Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Deputy Alford: Let's roll.
NARRATOR: CRIME IS HEATING UP IN HARLAN COUNTY.
Deputy Freeman: There had to be something there
to make it burn hotter.
NARRATOR: AS THE SHERIFF RACES TO CATCH AN ARSONIST.
Sheriff Lipfird: This could have burned an
entire community down.
NARRATOR: THE EVIDENCE IS POINTING TOWARDS AN OLD FRIEND.
Sheriff Lipfird: I've got three adults tellin' me
they saw you coming out of the house.
Becky Johnson: No, uh-uh.
That's a lie.
NARRATOR: HARLAN'S MARIJUANA GROWERS.
Lt Southerland: Do you smell it?
NARRATOR: ARE PLANTING THIS YEAR'S CROP.
Lt. Southerland: Another month that would have been
ready for harvest.
NARRATOR: FOR PROFIT.
Lt. Southerland: This is a large amount of cash
that's pretty much growing out of the ground.
NARRATOR: BUT ALSO FOR VENGEANCE.
Lt. Southerland: I think somebody's specifically
plantin'em there to get you in trouble.
Deputy Alford: Go to the back, go to the back!
NARRATOR: AND AN ARREST ATTEMPT BY ROOKIE OFFICERS.
Deputy Alford: He bolted out the window.
NARRATOR: TURNS INTO A FRANTIC MANHUNT.
Lt. Southerland: It worked out pretty much like putting
two rookies in charge would work out.
Deputy Alford: Nothing here.
(bleep)!
Sheriff Lipfird: Oh, let's see what we got here.
People like to plant marijuana on the
side of the roads.
That way it's easy in, easy out.
NARRATOR: IT'S POT GROWING SEASON IN HARLAN COUNTY AND
SHERIFF MARVIN LIPFIRD AND HIS MEN ARE ON HIGH ALERT.
Sheriff Lipfird: If Harlan County were the 51st state,
we would be the tenth largest producer of
marijuana in the nation.
That's a pretty staggering statistic.
This time of the year is when we start seeing people
going into the mountains, working their plants and
this is when people start calling us,
giving us tips.
I'd say we're ok,
I don't think anybody's growing anything.
NARRATOR: NOTHING HERE, BUT ACROSS THE COUNTY
LIEUTENANT MIRON SOUTHERLAND AND DEPUTY MITCH ALFORD
CHASE DOWN ANOTHER STASH.
Deputy Alford: A gentleman called and said
he'd found a couple of plants on his property,
so we're gonna go up there and check those out and
hopefully find some more.
Anytime we go into the mountains looking for
marijuana, you have to be on your toes.
Growers are known for setting bear traps out.
They may hang fish hooks, you know,
about head level in the trees so when you walk by
you get barbed with them,
so it can be dangerous going out there.
How you doing buddy?
Doing all right?
Tony: I'm good, you?
Deputy Alford: Good, good.
Lt. Southerland: What are we looking at?
Tony: That's right at my damn door.
That is pot, ain't it?
Deputy Alford: Looks like it from here.
Lt. Southerland: You smell it?
Deputy Alford: Yeah.
Lt. Southerland: Ah, yeah.
That would be marijuana.
Tony: That's pot.
Lt. Southerland: Yeah, that's some pretty plants.
Deputy Alford: Hmm.
Lt. Southerland: That's real pretty.
Tony: This has been cut probably 3 months ago.
This (bleep)don't grow that fast, does it?
Lt. Southerland: Yeah, the rain we've been having.
See if you can pull it up.
Deputy Alford: I can't pull it.
Lt. Southerland: Yeah, that's what I thought.
Deputy Alford: Somebody planted them.
Lt. Southerland: Yeah, it's been planted.
I mean, it's dug out.
That's been dug out.
Tony: If it'd come up from something else,
they would be grass and weed and stuff all right
there in that spot.
Lt. Southerland: Somebody purposely did it.
Tony: There's another one of 'em over there.
Looks to me like somebody's been in and out right here.
Lt. Southerland: It's pretty thick down that way.
Oh, here's another one.
Deputy Alford: That one just started.
Lt. Southerland: Yep.
Tony: Just dug.
Lt. Southerland: That's fresh.
Deputy Alford: They just transplanted it.
Lt. Southerland: Look close,
'cause there's small ones too.
Be careful.
This is a large amount of cash that's pretty much
growing form the ground.
And these people take this extreme precautions to
protect these patches, such as *** traps.
Anything from just, you know,
a hole in the ground with sharp sticks,
to an elaborate mechanism with a shotgun
tied to a tree with a rope.
I'll check up here.
Deputy Alford: I smell it right through here.
Lt. Southerland: That's too thick up through there.
Would be choked out by the overgrowth.
There's another one.
Nothing?
Deputy Alford: Nope.
Lt. Southerland: I found another one,
over on that side.
They're all around the house.
It could be somebody trying to get him in trouble
or somebody actually just planting them
around the house and hoping he doesn't see it.
That way they can come in, harvest it.
It's on his property, so if he gets caught,
it's not them getting in trouble.
It's actually a smart plan.
There's two things,
either one: they know you don't cut your yard that much,
I guess, or two:
they're trying to set you up.
Tony: Possible they're trying to set me up 'cause
I've done a little work for y'all.
Lt. Southerland: Yeah.
NARRATOR: THIS HOMEOWNER'S COOPERATED WITH THE LAW
BEFORE AND HAS HAD HIS SHARE OF FEUDS
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
Tony: This lady let the dogs out and I shot them.
I disposed of them too.
NARRATOR: AND IN HARLAN COUNTY,
RETALIATION IS A REALITY OF DAILY LIFE.
Lt. Southerland: Another month,
that would've been ready for harvest.
Deputy Alford: It ain't started budding yet.
Lt. Southerland: No, but they're high.
The THC is real high in 'em, you can smell it.
NARRATOR: AND WHOEVER PLANTED THESE
MAY BE OUT FOR VENGEANCE.
IF THERE ARE FIVE OR MORE PLANTS GROWING
ON THE PROPERTY, IT'S A FELONY CHARGE.
Tony: How many did you find?
Lt. Southerland: Five.
The two that you seen, and then there was three more,
scattered out around, behind your house.
NARRATOR: IT'S A LARGE AND EXPENSIVE HAUL.
