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Office of the District Attorney

MARK M. MOODY
FIRST ASSISTANT
DISTRICT ATTORNEY
KATHLEEN M. MACPHERSON
INVESTIGATOR

GREGORY S. OAKES
DISTRICT AITORNEY I CORONER

September 28, 2015

Hon. Daniel King

Acting Oswego County Court
25 East Oneida Street
Oswego, "NY 13126
Re:

ASSISTANT
DISTRICT ATTORNEYS

JAMES M. NICHOLSON
MATTHEW J. BELL
ROBERT E. GENANT
ALLISON M. O'NEILL
COURTNEY E. HAVILAND
THOMAS W. CHRISTOPHER
CHARLES H. CIESZESKI

People v. Gary Thibod eau -- Indictment No. 94-16 I

Dear Judge King:

2, 2015 in
The People received the letter motion filed by Attorney Peebles on September
in the pending
which she requested permission to call Melissa Adams (Searles) as a witness
filing on this issue,
hearing. On September 21, 2015, the People received Defendant's supplemental
which included an affidavit from Melissa Adams.
in this matter
The People do not oppose Defendant's request to call Mrs. Adams as a witness
if the court believes that her testimony is relevant and probative.
the Osweg o
In regards to Mrs. Adams's recent claims, please know that investigators from
recorded
that
CD of
County Sheriff's Office interviewed her on September 3, 2015. Enclosed is a
interview.
in evidence.
Mrs. Adams ultimately provid ed a bracelet to the investigators, who placed it
that the
raphs
photog
of
Enclosed is a copy of the associated Receipt for Property, along with a CD
sheet (Lead
investigators took of the bracelet. Also enclosed is a copy of the associated lead
11
# 1581), as well as "field notes oflnv. Rojek.
sister.
In following-up on the lead, investigators spoke with Lisa Buske, Heidi Allen's
Buske, which
Attached to the lead sheet is an e-mail exchange between Inv. Pietrosk.i and Mrs.
ws (Wise).
includes a copy of certain Facebook messages between her and Tracey Matthe
Buske. A CD
Also attached to the lead sheet are print-outs of photographs provid ed by Mrs.
of those same photographs is also enclosed.

As part of the follow-up on Lead# 1581, investigators also spoke with Brett Law and
Martha Sturtz. Enclosed is a CD of those recorded interviews.
In regards to Brett Law, consistent with my obligation under Brady. I am specifically
advising the court and counsel that Law indicates at multiple points in the interview that he "seems
to remember" Heidi Allen wearing a bracelet. At one point in the interview, Law showed
investigators a photograph that showed Heidi wearing a bracelet. He did not provide the
photograph to investigators. The investigators did not take a written statement from him.
Law told investigators that he would look for additional photographs that may show Heidi
wearing a bracelet. It's my understanding that when investigators subsequently contacted him about
the photos, Law declined to meet with the investigators. Enclosed is a copy of the NYS Incident
Report that documents the investigators' efforts.
Further, consistent with my obligation under Brady, I am specifically advising the court and
counsel that Law advised the investigators that officers wanted Heidi Allen to perform work as a
confidential informant "a year-and-a-half later" and "introduce this guy to some people at the bar."
This information is revealed around the 14 minute mark of the recording.
Further, consistent with my obligation under Brady, I am specifically directing the court and
counsel to approximately the 4 minute mark of the recording. At that point in the interview, and
over the next few minutes, Law claims that Heidi Allen and/or another female made reference to an
unknown guy who had been "in and out of jail" and was a "cokehead." Law also makes a vague
reference about someone "basically threatening Heidi." (The source of this information is unclear.)
As the recording progressed, it appears that a female other than Heidi made the statements to
Law. According to Law, the female told him that if "she was to be an informant and anything was
to get back to him, or something, that she would be in big trouble, or something." He then stated
that about a month later, a car started going by his house and going slow past his parents' house. He
then indicated that Heidi disappeared a month or two later.
On today's date, I spoke with Brett Law by telephone, and he told me that the female he
referenced during the interview was a co-worker of Heidi named "Rhonda." When I asked him
about timeframes, he expressed a lot of uncertainty about when events took place. He indicated that
we should refer to the statements he gave right after the abduction, as those would be more accurate.
I asked Brett if he would meet with investigators (or me) and provide a written statement.
Brett expressed reluctance at giving a statement, saying that he did not want to get involved. He
ultimately said that he wanted to speak with an attorney first. I asked that he please have his
attorney contact me directly.
As part of her recent motion, Attorney Peebles has asked the court to receive certain
writings that were included in the box belonging to Michael Bohrer. More specifically, she
mentions handwritten notes from Bohrer that reference Heidi Allen hiding a bracelet in the vehicle.
At this time, it's unclear what, if any, meaning can be taken from Bohrer's notes. In those
notes, Bohrer indicates that his source of information is a psychic named Trudy Lorte. The notes
are undated, so it is unknown when this entry was made.

In her affidavit from September 16, 2015, Melissa Adams indicates Michael Bohrer was in
the Texacana bar where her sister Shawnacy was bartending. Mrs. Adams recalls Bohrer being
present at the bar, and she acknowledged that she 11 often spoke to Shawnacy about the bracelet" she
had given Heidi. Based upon Mrs. Adams's affidavit, it appears that she may spoken about the
bracelet in Bohrer's presence, which explains how he knew about the bracelet.
If the court excludes Melissa Adams from testifying, then Michael Bohrer's writings
regarding the bracelet have little meaning, and such evidence should therefore be exclucded. If the
court permits Mrs. Adams to testify, however, the Peop]e ask that we be allowed to address the
admissibility of the writings at the conclusion of her testimony.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Ve

/;,"~
truly yours

Y . OAKES
District Attorney

Enc.
cc:

Lisa Peebles, Esq.

Oswego County Court Clerk
Gail Heatherly, Esq.