That's the only thing that was ever going to matter." Calhoun looked at the document in his hand. He looked at the scene. Agents, vehicles, civilians on the opposite shoulder, Priya Holden giving a statement in the expedition. Sharp standing alone near the patrol car with the particular isolation of a man who has begun to understand that the person closest to him in the chain of command is about to become his greatest liability.
Calhoun said "I was doing my job." "You destroyed federal property," Nadia said. You ordered cameras off. You detained two women without probable cause, conducted an unauthorized search, broke open a sealed federal evidentiary case. And according to officer Holden's statement, which I understand has already been given, discussed falsifying the report.
She paused. "That's a complete picture of your job this morning." He had nothing to say to that. Fenwick touched his elbow. Calhoun turned away.
At 12:41 p.m., a dark blue sedan pulled to the opposite shoulder. Petra Sandival got out with a recorder in her hand. She identified herself to the agent at the outer perimeter and requested a statement. The agent directed her to Merritt. Merritt noted her arrival.
He gave her three sentences. That a federal operation was in progress. That arrests were anticipated. That a press statement would be issued through the U.S. Attorney's Office by end of business. Sandival looked past him at the scene.
At the Rolls-Royce with its dented quarter panel and missing interior trim, at the evidence bags on the asphalt, at the civilian still clustered on the opposite shoulder, at Calhoun standing with his union rep holding a three-page document. She started her recorder. The retired JSO officer in the cap had been on the phone for 20 minutes. He called two people, a former colleague who now worked at the state attorney's office and a county commissioner he'd known for 30 years. He told them what he had seen.
He told them about the crowbar. He told them about the two black women standing at the roadside with their hands visible while their car was taken apart. He told them about the cameras being ordered off. He was precise. He had spent 17 years being precise.
His former colleague at the state attorney's office said, ""Keep talking. I'm writing this down." Merritt returned to Nadia at 2:15 p.m. The scene processing was nearly complete. Evidence bags were loaded. Statements had been taken from Priya Holden, from two civilian witnesses, including the woman in the red jacket, from the contractor in the vest, who had been the first to stop and had footage on his phone spanning 49 minutes of continuous recording.
That footage had been formally requested and provided voluntarily with Duvall's guidance by phone. Merritt said, ""We're ready to move to the next phase." Captain Calhoun and Sergeant Sharp are being formally detained for transport to the federal building downtown. Sergeant Okafor will be interviewed separately." "Officer Holden has been told to report to internal affairs for a formal debrief.