FIVE MARIJUANA PLANTS THIS BIG HAVE A STREET VALUE OF
SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS.
Lt. Southerland: Whoever it is has maintained those plants.
Tony: What do you mean maintain them?
Lt. Southerland: They're keeping the weeds away from
the roots.
I think somebody specifically planted them
there to get you in trouble.
Keep an eye out.
If you find any, we'll come back and get 'em.
In the County of Harlan, people get mad at somebody
and they say, "Let's get him."
And they use us as a revenge tool.
We're ready to move.
But I feel confident we took care of that situation.
You better not be smoking none of that (bleep).
NARRATOR: THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE WILL KEEP THE CASE
OPEN, LOOKING FOR SUSPECTS WHO MAY BE WAGING A PERSONAL
VENDETTA AGAINST THE HOMEOWNER.
Sheriff Lipfird: Miron, come here a minute.
Lt. Southerland: What's up?
Sheriff Lipfird: Can you handle some rookies?
Lt. Southerland: Oh yeah, I can do that.
Sheriff Lipfird: Okay.
Lt. Southerland: They've been out about
two or three weeks now.
Sheriff Lipfird: Push them out there a little bit.
Let'em sink or swim.
Lt. Southerland: Do the trial by fire thing?
Sheriff Lipfird: Yeah, it's not gonna hurt'em.
Lt. Southerland: All right.
NARRATOR: SHERIFF MARVIN HAS JUST HIRED TWO NEW
DEPUTY RECRUITS FRESH FROM THE POLICE ACADEMY.
JUSTIN LUTTRELL AND BRIT LIPFIRD.
Lt. Southerland: They're both good,
promising deputies.
Brit Lipfird, happens to be Marvin's son,
the Sheriff and Marvin has shown him no specialty treatment
and I respect that.
If anything, Marvin's harder on him than anybody else.
And he has specifically ordered me to be even stricter
on Brit than anyone else.
Those guys you got as burglary suspects,
they got warrants on them.
They can run down and try to pick them up
tomorrow or tonight.
Let them take a lead on it.
Sheriff Lipfird: Yeah, that'll work.
Lt. Southerland: I'll get with them and
see if they can find where them guys are at.
We'll go ahead and see if we can pick them up.
Sheriff Lipfird: Okay.
When you come out of the academy you're
basically trained.
But that's just it, they're basically trained.
They've got a tool kit, now we're going teach them
how to use the tools the proper way.
Lt. Southerland: Marvin worked a burglary today.
On these two guys, ok?
These are possibly suspects, but he's wanting to catch
them and do an interview.
So, we got a pretty good tip that this guy is down
Tremont Service Station staying at a trailer,
which I've done been told by a couple people that he's
probably gonna run.
Deputy Luttrell: Okay.
Lt. Southerland: So we'll need to surround
it pretty good.
See if we could catch him.
Any questions?
Let's go see if we can catch 'em.
I'm going to let Brit and Justin take the
lead on this one.
I think it's a good test for 'em because he has ran
from law enforcement before.
So this is a pretty good one to throw 'em into first
and see how to handle it.
Deputy Alford: Brit take the back.
Mitch, you go up front with Justin.
I'll stand by the car in case you need a dog,
in case you need a dog.
Deputy Lipfird: I feel like the Sheriff's Department on
a whole, has a high expectations for rookies.
But, I've been taught well.
We're gonna take care of business when we show up.
Lt. Southerland: We are picking up on separate warrants,
so we're gonna pick 'em up on those warrants
and question them on the burglary.
All right, let's move.
Deputy Alford: I try to keep the same
mindset all the time.
Regardless whether it's, you know,
some random person we've arrested 30 times,
or someone that may give us some problems.
You always have to be on the edge because you never know
if these people is gonna be jacked up or something.
Or that night, they just decided that they're not
going to jail anymore.
If you get complacent and have that mindset that oh
this ain't gonna be nothing, we'll knock on the door and
he'll walk out to us.
That's what gets you killed.
Radio: Looks like we might have to go hit the
other peoples driveway to get to it.
Deputy Alford: It's Justin's district,
so he is the lead vehicle in all this.
Uh, he's going to go to the front door.
I'm going to back him up on the front and
Brit's gonna go to the rear and secure it.
This may be, uh, one of the first times they've served a
warrant in this situation where the subject may be a
possibly a runner.
Uh, so, I'm gonna back 'em up on it.
Go to the back, go to the back!
Clear right there.
Check that out.
Okay, Brit, go around to this one.
[knocks on door].
Man: Hey man.
Deputy Lipfird: Contact.
Deputy Alford: Contact?
Deputy Lipfird: Contact.
NARRATOR: THEY DISCOVER A WOMAN INSIDE AND DEPUTY
JUSTIN TAKES THE LEAD.
Deputy Luttrell: Is Leslie home?
Woman: He left ten minutes ago.
Deputy Luttrell: Where did he go, do you know?
Woman: Across the road somewhere.
Deputy Luttrell: Ok, um, mind if we step in and
take a look?
Woman: It's fine.
We don't live here, we just come over to visit.
Deputy Luttrell: Who lives here?
Woman: Les stays here, but he left about ten minutes
ago and walked across the road.
Deputy Alford: Stand right here.
I'm gonna check on them.
Watch this.
What have you got?
Deputy Luttrell: She said he left about ten minutes ago.
Deputy Alford: Is he in there?
Woman: No he ain't in here.
I promise he ain't.
I swear on my kids he ain't in here.
He left.
Deputy Alford: Okay.
Deputy Alford: Yeah it's me.
Child: He went out the window.
Deputy Alford: He went out the window?
Child: Yeah.
Deputy Alford: When?
Woman: No, he didn't.
Child: Yeah he did.
Deputy Alford: The female that was there stated that
he went to a friend's house a few minutes before
we got there.
But a small child, you know, pops up and says,
"No, he went out the window."
Deputy Alford: Give me your light.
Lt. Southerland: The guy had a pretty good
escape plan set up.
And basically it worked out like,
pretty much like putting two rookies in charge
would work out.
Deputy Alford: I believe somebody went out that back end.
(beep)!
Deputy Alford: It's gonna be the very back one.
Go, go, go, go, go!
NARRATOR: WHEN ROOKIE DEPUTIES BRIT LIPFIRD AND
JUSTIN LUTTRELL TAKE THE LEAD ON ROUNDING UP A
SUSPECTED THIEF.
