Handling the News

My mind was spinning. I had been steadfast in Michael's innocence. We had been searching for every angle to stop the prosecution and find them guilty of misconduct. This became more of an issues than the allegations themselves for Michael and Jamie and others involved in this case. 


I knew I need to report the things that had happened with Reigh. First and foremost, the victims' safety comes first. They need to be supported. 


I needed to talk to someone. Reigh had revealed to me earlier on that he had been talking to the owner of the MichaelTerpening.com site. I had tried to call Trooper Vannette because I knew from earlier reports that he was one of the investigators on the case. He was not working. I was put into contact with another Trooper, who was aware of the case. He asked me for a statement. 


I also made contact with Rob D. Reigh asked me to call him and promised me this man was not the man I thought he was. That everything he has said was true, and that I could trust him. Rob is a man that saw the news somewhere and tracked the story, just as I had. I called him, and we talked about Reigh for awhile, without delving into too much about the case. 


Rob is not a stupid man, either. He was who he said he was all along. He put up his site because of Jamie. He saw the comments getting made online and added some of his own, because of his experience in his field. Jamie was verbally abusive and made many statements towards Rob, so he decided to create a Web site to produce evidence in the case and to open a forum for people to talk about the case. The more Jamie ran off at the mouth, the more he stood up to her and produced more evidence.


I can't tell you how many phone calls I received from Jamie regarding comments. We all did our fair share of stalking Rob online to find out who he really was. It was later confirmed by Rob that we actually had nailed his legal name, birthdate, and PREVIOUS address to the wall. More disturbing is that Michael and the farm hand actually drove to the address one night trying to find this guy. Michael and I talked by phone while he was doing the search. 


It was suggested that I stage a phone call and record it between Reigh and Michael, before the police were contacted. He said once I called the police, I could be considered an agent for them. I was tempted to try it, but after what had been said to me, I felt that Reigh had been put through enough already. I was afraid to give a statement. I was afraid to say anything. Stepping out of the Terpening Followers crushed me. I was fearful of the backlash, but I cannot have this stuff weighing on me. No, way. 


I needed a guarantee I was doing the right thing. The Attorney General and the Troopers cannot go into detail, but guaranteed certain things. When the transcripts were released a few days later, I took the necessary time to read it all. Stories from last year in court totally verify everything Reigh was telling me. Too freaking bad that Rob scanned it all in upside down. :(