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.