Deputy Alford: Go to the back, go to the back!
Clear right there.
NARRATOR: THE OPERATION GOES SIDEWAYS.
Lt. Southerland: Justin and, you know,
Mitch were supposed to go to the front door.
Brit was supposed to take the back.
[Dog barking knocking on door].
So by the time I pull up, basically they were just
running everywhere trying to get into the, the house.
Deputy Luttrell: Is he in there?
Woman: No he ain't in here.
I promise he ain't.
I swear on my kids he ain't in here.
He left.
Deputy Luttrell: Okay.
Deputy Alford: The female that was there stated that
he went to a friend's house a few minutes before
we got there.
But uh, a small child you know pops up and says.
Child: He went out the window.
Deputy Alford: He went out the window?
Child: Yeah.
Deputy Alford: When?
Woman: No he didn't.
Child: Yeah he did.
Deputy Alford: Give me your light.
(bleep)!
The little girl said he went out the window in the back.
Lt. Southerland: This guy?
Deputy Alford: No, the little girl.
Deputy Lipfird: Just said he climbed out a window.
Deputy Alford: Climbed out the window.
Lt. Southerland: I looked man,
it don't look like anyone went up that way.
Deputy Alford: I couldn't get around,
I went all the way around this.
It's like this and then there's a big fence
all the way around.
What do you think?
Lt. Southerland: I'd say he might have.
(bleep)!
There's a big open field out there.
Deputy Alford: Is there?
Lt. Southerland: Right past on Barge.
Deputy Alford: I think the little girl
was telling the truth.
I mean she had no reason to lie.
Lt. Southerland: I do too.
NARRATOR: TIME TO TAKE A CRACK AT THE WOMAN COVERING
FOR THEIR SUSPECT.
Deputy Alford: All right Hope, listen, ok?
He's went out that window, right?
Be honest with me don't feed me no bull, ok?
Where would he be going to?
Woman: I don't know where he would've went,
but yeah he did.
Deputy Alford: Ok.
Hey, he bolted out the window.
Lt. Southerland: Huh?
Deputy Alford: He bolted out the window.
Lt. Southerland: Well let's go get him.
Deputy Lipfird: You didn't know anything about that?
You didn't know he was taking off?
Woman: I told, I told Mitchell.
Deputy Lipfird: You lied to us.
You come to the door and lied to us.
I saw Mitch come down the trailer and he hit home that
the guy had ran.
And I instantly went from here to here when it
come to being furious.
Not necessarily at him but at myself for not
having a back up plan to head this off.
I feel like it is my fault.
I feel like I failed and I don't like failure.
Deputy Brewer: Got a tennis shoe right here!
NARRATOR: DEPUTY CHRIS BREWER FINDS A SHOE THAT THE
SUSPECT MAY HAVE LOST WHEN HE FLED THE TRAILER.
THE DEPUTIES HOPE THAT RUNNING WITH JUST ONE SHOE
WILL SLOW HIS ESCAPE.
Deputy Alford: Let's roll, let's go!
NARRATOR: THE OFFICERS FAN OUT INTO A NEARBY FIELD TO
PREVENT THEIR FUGITIVE FROM ESCAPING INTO THE
SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS.
Lt. Southerland: We knew that he was out and moving
around the community, so we split up into groups.
Deputy Lipfird: Me and Justin come to this side to
see if we can see him.
I think, uh, Miron and Mitch is pushing from the
opposite side toward us.
Not sure right now.
NARRATOR: DEPUTIES SCRAMBLE TO EXPAND THE PERIMETER AND
SHERIFF MARVIN LIPFIRD JOINS THE MANHUNT.
Sheriff Lipfird: Unit 1, unit 15.
Radio: Go ahead.
Sheriff Lipfird: 10-4.
Y'all have someone on foot in the woods?
Radio: 10-4.
We pulled up this 10-12 took out the back door onfoot.
Sheriff Lipfird: 10-4.
Where do you want me to come in at?
Radio: Might want to check the roadways.
Sheriff Lipfird: 10-4.
Right now what we're doing, uh,
the deputies are in the woods coming toward us.
And the ridgeline he is on if he ran straight
into the woods, he'd have to cross large
rivers section that we're on.
He's gonna have to run out into my arms up here,
so I'm just gonna get up here,
get in the dark and see if they'll flush him out to me.
Deputy Alford: If you're gonna follow me,
dim your lights.
Tennis shoe right here, same one.
NARRATOR: MITCH FINDS THE FUGITIVE'S OTHER SHOE.
IT'S A SIGN THEY COULD BE CLOSING IN ON THEIR MAN.
Deputy Brewer: He's went up this way.
Deputy Alford: I'm gonna go up here.
There's a lot of dogs barking up here.
If you wanna push on, I'm gonna go across
and walk down.
Lt. Southerland: 10-4.
Did somebody sneeze below me?
I'm hearing some noises in the bushes.
I can't get to it where I'm at.
I don't know where 10-12 is though.
Deputy Brewer: 10-4.
We'll check it out.
Lt. Southerland: I checked up on a hillside
where a lot of the runners in that area go;
Mitch checked the creek area.
Deputy Alford: Nothin' here.
Lt. Southerland: We combed the entire area,
but just didn't find nothin'.
NARRATOR: HE'S IN THE WIND,
SOMEWHERE IN HARLAN'S 375 SQUARE MILES OF
MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.
SO LIEUTENANT MIRON SOUTHERLAND
CALLS OFF THE SEARCH.
Lt. Southerland: Nothing?
Lets just get out of here.
Deputy Brewer: Arms ripped up, allergies going crazy,
pulling ticks off.
All because he's a freaking coward.
Sheriff Lipfird: You know we waited a little while.
He didn't run out to us and he should have came
to us by then.
Deputy Lipfird: You're all wet.
Deputy Luttrell: Yeah, I fell.
Deputy Lipfird: In the river?
Deputy Luttrell: Yeah.
Deputy Lipfird: I'm soaked to my knees.
Lt. Southerland: The rookies, they was gonna step up.
They were going to take care of this and unfortunately
it was one of the situations that he got away.
That's a blow to their ego.
Two rookies, we shouldn't have tried this.
Deputy Lipfird: I haven't made,
I haven't proved myself enough.
I'm gonna have to do my job over and over again
until I earn the respect of everybody.
