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him tagged as an MDSO--a Mentally Disordered Sex Offender.<br />
His lawyer thought he could get him some state-hospital time. His lawyer miscalculated.<br />
The judge gave Polete the maximum sentence. Two terms prescribed by law--to run consecutively. The<br />
court transcript stated:<br />
"I think he is a serious menace to the people of this community and any other community that he would<br />
live in. I want to make sure that he doesn't get out for a long, long time."<br />
I went through the rest of the file. Polete was denied parole in '83, '92, '93, '94, and '96.<br />
Three to life. Two consecutive terms. Twenty years and four months inside. It was unknown why Polete<br />
was denied parole.<br />
Bill and I discussed it. Bill's take: Polete fucked up inside or was recognizably psycho and unable to con<br />
the parole board.<br />
He was locked down at CMC. He couldn't hurt women there.<br />
It wasn't enough. He was up for parole late in '98.<br />
The DNA prescreen flopped. They found blood on the victim's sweater and no semen on her panties.<br />
The next step: to examine the rest of the garments for semen.<br />
The result derailed Bill's plan of attack. He needed a verified semen stain. The lab could run it against Bill<br />
Scales's DNA. A negative hit would indicate unidentified ejaculate. Bill could take that result and get a<br />
search warrant. The warrant would empower him to extract a fluid sample from Robert Leroy Polete.<br />
We discussed options. Bill said it boiled down to a face-to-face talk. He would interview Polete.<br />
We went back to the file. We wanted to make sure we didn't overlook a single bit of data. We pulled<br />
odd note sheets and found new names to run. We got one positive hit.<br />
John Fentress rode bikes with Bill Scales. He joined the El Monte PD in '73. His wife knew BettyJean.<br />
We met him at the El Monte Station. I said, "Tell me about BettyJean."<br />
Fentress said she was talkative and mentally slow. She was totally in love with Bill Scales. Scales was<br />
the boss. Betty went along with the program.<br />
Betty struggled with her marriage. He doubted if Scales ever hit her.<br />
Bill and I went back to the file. We reviewed the physical evidence and hypothetically reconstructed the<br />
crime.<br />
Bloodstains on the truck seat. Small drips and spatters inconsistent with the victim's massive head<br />
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