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Testimony Continues In Trial Of Joe Dansby; Juror Dropped (cont)Published Wednesday, April 23, 1997 in the Nevada County PicayuneHe said the statement on finding the bicycle near the airport was written the day the bike was found. Again, he said Jackie had told him Joe rode the bike there and left it in the woods. Hillery was followed by his wife, Mary, who told what Clark was wearing the day she was killed. The victim's mother said Clark was wearing navy blue sweatpants, a T-shirt, bra and panties, along with socks and tennis shoes. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, held with a colored rubber band type holder. Clark, she said, wore size 5 panties. The panties found at the first scene were size 8. Haltom questioned Steed next about a statement the deputy had written which was signed by Jackie Dansby. He identified a second statement also signed by Dansby's son. The first statement was about the .22 rifle, with the other about the bike. According to Steed, he was told to find Jackie, who talked with him about his phone call with Hillery concerning the bike. Steed said he wrote out a statement, had Dansby read and sign it. This statement reported Joe Dansby as having ridden the bike from the Upchurch community to the airport. Steed also testified as to having searched Dansby's yard with Ursery on Aug. 27, 1993 and finding nothing. He said they were there to specifically look for .22 casings and anything else pertaining to the case. It was also Steed who found the firearm transaction at Wal-Mart linking the rifle found in the pit to Dansby. He recalled asking Dansby if he had any knowledge of the rifle and being told no after showing him a copy of the transaction. Dansby, Steed said, told them he had not bought the rifle, but did admit to buying a .243 caliber rifle from Wal-Mart. A copy of the transaction slip was left with Dansby, who said he would check and see what he could find out about it, but never got back in touch with the officers. He also testified to his part in the bicycles, identifying a picture of the one bought from Page. On cross, Steed said the phrasing and wording on Jackie Dansby's statements were his (Steed's). He recognized a consent to search document giving him and Ursery permission to search Dansby's yard on Aug. 27, 1993. The paper was signed by Dansby, who allowed them to look for .22 casings. However, none was found in this instance, though, Steed said, they used a yard rake to move pine straw and gravel aside during their search. He said they did a thorough search of the area and found nothing, though they looked in the front and back yards, as well as around the sides of the home. Steed was then asked about the weapon transaction slip, again saying Dansby denied buying the .22 rifle and signing the document. Bramblett pointed out at this time Dansby was being honest, as he did not buy the rifle nor sign anything for it. Steed said he didn't write a statement about the incident, but Duvall did. He also said the bike they bought from Page had aqua cables, which were removed by McWhirter and taken to a bike shop in Hope, later being sent to the FBI for analysis. On redirect, Steed said he thought it was odd Dansby saying he had no knowledge of the rifle, especially as they had evidence with his name on it about the weapon. He also told the court as .22 casings are small, it would have been easy for Ursery and him to overlook any which may have been in the yard. Duvall, the next witness, remembered going to Dansby's house Oct. 23, 1993 with Steed about the rifle. When they arrived, he said, there was an old Ford in the drive and Joe came from the back yard wearing camouflage-style clothing and boots. They talked for a few minutes before Duvall verbally advised Dansby of his rights and began asking about the gun. Again, Dansby denied buying the rifle, but admitted buying a .243. He, Duvall said, never had the .22 at his house. Duvall said the discussion was pleasant and they even gave Dansby a ride to his brother's house down the road, as well as giving him a copy of the transaction slip. He said a .22 rifle was taken from the Dansby home, and he believed the make was a Stephens, which was also tested. He also said the investigation later proved Dansby was the owner of the Marlin .22. Pratt asked Duvall if it would have been reasonable for Dansby to think he was a suspect when they came out to his house on Oct. 23, 1993, and was told yes. The attorney said the officers were not friends with Dansby and this was not a social call, but business. They were there to discuss the transaction slip on the rifle. They thought Dansby had bought the weapon, Pratt told the court, and didn't believe him when he denied making the purchase. They thought he was lying, he said, with Duvall agreeing. However, Duvall said Dansby, after looking over the slip and getting a copy, never got back with them on it. "I believe if I were in his shoes I would want to prove it (Dansby's innocence)," Duvall said. "If he didn't buy it, who did? I don't know if he was there when the gun was bought or not. Betty never admitted buying the gun to me." On redirect, Duvall said he did think Dansby was lying at the time, adding he never told the officers his wife bought the gun, just that it wasn't his and he didn't buy it. He said when they left they gave Dansby a can of mosquito repellant because he had told them he'd been in the woods and the mosquitoes were bad. He did say, Duvall said, the driver's license number on the receipt was his wife's. Pratt, on recross, learned the officers didn't ask Dansby if his wife had bought the gun, even after he said the license number on the receipt was hers. Bobby Neel, retired ASP officer, testified as to becoming involved in the case May 17, 1992 after being called by Duvall and Morman about a flight to look for missing people. He flew to Prescott, picked Morman up and flew a search for about two hours, finding nothing. Neel said he had worked the area before (searching for illegal narcotics) but wasn't real familiar with it. Search | Nevada County Picayune by date | Gurdon Times by date |
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