And that's my goal is to have everybody's respect.
And until people start looking up to me,
I won't feel like I've made it.
NARRATOR: THE ROOKIES GET ANOTHER CHANCE TO
ARREST A FUGITITVE.
Deputy Lipfird: Somebody's goin' to jail tonight.
NARRATOR: BUT WILL THEY BLOW IT AGAIN?
Deputy Lipfird: Wrong trailer, 21.
NARRATOR: AND IF THE SHERIFF CAN'T CATCH AN ARSONIST.
Sheriff Lipfird: Did you set the fire in that house?
Becky: No, I did not.
NARRATOR: THE VICTIM WILL TAKE THE LAW INTO
HER OWN HANDS.
Judy: If they don't get her before I do,
I said I'll take care of it.
Sheriff Lipfird: You got two types of fires, right?
Accidental and incendiary.
NARRATOR: SHERIFF LIPFIRD GATHERS DEPUTIES
TRAVIS FREEMAN AND DANNY LEWIS TO LOOK INTO A
SUSPICIOUS FIRE THAT RAVAGED A HOUSE LAST NIGHT.
Sheriff Lipfird: I still think we may have an arson.
James Billings: We gotta prove it first.
NARRATOR: THEY'RE JOINED BY JAMES BILLINGS FROM THE
HARLAN COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT.
Sheriff Lipfird: You got your gear, your equipment?
James Billings: Uh-huh.
Sheriff Lipfird: Lets go investigate a fire.
Deputies: All right, sounds good.
Sheriff Lipfird: Let's go to Wynntown, boys.
We're going to a community called Wynntown,
where I grew up, raised up here.
Best people in the world in my opinion.
When it comes to arson, it has devastated this here in
this part of the country.
We have one of the highest arson rates in the state.
You know you stay here in Harlan County,
you make somebody mad they just burn you out.
My family has lost bad from arsonists.
When I was a kid, we've had two restaurants
that people have burnt down.
Had a house and a grocery store that was burnt down.
Deputy Lewis: These people that lived across from where
the fire happened said that they seen this lady run out
of the house like a minute before they seen the flames.
And said she took off down the street.
NARRATOR: THE SHERIFF'S TEAM ARRIVES ON SCENE TO FIND OUT
EXACTLY WHERE THE BLAZE STARTED AND WHY.
Sheriff Lipfird: Yeah there's a meter.
NARRATOR: THE SHERIFF QUICKLY LOCATES WHAT'S LEFT
OF THE ELECTRICITY METER.
A VITAL FIRST STEP IN ANY ARSON INVESTIGATION.
Sheriff Lipfird: Here open this up.
NARRATOR: A QUICK INSPECTION WILL TELL HIM IF
THE FIRE RESULTED FROM AN ACCIDENTAL ELECTRICAL SHORT.
Sheriff Lipfird: No it's clean.
Deputy: Clean as it could be.
Sheriff Lipfird: You look for the burn in it,
and there's no arch in it, which tells you: there was
no electricity in the house.
That tells us that what?
Deputy Freeman: Arson.
Sheriff Lipfird: Look, you got heavy burn right here.
A trail going out to what?
The door.
It's not logical for the floor to be gone in the
manner in which it's gone.
Deputy Freeman: Uh-uh, there had to be something here to
make it burn hotter and hotter to do that.
Sheriff Lipfird: Had to be something there
to burn hotter.
Deputy Freeman: So if there was an accelerant,
that's where it'd lay out at, right there?
Sheriff Lipfird: Yeah, that's what it appears to us.
It's poured, in this direction.
All physical evidence and all indicators,
indicate to us that it's a suspicious fire, it's arson.
More likely an arson fire.
James Billings: The fuel, or something,
was pulled right there.
Laid that out.
Sheriff Lipfird: It's went to the door.
Now we gotta figure out a motive.
That's my job.
James Billings: Yeah, that's your job.
Sheriff Lipfird: Here.
All these houses, probably no more than 20,
50 feet away, this could have been actually very
catastrophic in a way, because it could have burned
an entire community down had this been much later
in the night.
We could actually had a lot of dead children and dead,
dead adults here.
Let's go ahead and start gettin',
talk to witnesses again to confirm their statements.
Deputy Freeman: And see if they.
Sheriff Lipfird: Just tie it back up and make sure,
see if they heard anything or anything like that.
Deputy Freeman: Yeah.
NARRATOR: MARVIN HEADS NEXT DOOR TO QUESTION SEVERAL
NEIGHBORS WHO SUSPECT A WOMAN NAMED "BECKY"
MAY BE THE FIREBUG.
THE SHERIFF KNOWS HER WELL.
SHE'S A LIFELONG FRIEND OF BOTH HIM AND THE OWNER OF
THE CHARRED HOUSE.
Sheriff Lipfird: Did you see Becky come out of that house?
Woman: I did and she did.
Sheriff Lipfird: You saw Becky come out of the house too?
Woman 2: I saw her come by the house.
Woman: I mean she probably didn't make it
right through here before I seen the smoke.
Or we seen the smoke, didn't we?
Woman 2: First we saw the smoke, then we saw her.
She went through here, though.
It was, blazin', he was in a hurry.
Woman: She was walkin really fast.
Sheriff Lipfird: Let me make sure I got this right.
You saw her walk outta the house?
Woman: I did and she did.
Sheriff Lipfird: Walk onto the street?
Girl: Yes and not even like two minutes,
it went up in flames.
Just that back room though.
Sheriff Lipfird: Did she see, did she see you all?
Group: Yes, she saw us.
Girl: I think that's why she ran.
Woman 2: I think really she was just out here
because they all started.
Girl: Partying.
Woman 2: Whatever they.
Sheriff Lipfird: They party up at Trina's all the time.
Girl: Yep, or up at Robin's sometimes.
Sheriff Lipfird: You have been a great help,
you have no much, no clue how much help
you've been to me.
Well, I'm gonna get out your hair.
If yall need us, holler.
If you remember anything, please don't hesitate to
call me down at the sheriff's office, okay?
Group: Okay.
Sheriff Lipfird: I got a rapport with the suspect.
Basically known her her whole life.
We're gonna, see if we can, uh,
roll out a motive and if she's done it see if we can
get a confession from her.
If not, we'll eliminate her and move forward and
go from there.
