Consequently, Judge Lundell ordered the case against Olson dismissed.
Reading the court's order, one has to wonder what the prosecution was thinking. This case was beyond thin; it was non-existent.
Here's an excerpt from Judge Lundell's Order that will give you an idea of what the judge thought of the government's case against Deputy Olson:
While it is uncertain exactly when Olson learned about the existence of the videotape, it is crystal clear that he was unaware of it at the tiem it was recorded and had nothing to do with the recording. Olson testified truthfully in this regard at Johnson's sentencing hearing and was candid and honest at all times with Agent Pulver in the course of the federal investigation. The State's interpretation of the chain of custody evidence and its importance to Olson's veracity hinges on semantics and is unpersuasive and lacking in plausibility. While Olson was adamant in his denial of wrongdoing and always has been, neither Sheriff Moore nor Deputy Joy denied making the recording. They simply told Agent Sogla that they "didn't remember." As to Olson's statements in the investigation, Agent Sogla aptly summarized this entire case by conceding that "nothing Arling Olson did obstructed [his] investigation." There can be no other conclusion at this time."
Thankfully, Deputy Olson can put this behind him. We wish him well. It is truly unfortunate that he was forced to defend himself against serious charges when there never was anything to them.
5 comments:
This should be no surprise to anyone that knows Deputy Olson. I served with him in the military for ten years and have continued our friendship for another 20 years. As an assistant district attorney in Mississippi and having been in law enforcement for 30 years, I could not believe that this charge was ever thought to have been anything other than politically motivated garbage. I hope the citizens of Polk County and the surrounding counties are able to get to the bottom of this. Anyone that knows Ole knew that this was just not right, but the people that have not had that benefit will always wonder unless this corruption is exposed. I wish the citizens of Polk County the best of luck in putting this behind them and allowing Ole to continue to be the public servant he has been his entire adult life.
It is obvious that you have an honest judiciary that you can all be proud of. I thank you for having the courage to create this post and I hope that all of your citizens have a chance to read it.
Dennis Farris, Major, USAFR Retired
There is an obvious stench in Polk County that is growing and needs to be cleaned up. I hope Ole runs for office again!
This situation has alarming similarities to other incidents in Polk County over the years. Folks we are ruining careers. Maybe we have relied upon a small inner group to manage us too long! It might also be time local news media outlets separate themselves from their favorite candidates for office. That separation would help at the national level also.
The Inter-County Leader will have a four-part story on this case and the events leading up to it. Part 1 is the Olson case and Lundell's ruling, part two is a review of the 147 page year long DCI investigation that led to the case, part 3 is a presentation of what is on the 1 1/2 hour video mentioned in the trial, part 4is a story on two open DCI investigations related to redactions in the previous investigation. This last was obtained from DOJ through an open records request. The Leader will be out tomorrow noon.
Gregg Westigard
Hello citizens of Polk County,
I am actually surprised that there have been no more post than the number that is here. I guess that being falsely charged with a felony is not as big a deal there as it is here. Hopefully, Ole is now going back to work. Maybe this time there will be no more harassment. I would sure hate to see him get falsely charged yet again. Perhaps the on-going investigation which is referred to in the paper will get more attention in the near future and the false chargers will be found out and actually charged. Then everyone will know who is guilty of false swearing. The judge has told us what I already knew, there was no proof that Ole had done anything criminal, which suggest he was wrongly charged, that would have had to occur based on someone's sworn affidavit (perhaps it contained "false swearing." Good Luck on finding the real bad guys. Sometimes the best place to hide is in open sight. Dennis Farris, Friend of Arling Olson
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