The Truth Will Set You Free

Fiction? "So Perlman called the department and was told to bring the evidence in, which he did during a day when the town was holding voting for the special state election. Instead of bringing it to the station, Perlman says, he saw an officer on duty outside the polling place and stopped to give the officer the package via a 'window-to-window' transfer." From the editorial in the Greenfield Recorder, March 5, 2010.

Fact: Witnesses watched the former select board member walk into the school, enter the polling center and order the only police officer present to come with him. Both the former select board member and the police officer were seen leaving the building and going to the police cruiser. Witnesses watched as the former select board member got into his blue truck and moved it forward about four car lengths until his truck was side by side with the cruiser. A voter saw what appeared to be a black bag being passed out of the truck. A voter watched as the officer received the black bag and placed it inside the cruiser. The blue truck then drove away. Later, another voter watched what appeared to be a heated discussion the sergeant was having with the officer who received the black bag. At the time, both the sergeant and the officer were outside and away from the entrance of the school.

Question: Who was actually supposed to be on duty and inside the polling area and lobby? I wonder if another conference needs to be held at the store to untangle this web and see if another can be forged that is more plausible?

But the Most Important Issue: The safety of the children at Sanderson on voting day was most important. Officers not on duty where they belonged violated that important assignment.

S.M. Corbett