NARRATOR: MARVIN THINKS THERE'S A CHANCE BECKY'S
LYING LOW AT HER MOTHER'S HOUSE, SO HE HEADS THERE.
Sheriff Lipfird: There's Becky right there.
Well I'll be doggone.
It's me, I need to talk to you a minute.
Becky Johnson: Me?
Sheriff Lipfird: Yeah.
Tell me, uh, tell me your take of what went on in the
fire the other night.
I'm up here investigating a fire.
Becky Johnson: Over at Judy's?
Well, all I done was walk outside, I been drinking,
walked outside and caught Trina's dog in front of her
mommy's house.
And there was some kids up the way.
Sheriff Lipfird: Trina's dog,
or a friend of her mom's?
Becky Johnson: Yeah, Pauline's and I got the dog
and drug it back in the house and went in there and
went to sleep.
Sheriff Lipfird: Okay.
You weren't in the house at all?
Becky Johnson: No, nuh-uh.
I have not been in that house for years.
Well since Judy lived in it.
It wasn't me.
Sheriff Lipfird: Here's the problem we got.
I've got at least three adults tellin' me they saw
you come out of the house.
Becky Johnson: No, uh-uh, that's a lie.
Sheriff Lipfird: I'm just gonna be honest.
I believe you were in the house.
Becky Johnson: If I was I don't remember 'cause
I was drinkin' moonshine that night.
Sheriff Lipfird: I want you to think about it, okay.
I've never lied to you.
I've never done you wrong, I'm not gonna start now.
Becky Johnson: If, if, if I was, what would happen?
Sheriff Lipfird: I hope and I believe,
that's the reason I came to see you before I talk to
anyone else, that you tell me the truth before anyone
else would, that's all I'm trying to figure out.
Becky Johnson: I mean, I could have.
I could have, you know.
Honestly I could have been there.
Sheriff Lipfird: Okay.
Deputy Lewis: I think Becky's lyin' to ya Marvin.
Sheriff Lipfird: Oh she is lying to me.
I just let her lie, but I'm letting her stew on it.
She goes I don't remember if I was there or
not but what if I was, would I get in trouble or not.
And so that's a start.
Tomorrow, she'll give me the full,
the full story and I call it primin the pump.
The pump's primed.
Uh, she'll produce water tomorrow.
She'll produce.
[knock at door]
Lt. Southerland: Come in.
Deputy Lipfird: Where that guy that got away with us
from the other night,
we felt like it's sort of our fault.
Lt. Southerland: Uh-huh.
Deputy Lipfird: And we wanna chance to make up for it.
NARRATOR: SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT ROOKIES
BRIT LIPFIRD AND JUSTIN LUTTRELL ARE STILL
FEELING THE STING FROM THEIR FAILED ARREST ATTEMPT OF
A SUSPECTED BURGLAR THREE NIGHTS AGO.
Deputy Alford: Go to the back!
Go to the back!
Clear right there.
Check that out.
NARRATOR: NOW, THEY'RE READY TO PROVE THEIR WORTH
ON A NEW CASE.
Lt. Southerland: If you guys feel you need
to justify yourself what do you got?
Deputy Lipfird: Three warrants.
Lt. Southerland: You guys want to handle it yourselves?
Deputy Lipfird: Yes, sir.
Deputy Luttrell: Yeah, we got it.
Lt. Southerland: You know there's a chance
he might run, yeah?
You guys good with it?
Deputy Lipfird: Yes, sir.
Lt. Southerland: You guys are good with it,
I'm good with it.
All right.
Good luck.
You have to have confidence in your men,
and you have to have enough confidence in them to throw
them back into it and don't feel that you need
to hold their hand.
NARRATOR: THEIR SUSPECT'S WANTED ON THEFT AND
BURGLARY CHARGES.
Deputy Lipfird: Me and Justin,
kind of wanted to do this ourselves trying to make up
for the other night because I feel like it's my fauLt.
that guy got away from us.
And I feel like I need to redeem myself.
I don't want our department to look bad.
I want people to see our cruisers rolling up and know
it's not time to play games.
Deputy Luttrell: We're both rookies you know,
so we're just trying to show initiative and trying to
prove our worth, you know, and hopefully we can keep'em
from getting away.
Deputy Lipfird: You can't let your guard down against
anybody, especially so when you're going to serve
multiple warrants on a subject.
But, we're ready.
Somebody's going to jail tonight.
We get to the community and we're rolling up and
I see this subject's car parked at a house.
And since of the numbers on the house were
covered up and some of 'em aren't marked,
I take that as the house that it's at.
And make contact there.
Is this 1313 (bleep) Lane?
Woman: No, this is 75.
Deputy Lipfird: Where's it at?
Woman: Over there.
Justin Litrell: Wrong Trailer, 21.
Deputy Lipfird: I holler at Justin told him we're
at the wrong house and to start pushing that way.
NARRATOR: BY GOING TO THE WRONG HOUSE,
THE DEPUTIES MAY HAVE ALERTED THE SUSPECT THEY'RE HERE.
NOW, THEY'RE IN DANGER OF BUNGLING ANOTHER ARREST.
Deputy Lipfird: I start feeling apprehension that he
may be taking off on us, so I start pushing a little bit
harder trying to get up the steps trying to hit it off
'cause I'm not sure where he's going to take off.
Turn around.
Man: What the (beep)?
Deputy Lipfird: Turn around.
I got warrants on you.
Man: For what?
Deputy Lipfird: Felony out of Harlan circuit
and two others.
Man: Felony out of Harland circuit?
Deputy Lipfird: Yeah, turn around.
I get to the top and he's come to the door,
and I don't see a weapon on him,
but I get him out and get him in handcuffs.
Deputy Luttrell: You ok?
Deputy Lipfird: Yeah.
Coming into this I wasn't going to allow
myself to fail again.
Me and Justin did it this time.
We brought our guy home.
Deputy Luttrell: You got anything on ya, bud?
Got anything on ya?
Anything in your pockets?
Man: No.
Deputy Lipfird: If there's something in your pockets
that's going to poke or anything like that,
I'm gonna charge you with assault.
Man: I know I ain't got nothing.
Deputy Lipfird: I knew I needed to trust my instinct
and that's what I did on this one,
and did my job the way I was taught to do it.
Let's go.
Deputy Luttrell: Okay.
NARRATOR: IT'S A SOLID ARREST THAT GIVES THE
NOVICES A NEEDED BOOST OF CONFIDENCE.
