 The three are all too familiar with meeting in this room. Recently,
they made this their base of operations during the three-week Gee
family homicide investigation. These three men represented the
agencies that constituted the core in the investigation. There were
also dozens of other law enforcement personnel who provided mutual
aid, plus hundreds of professional and trained volunteer support
personnel who supplied thousands of man-hours of labor.
The three
were gracious enough to sit down to discuss what they could of the
investigative process without making any statements that could
jeopardize the prosecution of the case.
The banter before the interview was light and filled with good
humor, especially by Erlenbush and Nichols. The two joked how each
bests the other when they play basketball. Colbrook, who also
attends some of those scrimmages, smilingly made it known that he
was better than either the chief or sheriff. The other two had to
agree.
The mood was far more relaxed in this room than it was a month
ago. At that time the room was filled with law enforcement personnel
working 16 to 20 hours a day to solve a crime so horrific that it
brought national media coverage to Logan County.
As history knows now, it began late in the afternoon on Sept. 21
in the small town of Beason, when a family of five was found
murdered and the family's youngest child left for dead in their
home.
Media around the country and the world made this tragedy one of
their top news stories.
The tragedy not only rocked the little community, but stunned
those in neighboring towns who share connections as co-workers,
church members, customers, family and classmates.
It was an enormous and complex work set before those charged by
duty to learn what happened, who did this heinous act and why. It
was a situation that under most circumstances would push the limits
of human endurance and strain lesser friendships.
However, in this case, it was friends in the best of times who
came together, along with their agencies. The three leaders all
agreed that their friendship, coupled with a mutual respect for and
cooperation with each other and their departments, worked well. It
was everyone's diligent, long hours working collaboratively that
ultimately moved the case out of the investigative phase to be
turned over to prosecutors.
The monster-size investigation was all-consuming, wrought with
complexities and time-sensitive work, yet it ended in the arrests of the
Harris brothers, Christopher and Jason, in just under three weeks.
In his last open press conference Nichols said that the
cooperation between all law enforcement agencies should be a model
for every investigation anywhere in the country.
Colbrook, a 22-year veteran of the Illinois State Police,
confirmed that he feels the same way the sheriff does about how the
case was handled. "This was a great working relationship
(between all the agencies)," he said. "No one brought
their ego to the table. I have never seen an investigation of this
magnitude go so smooth."
Later in the interview Colbrook would say of the task force:
"This was the most streamlined, well-organized investigation I have
ever been on. Everyone knew their job."
Erlenbush, himself a 30-year state police veteran, agreed.
"I have never seen a task force put together that functioned as
efficiently as this one," he said. The chief used the word
"unprecedented" to place emphasis on how well he felt the
interagency cooperation functioned.
The chronology of the investigation
Nichols, Erlenbush and Colbrook took turns presenting a timeline
from the first moments of discovering the Gee family to securing the
crime scene, and then the subsequent gathering of evidence.
Within minutes the Logan County Sheriff's Department, Lincoln
Police Department and the Illinois State Police were all involved.
A call came in at 4:26 p.m. on Sept. 21. There had been a serious
incident in Beason.
The sheriff immediately began the drive to the home, where one of
his deputies was already on the scene. While driving, Nichols was
given enough detail to know this was something that he needed help
on, and he began making calls.
Upon arrival and after surveying the scene, he called Erlenbush,
who immediately made his way toward Beason. Once there, the police
chief assisted in the immediate need to protect and preserve the
crime scene.
Nichols said he also made a call to Colbrook. He told Colbrook he
would need the expertise of the Illinois State Police in what was
obviously a crime situation beyond the means of just the sheriff's
department to handle.
Nichols went on to say that Colbrook and another friend, Illinois
State Police Master Sgt. Mike Luster had always told him to call if
they were ever needed. Regrettably and without doubt, Nichols said
he quickly realized they were needed on this case more than any
other case that he had ever been involved in.
With sheriff's deputies and Lincoln police officers arriving to
assist, as well as two Illinois State Police troopers already at the
scene, the sheriff said that the immediate need was to get medical
attention for Tabitha Gee, the 3-year-old survivor of the tragedy.
The next step was to close off the crime scene until ISP crime
lab analysts could arrive. The crime scene was closed at
approximately 6:30 that evening, less than two hours after the
initial call came in.
The sheriff said that a sheriff's deputy and a Lincoln police
officer accompanied Tabitha Gee to Peoria. The sheriff's department
began an around-the-clock vigil on the toddler. On the third day,
ISP officers took over Tabitha's security, and Nichols said that was
a huge help to his department.
Colbrook said that the ISP used 17 officers, two at a time, over
the next three weeks to keep guard over Tabitha. Nichols said that
if his department had needed to continue guarding Tabitha, it would
have taken an eighth of his force to do so.
Back at the Gee family home that first night, upon Erlenbush's
recommendation, the home was sealed until crime scene analysts
arrived.
The sheriff stayed at the scene until 3 a.m., saying he then went
home to shower and change clothes. Erlenbush took over the scene,
staying on duty through the remainder of the night.
