unsuccessful. According to a friend of the family, the Police Commissioner actually suggested that they go to Carlos & Charlie’s (the bar Natalee disappeared from) on Wednesday night. “It is Ladies Night,” he said, “and I am sure she will be there.”
As the search became more desperate and the tips became more bizarre, missions into the island’s darkest barrios, including the red-light district and assorted crack houses, were orchestrated. The editor of the island newspaper informed the family that a group of drug dealers were holding Natalee for a $10,000 ransom (an odd amount considering that the posted reward was in excess of $50,000). A late-night rendezvous between the drug dealers and family friends was arranged, and after a wild series of events an American girl was rescued by the police, who called to report that “they are 98-percent sure they have Natalee.” The family raced to the police station only to discover that the female in custody had dark hair, brown eyes, weighed about 130 pounds, and looked to be about 45 years old. Natalee had blonde hair, blue eyes, weighed 110 pounds, and was 18 years old. That was the first of many letdowns and false leads.
Dan Riehl raises some disturbing questions.
NBC 13: Father Of Dutch Teen Questioned In Holloway Case
ORANJESTAD, Aruba — Police in Aruba have questioned the father of a Dutch teenager who is detained in connection with the Natalee Holloway case.
They said they are hoping the man may have seen something to help them find out what happened to the 18-year-old from Alabama, missing since the end of May.
Paul van der Sloot, the man who was questioned Saturday night, is in training to be a judge. The island’s police superintendent said van der Sloot was “questioned as a witness.”
He is the father of a 17-year-old, who was one of the last people seen with Holloway on the night she disappeared.
