The World has two good pieces up, the first reveals more specifics about the process of bringing charges against Nicholas McGuffin and moving forward.

Although McGuffin hopes to be released while he awaits trial, Frasier said he can’t recall a single case in his 26 years in prosecution in which a judge released a homicide suspect on his own recognizance.

He also said a motion for a change of venue from the defense would be expected in such a case. However, he has withheld information – including Leah’s cause of death – to improve prospects of gathering an impartial and fair jury.

“The more I talk about the facts – the more people learn – it becomes harder to pick a fair and impartial jury,” Frasier said.

The second article also takes note of the exchange between McGuffin’s mother and Cory Courtright, mother of the victim.

On Tuesday prior to McGuffin’s arraignment, Courtright was waiting outside Judge Michael Gillespie’s courtroom when she saw corrections officers lead McGuffin to the defendant’s table. She began to shake and cry.

From behind her, Kathleen McGuffin – the defendant’s mother – said, “Cry all you want, Cory, he’s innocent,” in front of family members and some reporters.

“Don’t talk to me ever,” Courtright recalled responding.

Thank goodness I am not the only person writing about or recording the arraignment to witness it. This makes three different references to the exchange besides this blog so clearly I am not alone in questioning the conduct of Kathleen McGuffin.

The Guard has done a nice write up on the murder and subsequent arrest of Nicholas McGuffin in the ten year old Leah Freeman case.

The cops had searched McGuffin’s 1967 Mustang three weeks earlier, seizing a piece of duct tape and two rolls of film. What police didn’t find: no liner, no spare tire, no jack and no tire iron in the trunk of the car.

McGuffin’s father, Bruce McGuffin, explained that the items had been removed from the trunk “as the car was in need of repair,” according to an affidavit for the search warrant filed with the Coos County courts.

According to the DA there are no plans to charge anyone with obstruction of justice or as an accessory to the crime at this time.

The prime suspect all these years, Nicholas James McGuffin, former boyfriend of murder victim Leah Freeman was arrested this afternoon for Leah’s murder.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Chief Dannels for rallying the troops and making this day possible!

Gosh, lets hope there are pictures of the arrest available.

Yesterday, returning from the BOC meeting at the Coos County Courthouse, it was uplifting to run into two Coquille Police Department officers as they waited on call for District Attorney, Paul Fraser conducting interviews into the Leah Freeman murder. This was a multi-agency effort and hours and hours of re-interviews of witnesses took place to rebuild the long cold case and these young officers are both proud and excited to be part of directing it to a resolution.

Police Chief Mark Dannels, (thank the stars we have a real police chief now), would not have submitted the case to the DA without a reasonable expectation of an indictment. As someone pointed out a DA can indict a ham sandwich if he wants to, or kill a case in a grand jury, so it is all up to Fraser now.

It was also very encouraging to see how proud these guys are to be ‘crime fighters’ instead of the traffic Nazis they used to be under the former police chief. I am proud of them too and confident Leah’s mom will soon be able to watch her daughter’s killer brought to justice.

Even those of us who never met you love you Leah. Peace be upon you.

Gosh, let’s all cross our fingers and pray for justice. Leah and her family most certainly deserve it. Read this update at KCBY

Lab results expected by the end of April could help solve the decade-old murder of 15-year-old Leah Freeman, law enforcement officials said.

Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels on Wednesday said evidence discovered during the current investigation into the murder was sent to crime labs in the Midwest and in Oregon.

They are everywhere, of course, not just in Coos County but this county has more than its fair share of ‘bad dudes’. Speaking with a friend today she described a vicious attack in an editorial by an author who doesn’t know her and is, as usual, factually challenged. And, as is usual in Coos County, the author made no effort to speak with or even meet his victim before flinging his vitriol.

It is no surprise the offender referenced above is closely aligned with another irresponsible vitriol flinger, who like his brethren has no qualms about misleading his readers and listeners and feels no responsibility to vet his commentary. Annoying as it is, it is better to ignore these characters, the Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh caricatures they aspire to be, because they have no influence over people in a position of real authority. There are people in Coos County who’s opinion I care about, but they number on one hand and even they are not in a position to affect my life, my earnings, my family.

So I ignore them, refuse to engage and rely on karma to deal with their behavior. Karma works and I can’t resist sharing that the offender above was a blind supporter of the Coquille PD and heaped massive ridicule upon anyone who criticized them. Three of the worst offenders in the CPD and who deliberately went out of their way to hurt me and my family are gone, victims of karma and their own foul behavior. I speak of Randy Ulmer, Mike Reaves and the scourge of law enforcement, James Bryant. They are gone in disgrace, humiliated, proven to be incompetent and will never work in law enforcement again, and I didn’t have to do anything… karma is a bitch!

Finally, the editorial writer above staunchly supported all three of these ex officers, so as far his opinion is concerned I think it should be obvious, it isn’t worth the cyberspace it is written in.

James Bryant and his wife, Tammy, both formerly of the Coquille Police Department check in at the State Courts window. They will be arraigned this morning on charges of supplying alcohol to a minor and attempting sexual intercourse with a minor in Judge Gillespie’s courtroom.

The couple must return to court June 22, 2009.