Post by Any of N on Aug 22, 2016 4:06:12 GMT
It may be the most arresting image in the EAR-ONS case, if you can forgive the expression. A man climbs out from the bed of a dump truck carrying a bicycle. Hooded and dressed in dark clothing, he descends quickly and pedals off at rapid speed. This occurs in the early morning after an attack, not too far from the crime scene.
There's one problem with this story, though. The man, whoever he was, didn't store the bike in the truck at all. Check out these retellings of the story. The first is from Larry Crompton.
Note that a "trailer" is not another word for the "bed" of a dump truck. So "rising up from inside a trailer" is an ambiguous description. The event occurred in Arden-Arcade in Sac County, so Richard Shelby is logically the definitive source. Here is how he puts it.
So what we really have is a trailer attached behind a dump truck, and the man "pulls" the bike from the trailer. Looking up images online, we can see many types of dump truck trailers. Some look like extended beds. Most look more ordinary, like the type used to haul construction equipment. Given Shelby's wording, it seems much more likely this was a trailer with a low profile, from which it would be easy to remove something the size of a bicycle. This conjures up a much more mundane image.
Now look at how Quester builds on the story. I bear no animosity toward the researcher, but his site provides information to many people, and as such should be open to critique. Unfortunately his description is based more on Crompton than on Shelby.
I've also read similar comments on this message board from multiple posters. It gives readers the wrong impression.
So why is this important, you say? For one thing, it makes us miss the significance of the story. It's not that the EAR may have been hiding in the bed of a dump truck for hours, or that he athletically climbed down with a bicycle in tow. (It didn't happen that way.) The point is that he may have had some tie to the truck, such as through his employment.
Another thing concerns our understanding of the offender. Mythologized accounts do nothing but skew reality. Let's not assign amazing feats to our guy based on embellished stories. This post is offered as a gentle correction.
There's one problem with this story, though. The man, whoever he was, didn't store the bike in the truck at all. Check out these retellings of the story. The first is from Larry Crompton.
At 6:30 a.m., she saw a man rise up from inside a dump truck trailer across the street from her business. She saw the man, dressed in dark clothing with a hood over his head, get on a bicycle and ride east on Whitney Avenue real fast. She said the truck is parked there by the owner at night during the week occasionally and every weekend.
Larry Crompton: Sudden Terror: Chapter 37
Larry Crompton: Sudden Terror: Chapter 37
Note that a "trailer" is not another word for the "bed" of a dump truck. So "rising up from inside a trailer" is an ambiguous description. The event occurred in Arden-Arcade in Sac County, so Richard Shelby is logically the definitive source. Here is how he puts it.
It was about 6:30 A.M., while she was preparing to open for the day, she casually glanced out the window. Across the street from her business was a dump truck with a trailer attached. As she looked out the window, she watched a man pull a bicycle out of the back of the trailer. She shifted her gaze for a moment and when she looked back he was riding the bicycle eastbound on Whitney Avenue. The bike rider was dressed in dark clothing with a hood over his head. He may have been dressed in a jump suit, but, in any case, it was all dark clothing.
Richard Shelby: Hunting a Psychopath, Chapter 47
Richard Shelby: Hunting a Psychopath, Chapter 47
So what we really have is a trailer attached behind a dump truck, and the man "pulls" the bike from the trailer. Looking up images online, we can see many types of dump truck trailers. Some look like extended beds. Most look more ordinary, like the type used to haul construction equipment. Given Shelby's wording, it seems much more likely this was a trailer with a low profile, from which it would be easy to remove something the size of a bicycle. This conjures up a much more mundane image.
Now look at how Quester builds on the story. I bear no animosity toward the researcher, but his site provides information to many people, and as such should be open to critique. Unfortunately his description is based more on Crompton than on Shelby.
A bloodhound trace the scent of the attacker from the residence to the corner of Whitney and Mission Avenue, where a dump truck is usually parked overnight.
This supported a witness’ report. At 6:30 a.m. that morning a witness across the street (at her place of business) on Whitney Avenue had seen a man rise up from inside the trailer of the dump truck with a bike in his hands. This truck was parked across the street at the corner by a gas station. The man was dressed in dark clothing with a mask over his head. He got on the bicycle and darted east on Whitney Avenue.
The Quester Files, www.thequesterfiles.com/dump_truck_biker_--_night_pred.html
This supported a witness’ report. At 6:30 a.m. that morning a witness across the street (at her place of business) on Whitney Avenue had seen a man rise up from inside the trailer of the dump truck with a bike in his hands. This truck was parked across the street at the corner by a gas station. The man was dressed in dark clothing with a mask over his head. He got on the bicycle and darted east on Whitney Avenue.
The Quester Files, www.thequesterfiles.com/dump_truck_biker_--_night_pred.html
I've also read similar comments on this message board from multiple posters. It gives readers the wrong impression.
So why is this important, you say? For one thing, it makes us miss the significance of the story. It's not that the EAR may have been hiding in the bed of a dump truck for hours, or that he athletically climbed down with a bicycle in tow. (It didn't happen that way.) The point is that he may have had some tie to the truck, such as through his employment.
Another thing concerns our understanding of the offender. Mythologized accounts do nothing but skew reality. Let's not assign amazing feats to our guy based on embellished stories. This post is offered as a gentle correction.