Deputy Luttrell: It feels good to get him.
The guy got away from us the other night,
but you learn your lessons and it just makes
you that much better for the next time,
that much more prepared.
You know here me and Brit are back at it,
and came back out and arrested somebody.
Chalk one up for the rooks.
Lt. Southerland: They got him.
Deputy Alford: Good deal.
Lt. Southerland: Heck yeah.
They went back out,
threw theirselves back into the flames,
came out triumphant.
I think they learned a valuable lesson.
Deputy Alford: Here he comes.
Lt. Southerland: I'm proud of you.
Get him up to the jail, get home,
then get some clean clothes on.
Good job.
Sheriff Lipfird: The rookies,
they more than redeemed themselves.
I mean, that goes back to them being young,
and both of them being intelligent.
You get to be able to make the mistake
because you're young.
But because you're intelligent enough to
realize you made a mistake,
you're willing to learn from that mistake.
And they learned and they succeeded the next go around.
NARRATOR: THE YOUNG OFFICERS AREN'T THE ONLY ONES
MAKING PROGRESS ON THEIR CASE.
Sheriff Lipfird: Come on back, Becky.
NARRATOR: SHERIFF MARVIN LIPFIRD HAS CALLED HIS CHIEF
SUSPECT, BECKY, DOWN TO HIS OFFICE TO GIVE A DETAILED
STATEMENT ABOUT THE SUSPICIOUS HOUSE FIRE.
Sheriff Lipfird: Okay the floor is yours.
Becky Johnson: Okay, we was partying and stuff.
I'm feelin pretty good.
They got a quart of moonshine.
Good stuff.
Sheriff Lipfird: Apparently.
Becky Johnson: Well I started drinking on that.
Drinkin, drinkin, drinkin and I was drunk all evening.
Everyone starts passin out and so I decided I was gonna
take a little walk.
So that's when I went in the house and stuff.
Nobody was with me.
And just lookin around and I was smokin a cigarette.
And I just flicked my cigarette in the room,
you know, didn't think nothing about it,
just flicked it.
Then I walked back out.
Sheriff Lipfird: What was you thinkin?
Going in that house, you know.
You had no right to be there.
Becky Johnson: I was just bein' nosy, you know.
Sheriff Lipfird: Did you intentionally set the fire
in that house?
Becky Johnson: No I did not.
No I sure did not.
Sheriff Lipfird: You did not intentionally set it?
Becky Johnson: Nope.
Sheriff Lipfird: I wouldn't think you would do that to Judy.
Becky Johnson: No, I love Judy to death.
No.
I've known Judy all my life.
Judy's like a second mommy to me.
Sheriff Lipfird: But immediately after you were
in the house, the house was on fire.
Becky Johnson: Yeah.
Sheriff Lipfird: Okay, I think the accelerant that
definitely was used was moonshine.
She told me she was drinking moonshine,
it was an accident and, you know,
she set fire to the house.
Becky Johnson: I, I tell you what I swear when all of
this is over with, I'm leavin Harlan.
I'm leaving Kentucky.
Sheriff Lipfird: You never got in trouble til you got old.
Becky Johnson: I know it.
Sheriff Lipfird: She fully incriminated herself,
but she won't go to jail right now.
I'll contact Judy tomorrow and see what she
wants to do.
She has a right to say, "Look, as the victim,
I don't want her to go to prison,
or I want you to push this all the way."
Sheriff Lipfird: We're, uh, going back to the scene of
the fire to speak with the property owner.
She has some information she wants to tell me and
I told her I'd be coming up and, uh,
we're on our way that way now.
NARRATOR: IT'S BEEN TWO DAYS SINCE BECKY CONFESSED
TO ACCIDENTALLY SETTING HER FRIEND JUDY CLARK'S
HOUSE ON FIRE.
Becky Johnson: I was smokin a cigarette
and I just flicked my cigarette in the room.
NARRATOR: TODAY, SHERIFF MARVIN IS MEETING WITH JUDY
AT HER PRIMARY RESIDENCE TO SEE IF SHE
WANTS TO PRESS CHARGES.
IF SHE DOES, BECKY'S FACING UP TO FIVE YEARS IN
PRISON FOR ARSON IN THE THIRD DEGREE.
Sheriff Lipfird: I hope that Judy and Becky actually
can make amends and Judy can be satisfied that
Becky didn't maliciously set fire to that house,
that it was truly an accident.
Yeah, how ya doin?
Judy Clark: I kinda been tore up ever since
Saturday night.
That's a lot of memories I lost.
Sheriff Lipfird: Yeah.
I know Judy, uh, I've known Judy my whole life.
I've known pretty much everyone in this holler
my whole life.
You know, Becky kinda grew up around her kids and
they all stayed the night with each other and
things like that.
Judy Clark: But I can't understand why Becky done that.
I seen her a couple weeks ago.
And she hugged me and told me she loved me and
everything and I said, "Well, I love you too."
And I did.
I do lover her.
Sheriff Lipfird: I know that.
Judy Clark: And, why she done that I don't know.
I really don't.
Me and my husband bein' there with the kids and
everything, you know.
That's a lot of memories, you know, to lose.
It is.
When something like that happens,
it just breaks your heart.
Sheriff Lipfird: Well, I'm sorry that you ended up
losing that house.
You have no insurance on it?
Judy Clark: No.
Sheriff Lipfird: That's a shame.
I need to make sure you wanna follow through with
charges on it and everything.
Judy Clark: Yes I do.
Sheriff Lipfird: That's all I needed to know.
Judy Clark: This is what I said I ain't gonna
tell you no lies.
I said if they don't get her before I do, I said,
"I'll take care of it."
Sheriff Lipfird: Here in the mountains,
a lot of people take care of things themselves.
They don't call the law.
Talkin' about the lady that's in her sixties.
You know, she made it clear to me, she said,
"Marvin J, if you can't take care of this,
I'm gonna take care of it myself."
I knew what she meant.
Uh, that's the reason I kind of acted a little bit
more swiftly because she meant what she said.
It's up to you, you're the victim.
So you want restitution?
In other words, her have to pay for the house,
how do you wanna work things out?
You want her to go to prison?
Just whatever.
Judy Clark: It might help her out some to be in prison.
Sheriff Lipfird: Well.
