Elected through Terror

Untitled Part 47

While there was always a possibility of violence against the investigators none was threatened, still precautions were taken to insure that they were as safe as possible.

For the first few days the investigators were being stonewalled by everyone on the ranch. In order to get cooperation from the Rajneesh we had to involve the Rajneesh Peace Force.

Every morning we would meet in a meeting room in the ranch house on the ranch with the inclusion of the Chief and City Attorney. We would discuss the issues faced that day.

At night the investigators met in Madras to discuss the real issues and concerns and how they would proceed.

Every evening I would talk with the Attorney General.

It was put out that if any of the Rajneesh had information they were to call a line that went to the Peace Force and they would relay it to the Task Force.

None of us thought that would really work, but it would have the appearance of including the Peace Force and might make it more enticing for the people to call.

That process was tested by investigators and found that a lot of the information did not get to the task force. That was also confirmed as the investigation continued and Rajneesh people were talked to – they stated that they had left messages with the Peace Force, the task force had not received them.

We were concerned about the destruction of evidence; but we didn't have enough information for several days to address issues and where the information was on the ranch.

Thanks to a couple of AG investigators taking the tour of the ranch offered to anyone interested, we got the last bit of information necessary to obtain the warrants.

The night before we were to serve the warrants we met in Madras to formulate a plan. The next day the Task Force received better cooperation from the Rajneesh, so the Lt. chose not to serve the warrants at that time – but Tuesday it went back to the stonewalling.

It was decided that we would serve the warrants on Wednesday. I contacted several Sheriff's Offices and the City of The Dalles PD (since the City had been under attack it was only fair that they participate.) In addition there were extra officers from the State Police and AG's Office as well as FBI agents.

That morning there were over 80 law enforcement personnel, not counting 12 – 18 of us in the morning meeting room, on the ranch, ready to serve the warrants.

We met, that morning in the meeting room, as usual around a large oval table. At the head of the table was the State Police Superintendent, I sat down at the far end of the table across from him. I was just a bystander, and observer of the drama that was about to unfold.

In the morning meeting a private attorney, for one of the Rajneesh, had asked to address the group and was given permission to be there. He said his client had a lot of information to give if she would be granted immunity. According to him, she could bust the case wide open.

He didn't like the Chief investigator for the AG and belittled him whenever he could. He had been trying to get the investigator to listen to him about his client; the investigator wouldn't. He had plenty of other information and didn't need hers.

The attorney wanted – actually insisting - to talk directly with one of the two AG attorney's that the AG had assigned to the case, he was told they refused to meet with him.

(What he didn't know was the two men were in a motor home along with a SWAT team just east and alongside of the building; and we were not about to tell him.)

In addition to that vehicle and the vehicle transporting those deputies, officers and agents to the scene we had other vehicles that would help insure the best communication possible as well as protection for the investigators.

For communications we had the one tower OSP had for radio transmission in the valley area of the farm. But we also had a couple of communications rigs, one in the valley and the other about half way up the road going into the ranch proper. The second one would be used as a relay site for the first one to other transmitters. Both of these units were OSP's and if I recall correctly the relay one also had a SWAT team in it.

The National Guard was put on standby by the Governor just in case. Somehow a reporter had found out about the Guard and had published the information – he said his source was me; it was not, I had not talked with the man. I called his editor and complained for whatever good it did.

His information was accurate on some issues, and he put the security of the officers at risk.

I had moved our communications truck, such as it was, onto another ranch a few miles out from the property, just in case.

The ranch belonged to a former commissioner, current budget committee member and a good friend. We will discuss him later, it is a good story.

After several minutes of demanding that his client be given immunity, the attorney, in exasperation, proclaimed in a smug voice and attitude, 'Okay then, all these officers you have standing around here today? ....... They are not going to have anything to do!'

The Superintendent then turned to the Lt., sitting at his left and said, "Serve the warrants." The Lt. pulled the warrants out and gave the locations we would be searching.

The attorney looked around the table and then back at the Superintendent and uncomfortably, said, "I guess that is that then."