◆ SpookStack

& -investigation .. of ‘Mutilation Un ninvestizaic C! ‘Oontioued fone Pag "prove valuable te any € stizator. . ‘That doesn't sound like complete investigating,’’ Schmitt said of the omission -of - Valdes’ cipation. In tight of the lack of e Truchas episode, the SUN has received a number of reports from confidential sources about dissatisfaction with the course Rommel's § in- vestigation is taking. : Persons who have spoken to the investigator complain he is "brusque," or “too flippant,"’ or he doesn’t take their ideas or ‘their reports. seriously, and they'd rather not * discuss with him further mutilation phenomena. Other persons express fears that not only Rommel, but the District Attorney and the State Police, are working together to cover up whatever is behind the astiten ince aa THULE, miu are spreading fast. “Bloy Martinez went to the State Police and told ther that Gabe Valdez is not to have any part in this investigation," one serious Valdez fan told the SUN. Another version of that ae Ca wi 2B -Story is that a “muzzle” . has been placed on Valdez. Both stories were denied Tuesday by State Police Chief Mariin Vigii and by the district attorney. - “I have not put out any ~ orders to that effect,"’ ~ the ; police officer. - Vigil said. He explained that he has asked that information be channelled to Rommel, but if a state policeman ghould get a call on a suspected mutilation, he should ‘‘go . on over there."’ The district attorney, ! too, denies the existence of @ gag order on any state “T never have, kind of @ gag rule on any law enforcement officer ‘pecause I don’t have that authority nad even if I did it would be impractical for me to impose any form of gag rule,” he said. Of the alleged meeting ‘with Vigil, he said. he believed that the story grew from an actual conversation he had with the chief. “I think that = the meeting was only my never will, impose any . request to the chief that | since we now have a- designated project director in charge that it would probably be best to have everything relating to mutilations " funnelled through that investigator. “If for no other reason, grant ‘eonditions cails for that * Kind of a concepi.** Martinez said a teletype received by every affiliate State Police officer of the state aasigned Richard C de Baca as liaison between officers and Rommel! and that “relates to the notion that if there is a mute in -their responsibility that . hopefully they will contact Rommei.*’ Of Rommel's failure to . appear at the Truchas suspected mutilation, he said he is “reasonably assured that Ken is looking into it."* “This happened on a weekend and its one of those instances where I 1 i ! “4 believe an effort was made to contact Rommel with no success." Of the allegations of a cover-up, Martinez said, “The only thing I can really state I would flatly @eny basis for suppori -the contention that there is a cover-up if for no other reason than it would put the grant in jeopardy.’”’ , He advised those with such contentions to “a nply -to the grantee, the Law Assistance with = that Enforcement Association,’”’ ' gomplaint. The LEAA, he contends, would “support”. the complainant ‘‘one _ hundred per cent,"