Lacy case takes new twist

By Nicholas Grube

Triplicate staff writer

As law enforcement officers continued their search for a suspect in the 7-month old investigation into the hit-and-run death of 15-year-old Josh Lacy, new allegations surfaced that one of their own might have leaked information to a person of interest.

The allegations, currently being investigated by the California Highway Patrol, say a person in law enforcement contacted a potential suspect in the case, which could affect the investigation.

"If this is true, if information was leaked, it could jeopardize this case," California Highway Patrol Crescent City Area Commander Don Jordan said.

"We are currently conducting an investigation into the allegations to ascertain if there was a leak involved, who committed it and to see what, if any, laws were violated," Jordan said. "If there were, then we would seek prosecution."

Jordan couldn't divulge details of either investigation.

But Josh's parents, Jeremy and Carlene Lacy, said investigators told them about the possible leak.

A person police wanted to question about the hit-and-run told investigators someone had contacted him about the case, the parents said.

"They said somebody had gotten to him before they had the chance to interview him completely, and they said the (person) was waiting for them and had an attorney," Carlene said. "They (investigators) said he knew information that only the CHP and District Attorney's Office knew.

"We were just kind of in shock," Carlene said. "That's not what we thought we were going to hear."

Josh Lacy died in a Portland hospital on Jan. 13, the day after a car struck him while he was crossing U.S. Hwy. 101, just north of Crescent City.

Del Norte County District Attorney Mike Riese said without the element of surprise, investigations can become more difficult, particularly during interviews.

"Anytime you leak information to a suspect, the result of the interview is different," he said. "When you catch someone cold in an interview ... the outcome is always diametrically opposed; it's always different."

He said his office turned over the leak investigation to the California Highway Patrol, which will forward any discoveries to the proper outside agency.

The Lacy family, meanwhile, said they can only ask questions as to why someone would leak information about the investigation into their son's death.

"It's not fair to put our family in the middle of this," Carlene said. "How did our family and Joshua get wrapped up in this scandal?"

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