Judy Clark: 'Cause I was looking for her to get
killed anyway, the way she runs around and stuff.
I hate to say them words but this might learn her a lesson.
Sheriff Lipfird: Okay.
I'm gonna charge her with arson in the third degree,
which is a class D felony in Kentucky.
That's one to five in the penitentiary.
Judy Clark: Good.
I hope they put her in jail.
That might learn her not to do stuff like that.
If I let her get by with this,
she might do something else, you know.
She could go somewhere and do something and somebody
might kill her.
Sheriff Lipfird: You can forgive her but it's gonna
be hard to forget it.
Judy Clark: That's something I can't forget.
Sheriff Lipfird: Nope.
Judy Clark: No, I appreciate you.
Sheriff Lipfird: See ya now.
Judy Clark: Bye.
Sheriff Lipfird: The next step is to go find Becky
and, uh, tell her that charges are gonna be filed.
NARRATOR: BESIDES SCORCHED EARTH,
SHERIFF MARVIN IS FIGHTING ANOTHER PLAGUE
IN HARLAN COUNTY.
DRUGS ARE RUNNING RAMPANT.
Deputies: Show me your hands!
Hands down, down, on the ground!
NARRATOR: AND IF THE COPS CAN'T FIND THE DRUGS,
K-9 UNITS ARE CALLED INTO ACTION.
Lt. Southerland: Get him, Ice!
NARRATOR: THE BEST WAY TO SNIFF OUT THE DOPE
AND THE DEALERS.
Man: Ahhh!!!
NARRATOR: CURRENTLY, LIEUTENANT MIRON SOUTHERLAND
HAS JUST ONE WORKING CANINE NAMED ICE.
Man: Ahhh!!!
Lt. Southerland: Ice is crazy.
He's like me.
Whatever it takes, he'll do it.
Great dog, great police dog.
NARRATOR: BUT WITH TRAFFICKING ON THE RISE,
THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT IS NOW DOUBLING DOWN ON DOGS.
Lt. Southerland: He's my big boy.
Come on.
NARRATOR: MIRON HAS COME TO A CANINE ACADEMY WITH
A DOG LOOKING FOR A COMEBACK.
RECENTLY RETIRED POLICE DOG DASTY IS HOPING TO JOIN
ICE BACK ON THE FRONT LINES OF THE WAR ON DRUGS.
Lt. Southerland: Dasty, he's about 6, 7 years old,
somewhere in that area.
He's been retired for about a year,
but he wants to work, that's what he wants to do.
So I'm gonna bring him back out from retirement because
he's a phenomenal dope dog.
NARRATOR: BUT FIRST, DASTY NEEDS TO BE RE-CERTIFIED.
Lt. Southerland: Come on.
Let's go find some dope, man.
Today is basically the practice,
it's to build up for tomorrow's certification.
I feel pretty confident about it.
NARRATOR: DASTY'S FIRST TRIAL WILL BE DETECTING
DRUGS HIDDEN IN A BUILDING, AND MIRON KNOWS HE'S UP
AGAINST THE CLOCK.
ANYTHING OVER THREE MINUTES WILL BE A RED FLAG.
Jason Hanley: As soon as you say such, time starts, okay?
Lt. Southerland: You ready to go?
You ready to go?
Oh, such.
Such.
Jason Hanley: Start it.
Lt. Southerland: In here.
Such.
Good such.
Good such, good such.
Good such.
Good such.
Check over here.
Check.
You done?
You done?
All right, you're done.
Let's go.
Let's go.
NARRATOR: DASTY'S HAVING TROUBLE FINDING THE DRUGS.
Lt. Southerland: Where's it at?
Where's it at?
His body language is saying, you know,
"Hey, I've been out of work for a year.
I'm out of shape.
This is all your fault."
I'm the one that gives him the food,
I'm the one that gets him out and exercises him.
I take responsibility for all that.
Oh, you check.
Good check.
Oh.
Good check, good man.
Jason Hanley: Time?
Woman: 3:37.
Well, that was terrible.
NARRATOR: AT THREE MINUTES AND THIRTY-SEVEN SECONDS,
DASTY TOOK ABOUT A MINUTE LONGER THAN THE
AVERAGE DOPE DOG.
Jason Hanley: Comparing him to the other dogs,
the other dogs were faster.
NARRATOR: BUT DISPITE A POOR PREFORMANCE IN NARCOTICS
DETECTION, HIS NEXT TEST IS ONE HE ALWAYS ACED
WHILE ON ACTIVE K-9 DUTY;
TRACKING THE TRAIL OF A SUSPECT.
Lt. Southerland: Come on.
Come on, old guy.
Oh, there you go.
Jason Hanley: What the dogs are tracking here is the
broken vegetation.
When the grass breaks, it's gonna release an odor,
and also, whoever's layin' the track is gonna be
droppin' skin cells.
Lt. Southerland: He's castin' like a son of a gun.
Casting is instead of following directly
on the track with nose to the ground,
the dog will cast across the track,
kind of a serpentine, back and forth the track.
When the cast, there's a chance that they could lose
the track if they go off too far.
Come on, old-timer.
Jason Hanley: It's off to your left a little bit Miron.
Post up and see if you can guide him back slowly.
To your left.
It's over this way, Miron.
NARRATOR: DASTY IS LOSING THE SCENT TRAIL.
Jason Hanley: That ain't good.
NARRATOR: UNTIL HE JUST QUITS.
Jason Hanley: I think that's about all
the tracking we're gonna do.
Lt. Southerland: Come on old guy.
I mean, for his age, he tired.
Jason Hanley: He tried.
Lt. Southerland: Yeah, but that was terrible.
Jason Hanley: Yeah, from my professional standpoint,
although the dog wants to do it,
I'm not gonna sit here and say,
"Oh, the dog looked great."
Because, um, you know, he was slow,
but tomorrow's another day and we'll see, you know,
how he comes out in the morning.
Lt. Southerland: All right, come on.
It was pretty bad.
Compared to what he did a year ago,
I mean that dog was awesome on a track.
And then to see him go from that to this track,
it really, you know, it gets, it gets to you.
Everything's starting to bombard me.
The fact I've kept him in the kennel, he's not worked,
and, you know, it's all my fault.
NARRATOR: IF DASTY FAILS TOMORROW,
THE DEPARTMENT WILL BE LEFT WITH JUST ONE DOPE DOG,
DASHING THEIR HOPES OF EXPANDING THEIR ASSAULT ON
THE DRUG PROBLEM.
