(BREAKING Van Dam News): RICK ROBERTS’ SOURCE, HIGH-PLACED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL’ TOLD RICK

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[FresnoDA]

RICK ROBERTS’ SOURCE, HIGH-PLACED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL’ TOLD RICK

The comments of Rick Roberts source (a high placed law enforcement official) are in bold type. Additional information from other sources (press, etc.) are in italics.

• Rick Roberts’ high-placed law enforcement official said that the van Dams were involved in "swinging, lots of wife swapping."
• Rick Roberts’ high-placed law enforcement official said that before Danielle’s disappearance, the van Dam’s neighbor, David Westerfield "found out about the family’s (van Dam’s) swinging lifestyle and approached them to host an adult party at his house."

David Westerfield has been quoted in the press as saying that he was a friend of the van Dams.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
• LOCAL 8 News stories >

• daniellemissing.com >

• VIDEO: Rick Roberts appeared on FOX national news with Greta Van Susteren, 02/12/02 -- Low or High

• MESSAGE BOARD: Discuss the Danielle van Dam case on the 760KFMB Message Board >

The van Dams have denied this, stating that their only contact with him was when Brenda and Danielle came to his home to sell girl scout cookies, and when they exchanged greeting as they passed by.

• Rick Roberts’ high-placed law enforcement official said that on the night of Danielle’s disappearance, "Brenda van Dam was at a local Poway bar where she was grinding away on the dance floor and possibly ‘did’ a guy in the parking lot."

The bar has been identified in the press as "Dad’s Café and Steak House."

David Westerfield openly admitted that he was at the bar that night. He claims that he danced with Brenda van Dam. Brenda denies this.

• Rick Roberts’ high-placed law enforcement official said, "Brenda left the bar with 2 girlfriends and 2 guys and went back to the van Dam’s house."
• Rick Roberts’ high-placed law enforcement official said, "One timeline given in police records shows Brenda coming home from the bar to find the light [on the alarm] flashing and a door open. [She closed the door]."
• Rick Roberts’ high-placed law enforcement official said that Brenda "‘gave’ one of the girlfriends to her husband Damon ‘as a present,’ and made sure to shut the doors on all the bedrooms so the kids wouldn’t be awakened by loud lovemaking. She did not look to see if the kids were in their rooms."
• Rick Roberts’ high-placed law enforcement official said, "the adults locked themselves in the van Dam’s garage – they have special inside locks so the kids can’t come in – and started smoking marijuana and ‘fooling around.’ The adults in the garage were Brenda, Damon, 2 girlfriends, and 2 guys from the bar."
• Rick Roberts’ high-placed law enforcement official said, "after everyone had sex, Damon noticed the [alarm] light blinking and a door open. They were busy with their adult party, so they never checked on the kids."

[soozla]

RICK ROBERTS’ SOURCE, HIGH-PLACED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL’ TOLD RICK...........

What Rick Roberts' source said next, but which is probably unprintable here..........would be that "these people are selfish, self-centered 'poster children' for forced sterilization, who sacrified their child's safety & welfare for their own orgasms.....and they should be sentenced to assuming room temperature for endangering the life of their innocent child".

Believe me....EVERY "highly place law enforcement official" that I have EVER known has lifelong nightmares about cases such as this and pukes such as these...as one friend of mine said, "..the rage one feels is simply unreal!"

[oc-flyfish]

Who are we to condem married couples who like to have sex with strangers while their spouses watch?

ROTFLMAO!

[Common Tator]

Ok ..but this is an explosive charge I hope Rick's source is real good ...because I could see the Van Dam lawyers filing a suit over this.....

Nah. The kicker is to attribute the story. If you quote an unnamed source you are not saying anything. You are reporting what some one else said. If a reporter reports what others say, the courts have held he is not responsible for what others say. Therefore reporting what others say is not libel and it is not actional. YOu could sue the source if you can prove who the source is. It is freedom of the press. The judge would throw the suit out of court. It would never come to trial...as long as the reporter attributea the information to a source other than himself or your station he is free and clear.

I can go on the air and say that I have heard reports that you have done anything. Id didn't say you did it, I said people said you did it. There is nothing you can do about it. If you demand to know who my source is, I will refuse to give you my source. The surpreme court has ruled that I don't have to reveal my source to you or any court, I just have to have a source. Proof that I have a source is given by saying I have one.

It would be your job to prove that no one had ever told me, what I say my source told me.

In practice I would write up what I wanted to hear. Then have my mother read it back to me. Then on the air, I would say, "A source that I trust as much as my very own mother, told me in no uncertain terms that Dog.... did...... .......

The media does not have to be truthful or fair... That's why it is fun to be in the media.

[Republic]

This is no doubt way out of line, but the deep truth of my thoughts about his little seven year old girl run a parallel with your suspicions (should she be 4'8") but in a deeper, sicker way. I thought I noticed breast buds on this child of seven, unusual except when little girls are fondled repeatedly (molested in fact) and when their bodies tend to follow the induction of tintillation etc. I saw it as a teacher in little girls where we knew there had been molestation, etc. And I believe I see it in the brief videos we see of this little life.

