Tipster Who Found Remains Called In Tip 3 Times In August

Thursday, December 18, 2008 – updated: 7:03 pm EST December 18, 2008

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- There are new concerns surrounding the meter reader who found a child's remains believed to be Caylee Anthony.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office said Thursday that the meter reader had been to the scene before and had called police about the area in August (map from location to Anthonys' home).

CLOSE-UP LOOK: Sheriff's Office Releases Images
VIDEO REPORT: Sheriff's Office Drops Bombshell
MESSAGE BOARD: Has Caylee Been Found?

Investigators interviewed the meter reader at length about what he knows, but he is not considered a suspect in any way.

"He is not a suspect in this case," Sheriff'f Captain Angelo Nieves said early Thursday evening. "He is a credible witness and we consider him so at the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

"Steve Triggs, Director of Communications for Orange County, said the meter reader had been a county employee for a “relatively short time” and would appear at a news conference with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Friday afternoon. Triggs said he is being represented by outside counsel at the County’s expense.

The sheriff's office said the meter reader had called in tips about the exact same area to Crimeline and the sheriff's office three times in August, two weeks before Tropical Storm Fay hit and flooded much of Central Florida, including the area where the remains were found last week.

The sheriff's office said it is focusing on its own deputies who came out on August 11 and 13 to inspect the scene. It's unknown what the area looked like on August 11, the first day the meter reader called and reported seeing a gray bag.

Sheriff’s officials said the man called Crimeline on August 12th. A detective checked records and determined the area already had been checked by a cadaver dog.

The sheriff's office is also investigating deputies who came out and cleared the scene on the 13th of August. The meter ready accompanied the deputies but nothing was found.

Officials aren't releasing the names of any of the deputies involved, but they are under administrative investigation

.Nieves said the meter reader went back last week because he had a nagging feeling that it was the place to look.

"He called on the 11th, the 12th and the 13th," Nieves said. "Currently, we are following up on that sequence.

"WFTV legal analyst William Sheaffer said the developments would appear to benefit Casey Anthony’s defense attorneys.

“The defense has to regard this information as a godsend,” said Sheaffer. “The defense is ultimately going to make a lot of the fact the remains were discovered after numerous trips from the meter reader… This is probably a game-changer.”


http://www.wftv.com/video/18312402/index.html

Meter Reader's Identity Expected To Be Revealed

Friday, December 19, 2008 – updated: 8:09 am EST December 19, 2008

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- The Orange County Sheriff's Office is expected to release the identity of the meter reader who discovered a child's remains in a wooded area near the Anthonys' home. Steve Triggs, Director of Communications for Orange County, said the meter reader had been a county employee for a relatively short time and would appear at a news conference Friday. Triggs said the meter reader is being represented by outside counsel at the County’s expense.

There are concerns surrounding the meter reader who found a child's remains believed to be Caylee Anthony. The Orange County Sheriff's Office said Thursday that the meter reader had been to the scene before and had called police about the area in August (map from location to Anthonys' home).

CLOSE-UP LOOK: Sheriff's Office Releases Images
VIDEO REPORT: Sheriff's Office Drops Bombshell
MESSAGE BOARD: Has Caylee Been Found?

Investigators interviewed the meter reader at length about what he knows, but he is not considered a suspect in any way.

"He is not a suspect in this case," Captain Angelo Nieves said early Thursday evening. "He is a credible witness and we consider him so at the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

"Since the first day of the investigation, George and Cindy Anthony have said every Crimeline tip about their missing granddaughter Caylee was important.

Their attorney Brad Conway told Eyewitness News over the phone that Thursday's developments were the reasons the Anthonys are standing by their daughter Casey.

Conway says there are a lot of unknown details in the case. He also has concerns about the meter reader who discovered the remains and the deputy who allegedly checked out the wooded area in August. The Anthonys have said repeatedly they weren't happy with the Orange County Sheriff's Office's investigation. They felt investigators were more focused on prosecuting Casey than looking for Caylee.

The sheriff's office said the meter reader had called in tips about the exact same area to Crimeline and the sheriff's office three times in August, two weeks before Tropical Storm Fay hit and flooded much of Central Florida, including the area where the remains were found last week.

The sheriff's office said it is focusing on its own deputies who came out on August 11 and 13 to inspect the scene.

It's unknown what the area looked like on August 11, the first day the meter reader called and reported seeing a gray bag.

Sheriff’s officials said the man called Crimeline on August 12th. A detective checked records and determined the area already had been checked by a cadaver dog.

The sheriff's office is also investigating deputies who came out and cleared the scene on the 13th of August. The meter reader accompanied the deputies but nothing was found.

Officials aren't releasing the names of any of the deputies involved, but they are under administrative investigation.

Nieves said the meter reader went back last week because he had a nagging feeling that it was the place to look.

"He called on the 11th, the 12th and the 13th," Nieves said. "Currently, we are following up on that sequence.

"WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer said the developments would appear to benefit Casey Anthony’s defense attorneys. Eyewitness News Anchor Bob Opsahl spoke with Sheaffer about what he believes will be the defense's next move in the case. He says the defense is likely to pounce on new revelations that authorities didn't take the meter reader's concerns seriously.

RAW INTERVIEW: Bob Opsahl Speaks To Legal Analyst Bill Sheaffer"

The cornerstone of defense is to attack. Up to this point, the investigators have not given the defense anything to sink their teeth into. This is absolutely like manna from heaven for the defense," he said.

Sheaffer also says the defense will be able to call into question the very foundations of the police investigation and the competency of the investigators in the case. However, Sheaffer says state prosecutors will fire back just as strongly about the mountain of evidence that they've gathered.

"The pros will point out all the good police work that's been done, all of the good investigative techniques that have been employed and they will shift the jury's attention back to the forensic evidence that will point to the defendant's guilt in this case," Sheaffer said.

"The defense has to regard this information as a godsend,” said Sheaffer. "The defense is ultimately going to make a lot of the fact the remains were discovered after numerous trips from the meter reader… This is probably a game-changer."

http://www.wftv.com/news/18315429/detail.html#-