With so much manpower being directed to the Beason home, the
sheriff had to consider how to continue to protect the rest of the
county during those initial hours. He said: "I told my men, if you
see something that needs to be addressed, address it. But don't
worry about someone going a couple miles over the speed limit right
now."
Nichols said he also knew that if needed, he could rely on the
Lincoln Police Department to fill any void. Erlenbush confirmed that
his men were ready to respond to any emergency anywhere in the
county, if necessary.
[to top of second column] |
Because Nichols had called quickly, Colbrook said that by midnight that first
night, six crime scene analysts were at the home. Erlenbush said, "I have never
seen more than two analysts at one crime scene before in my entire career."
The three men talked about their agencies and others melding into
one task force. Nichols said: "In a situation like this, we have to
have that kind of help. The chief, the state police were a
tremendous help, and I was willing to get all the help I could get
on this."
Colbrook explained that for the next 70 hours there were 10
special agents, three intelligence officers and the six crime scene
analysts who worked nonstop processing more than 100 pieces of
evidence from the home.
In regard to criticism leveled at the sheriff for not being more
forthcoming in the early hours, Nichols explained, "Knowing for sure
what we had wasn't known to us until the next morning."
The next morning they were all convinced that the crimes were not
a random act. Evidence submitted to the lab would later support
their theory.
Nichols was thankful that the state police crime lab prioritized
the case. The lab information was crucial to being able to move
forward and was needed as fast as possible.
In the meantime, help came in from all over the state from other
law enforcement agencies, including the support of the FBI.
To show how much support there was to solve the case, Colbrook
said that investigators from as far away as Chicago, veterans of the
Drew Peterson case, came to assist.
There was still more help as tips from other states had to be
investigated by the local authorities in those states to see if they
panned out.
In all, an estimated 70 and 100 professionals were involved in
some manner during the investigation.
The logistics of all that was happening in the investigation
meant that a great deal of manpower was needed.
The Logan County Emergency Management Agency was brought in to
help conduct a search of the entire area surrounding Beason. Trained
volunteers were joined by other professionals who came from all over
central Illinois. Seventy ISP cadets were also brought out to assist
in the massive search for clues and evidence.
The officials in the Blue Room had plenty to do while awaiting
initial crime lab results. Sorting, prioritizing and following leads
took place at the command post in the Blue Room. Tips had to be
followed up in person. The evidence that was gathered also had to be
prioritized.
Colbrook recalled: "There were 40 people at one morning briefing.
The Blue Room was full."
The room was perpetually filled with personnel looking at the
600-odd tips that came in. They used a "fail-safe" system where more
than one person looked at each and every tip so that nothing of
importance would be overlooked. The tips were then prioritized.
The amount of paperwork was mounting up, and cell phone boosters
had to be brought in to help officials in the command center
communicate with others in the field.
Colbrook hazarded a guess that thousands of pages of information
were being compiled on the case. The chief and sheriff agreed.
The three investigative leaders agreed that the first 70 hours
were a bit hectic. "Nobody knew where we were going," Colbrook
recalled. "There were several different directions. Once we were
able to focus, we all knew this wasn't a random act."
That clarity began with the first lab results, which, without
elaborating, Nichols described as "real solid evidence." It was this
evidence and further lab results that brought about the first
arrest, of Christopher Harris, and then later his brother Jason
Harris.
How does everyone feel now that those 20 days of early fall
2009 are over?
"From my perspective, I was totally relieved," offered Erlenbush.
"We had completed the case and made the arrests." Both Nichols and
Colbrook agreed.
Nichols, Erlenbush and Colbrook highly praised each and other and
their agencies.
The sheriff said that Erlenbush has been a true friend, someone
he can rely on whenever he needs help or guidance.
The sheriff wanted it known that he is always there for the chief
as well.
On the night of July 20, when the Scully Park shooting took
place, Nichols said he was already dressing to come down when the
chief called him. "I told him, I'm on my way," the sheriff said.
Nichols said that the county and city law enforcement agencies
right now are working as one unit for the betterment of the whole
county. "There isn't a city versus county. There is just
us," he said.
All three men also wanted to thank the community for their
support. From day one, the sheriff received cards and letters and
calls of support.
Also, area businesses and individuals dropped off food for staff
members who were working around the clock. Colbrook said he had seen
this happen in other instances, but only for the first few days. To
see a steady stream of food for the three weeks was something he had
never seen before.
Colbrook didn't want the importance of that generous gesture to
be lost. "When someone comes in at 2 or 3 in the morning after
following a lead, and they are tired, it means a lot to be able to
grab something good to eat," he said.
"And it was all good food," the sheriff said with a smile.
Nichols said: "The working relationship we have couldn't get any
better. And that benefits the people of Lincoln and Logan County."
Pointing to the lieutenant and chief, he said, "Knowing who I was
making the calls to, I want these guys to show up."
He closed by saying that in everything there are always some
things that can be second-guessed, "but I know I wouldn't hesitate
to call them again."
Yet, the shared hope is that those calls would never again be
necessary.
[By
MIKE FAK]
 |