Lt. Southerland: In old feller.
I'm really nervous about Dasty.
If he doesn't pass certification,
I'd be lying if I say it wouldn't break my heart.
Lt. Southerland: Well, it's the moment of truth.
This is the day of canine certification.
It's the big day.
I'm still, I'm not gonna lie I'm nervous.
NARRATOR: YESTERDAY, DASTY FAILED IN THE TRIAL RUNS OF
TWO TESTS HE NEEDS TO TACKLE TODAY.
LIEUTENANT SOUTHERLAND IS WORRIED THE DOG WON'T
MAKE THE CUT, LEAVING THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE WITH JUST
ONE CANINE TO FIGHT A DRUG PROBLEM THAT'S SEEN
FATAL OVERDOSES JUMP NEARLY 300% IN A DECADE.
Lt. Southerland: You know, it has been a year since he's
done anything like this, so it's like taking a
professional athlete and putting him on a couch
watching TV for a year and then putting him right
back into the game.
You know, it's gonna be tough.
Jason Hanley: Miron you about ready to run Dasty?
Lt. Southerland: I'm ready.
Jason Hanley: Okay.
NARRATOR: DASTY'S FIRST CHALLENGE WILL BE SNIFFING
OUT ILLICIT DRUGS.
IF HE DOESN'T PERFORM FASTER THAN YESTERDAY,
HE WON'T BE RE-CERTIFIED.
Lt. Southerland: Go get that dope.
Huh?
You wanna go get it?
You wanna go get that dope?
Go get the dope.
Ah, such.
Such.
Good check.
Good job, Dasty.
NARRATOR: TODAY'S TEST IS EVEN TOUGHER;
DASTY HAS TO LOCATE NOT ONE BUT TWO DIFFERENT
KINDS OF DRUGS.
Lt. Southerland: You show me.
Show me.
Oh, that's good enough, old-timer.
Check.
Oh, good check.
Yeah, good check.
Oh, good check.
You detail that.
You go, boy.
You go, boy.
What you got?
What you got?
Good job, good job!
Jason Hanley: Time, time.
Less than two minutes, so that was a good job.
That was, uh, *** on the Taurus and marijuana
on the truck.
He did good.
I'm happy for him, you know.
Lt. Southerland: That's a big stress.
Jason Hanley: I'm happy for him.
Lt. Southerland: He was in his element.
Jason Hanley: Yeah.
Lt. Southerland: He loved it.
Jason Hanley: Yeah.
Lt. Southerland: That's what I care about
is him bein' happy.
Jason Hanley: Yep.
NARRATOR: IT'S GOOD NEWS FOR MIRON.
NOW, IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE FINAL HURDLE;
A MISSING PERSON SCENARIO TESTING DASTY'S TRACKING SKILLS.
A CHALLENGE HE COMPLETELY FAILED DURING
YESTERDAY'S DRY RUN.
Jason Hanley: That ain't good.
Lt. Southerland: Find the good guy.
There goes his castin'.
NARRATOR: ONCE AGAIN, DASTY IS CASTING OR ZIGZAGGING,
ACROSS THE TRAIL.
IF HE DOESN'T LOCK IN THE SCENT SOON,
HE COULD LOSE THE TRACK FOR GOOD.
Lt. Southerland: Cross track.
Nose to the ground, though.
Jason Hanley: Yeah.
Lt. Southerland: Oh, good boy.
Back on it.
Find the good guy, Dasty.
Oh, there's the good guy.
Oh, good boy!
Good job, Dasty!
Good job, man!
You did it, boy!
You did it!
That's a good boy!
Jason Hanley: He was casting, but that's,
you know, that's acceptable.
Lt. Southerland: That's a good job!
You did it, buddy!
You did it!
I never doubted him.
Never.
[laughs].
I'm lyin', I did doubt him.
Jason Hanley: I was gonna say.
Lt. Southerland: He done good.
The old man's still got it.
NARRATOR: DASTY MADE THE GRADE AND IS NOW OFFICIALLY
READY FOR DUTY.
Lt. Southerland: Dasty did awesome.
The guys, you know, back in Harlan,
lawbreakers and drug dealers, you know,
they need to watch out, 'cause now Dasty's back and
there's two canines on the job, not just one.
That was a good job, man.
I'm really proud of ya.
You done good, bud.
Showed all them young dogs how to do it, didn't ya?
Sheriff Lipfird: We are en route to Becky Short Johnson's
house to charge her with arson in the third degree
for burning Judy Clark's house.
NARRATOR: THE CRIME WAS AN ACCIDENT BUT IT COST
THE VICTIM HER HOUSE.
NOW SHE WANTS HER FRIEND BECKY TO SUFFER THE FULL
WEIGHT OF THE LAW.
Sheriff Lipfird: I got some paperwork for you.
Becky Johnson: Okay.
Sheriff Lipfird: I talked to the county attorney and
the commonwealth attorney and stuff.
And where you were drunk,
it's call wanton arson is what it's called.
It's arson third degree.
Becky Johnson: Do I gotta go to court or anything?
Sheriff Lipfird: June third.
Becky Johnson: Oh, Lord.
Sheriff Lipfird: Well, I'll be over there.
Becky Johnson: But I won't go to jail or nothing?
Sheriff Lipfird: Not that day, nope.
Becky Johnson: But I am going to jail for it?
Sheriff Lipfird: The worst you can get is 1 to 5.
Becky Johnson: Years?
Sheriff Lipfird: Yeah, years.
Becky Johnson: Seriously?
Sheriff Lipfird: Yes, I wouldn't lie to you.
Becky Johnson: Oh my gosh.
Sheriff Lipfird: She didn't intentionally set the fire
or she would have been charged with a
higher degree of arson.
She got arson third and uh, she's looking at one to five
in the state penitentiary.
She didn't want to put you in jail for punishment.
She just wants to put you in jail to keep you alive.
Becky Johnson: Oh I ain't, you can bank on that.
I aint gonna nothin else.
You won't never see me out.
Sheriff Lipfird: She'd been drinkin moonshine.
She gets stupid when she's on moonshine.
And, um, that night proved it,
'cause she set fire to a lifelong friend's house and
destroyed a lot of memories.
It's a crying shame.
Pretty house on the inside at one time.