911 tape

Following is a transcript of calls to 911 from employees and customers of the Denny’s restaurant in Coeur d’Alene where Shasta Groene was found.

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First call: 1:51 a.m.

Caller: “Yeah, hi. This is Linda, the manager at Denny’s. I’ve got a little girl here with a tall gentleman, and she looks so much like Shasta.”

Dispatcher: “OK, are they still in the building?”

Caller: “Yeah, they’re at table 20.”

Dispatcher: “Can you describe the male to me?”

Caller: “He is probably, how tall is he? I’d say 6-3. Really slim.”

Dispatcher: “Dark hair?”

Caller: “Curly, with a hat on.”

Dispatcher: “I’m sorry, table 20?”

Caller: “Uh huh. All the way in the back. We’re not sure, you know. She looks so much like her. I just, I don’t know.”

Dispatcher: “All right, we’ll have someone head that way. … If they leave could you call us right back?”

Caller: “Sure.”

Dispatcher: “All right, thank you.”

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Next call: 1:55 a.m.

Dispatcher: “Central dispatch, this is Jenna.”

Caller: “Yeah Jenna, I just wanted to tell you, I’m sitting down here at Denny’s and there’s a little girl that just walked in here that looks exactly like that Shasta girl.”

Dispatcher: “OK. Is she still inside?”

Caller: “Yes she is. She’s with an older man.”

Dispatcher: “With an older man?”

Caller: “Yeah. And the thing that really triggered me the most was that I was reading the Nickel’s Worth and I seen her picture in the Nickel’s Worth and I showed it to one of the waitresses here and she said, ‘Oh my God, she’s in here.’ The girl looks exactly like. …”

Dispatcher: “You’re at the one off of Fourth?”

Caller: “Yeah. I’m right across from the IHOP.”

Dispatcher: “OK.”

Caller: “I don’t know if you guys want to send a deputy down to look, to check through the windows or whatever. I don’t know what you guys would want to do. It’s just awfully weird to me. The girl looks exactly like the little girl in the Nickel’s Worth. Almost exactly like her. And the height description from what I would estimate is about the same and everything. I just think it might be an idea to send somebody down and check it out. She looks really, really a lot like the female that’s in the paper.”

Dispatcher: “OK, what is your name?”

Caller: “My name is Nick Chapman.”

Dispatcher: “Chapman?”

Caller: “Yes, C-H-A-P-M-A-N. I don’t want to cause problems for Denny’s or anything, but I heard one of the waitresses mention it to her manager and they keep on walking by the table, checking her out.”

Dispatcher: “Yeah. We already have a call from there as well.”

Caller: “I didn’t want to cause any additional problems but I figured it might be a good idea to send somebody down to check it out. I mentioned it to them about a half hour ago and they haven’t left. They’re still eating. Don’t quote me, but I believe that they drove in – that’s when I was outside smoking a cigarette – I believe they drove in in some type of red vehicle with Missouri plates I believe. Me and my friends seen them get out of that car, I think. So.”

Dispatcher: “Missouri plates?”

Caller: “Yeah, Missouri plates. I can give you the plate number officer if you’d like it.”

Dispatcher: (Unclear)

Caller: “I’ve got it in my pocket. Actually I wrote it down. It’s 355 R-E-P.”

Dispatcher: “355?”

Caller: “R-E-P.”

Dispatcher: “R-E-P.”

Caller: “Yeah, red, elephant, piano.”

Dispatcher: “OK.”

Caller: “OK.”

Dispatcher: “Thank you.”

Caller: “Thank you very much.”