I find the van dam's replusive, neglective and extremely unemotional. They scare the heck out of me.

[DoughtyOne]

I do feel a little uncomfortable heading into the territory you and I have. We are not ruling out certain thoughts that are only natural to consider in a case like this. However, I do think it's important to qualify what we're talking about.

When it comes to the issue of the loss of this girl, the folks may be completely innocent. I just find it difficult to dismiss the thoughts you and I have in light of the other poor decisions they seem to have made by most "normal" people's standards.

Thanks for the comments.

[is_is]

But does it fit the profile for this guy to be a homeowner with a motor home? Seems he's a little too successful to risk it all for something like this. Or do you think I'm wrong?

would a priest risk it all for a young boy....it happens......15 years or so ago there was a serial killer who came through our town picking up one of his victims here.....they finally caught him after a coast to coast road trip in which many girls died.....he turned out to be from Fl i believe.....anyway....he was a wealthy business man.....lost it all.....sexual predators ALL take more progressive steps into their black hole.....some to the point of it costing them everything....their sickness (for lack of a better discription)is rooted in the adreneline/endorphine rush they recieve....like an addict it requires more and more to satisfy themselves.....sometimes it results in the death of their victim....either by trying to cover up what they did or actually killing them while getting off....only after the rush is gone do the realize what they have done.....once they have killed once.....they will kill again

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks for the interesting comments.

[LoneGOPinCT]

I'm speechless. Mostly because I don't even know where to start.

[Brandon]

Nah. The kicker is to attribute the story. If you quote an unnamed source you are not saying anything. You are reporting what some one else said. If a reporter reports what others say, the courts have held he is not responsible for what others say. Therefore reporting what others say is not libel and it is not actional. YOu could sue the source if you can prove who the source is. It is freedom of the press. The judge would throw the suit out of court. It would never come to trial...as long as the reporter attributea the information to a source other than himself or your station he is free and clear.

That's not how it works. The first step in such a law suit would be to require the radio guy to disclose his source. If he didn't, he would be found in contempt, and the judgment against him would be almost automatic.

[Selara]

Of course swingers don't do any of that bad stuff. We all learned on other threads that swingers are responsible and loving parents who are some of the most financially successful and conservative people you would ever want to know. Who are we to condem married couples who like to have sex with strangers while their spouses watch?

****cough***cough**** Come back...hehehehe...it's still going on over in that thread.

[MizSterious]

Good points. Might I add that often these people are somewhat arrogant, believing themselves superior to all, or certainly most. They never really believe they will be caught, because they think themselves far more intelligent than those who hunt them. And in some ways, they almost seem to enjoy the "cat and mouse" game they play with law enforcement. These kinds of killers can and do come from every economic level--one in Texas, in fact, was a sort of throwback to the old-time hobos.

[MizSterious]

If this story turns out to be untrue, I think Roberts would be in a heap lot of legal trouble. I think if the van Dams wanted to "get" him, they could.

[americalost]

John and Ken are reporting some kind of commotion there right now -- either the Westerfield guy is trying to escape the media, or evade arrest, or something? I missed the first part and now I can't tell.

[Brandon]

This post did contain material I hadn't seen before. It also identified the source of these reports. As for the use of the "adult party" phrase, that is a better phrase than using the exact descriptions for some the activities taking place, at least on the open forum.

I'm not sure why this post bothers you.

This story did not identify a source. And I can't speak for the person you were responding to, but it bothers me because this article smears the reputation of the parents, without saying who made all these allegations. How would you like to have these sorts of things said about you and your spouse, and then have the person making the statements go on, "But I'm not going to tell you how I know this. I have to protect my sources. But trust me -- it was someone big and important."

I haven't been following this story closely enough to know whether the parents are reasonable suspects. I don't know whether they are good parents or neglectful. This story does nothing to enhance my understanding of what's been going on.

[KSCITYBOY]

Is he the same guy who used to be in KC a few years ago. Pretty good talk show guy.

[Brandon]

If this story turns out to be untrue, I think Roberts would be in a heap lot of legal trouble. I think if the van Dams wanted to "get" him, they could.

I agree. And if it does ever go to trial, he will have to disclose his source -- and if the source really is a "high law enforcement official", I hope they can whoever it was. This kind of leak in an ongoing investigation is inexcusable.

[MizSterious]

Sometimes these kinds of leaks happen because law enforcement is so frustrated with what they see--or so says a relative of mine in the business. And maybe they hope to smoke out witnesses, who knows. Re: your #95, not all, but some of what is in this story has also been carried in the San Diego Union-Tribune. I think that more than law enforcement is talking on this one--but that's just my guess from reading the articles.

[Ronaldus Magnus]

I find the van dam's repulsive, negligent and extremely unemotional. They scare the heck out of me.

Same here. Although I am generally a parent's rights advocate, these people's lifestyles are clearly a threat to their remaining children. Hopefully the girl will be found alive. If not, I hope we at least can find out the truth about both her disappearance and her previous life. If these parent's reprehensible behavior contributed to this girl's demise, the state should consider invoking protective custody for the remaining children. Let the libertines scream, but it appears that their home isn't any safer for a child than a crack house.