"DeAngelo was known as 'Junk Food Joe"' - new article
May 3, 2018 18:42:26 GMT
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Post by rkz on May 3, 2018 18:42:26 GMT
From the Auburn Journal:
www.auburnjournal.com/article/5/03/18/junk-food-joe-golden-state-killer-suspect-deangelos-auburn-police-days-recalled
Imagine unwittingly working alongside a serial killer in the 1970s and then having DNA advances lead to his arrest nearly 40 years later.
Now imagine that you were a police officer and so was he.
For members of the Auburn Police Department who served during the 1970s while Golden State Killer suspect Joe DeAngelo was on the force with them, that near-impossible scenario has been playing out in their memories over the past week.
Joe DeAngelo served from August 1976 to September 1979 before being fired after being caught shoplifting at a Sacramento County store.
Former Auburn Police officers like Nick Willick and Chris Reams are combing through their memories, seeking clues from that time that they missed then and aren’t surfacing now.
“He didn’t fit in,” retired Sgt. Reams said Wednesday. “He was a little odd. He didn’t have common sense. But I never would have anticipated him being a serial killer.”
Willick was five months into his job as Auburn police chief when he fired DeAngelo. Auburn Journal reported at the time that DeAngelo was caught by store employees stealing dog repellent and a hammer. He was tied to a chair before deputies arrived and was reported to be “emotional” at the time of his arrest.
DeAngelo was known as Junk Food Joe because he always seemed to have some kind of snack food going — either soda, candy or chips, Willick remembered.
It was a standout quirk for a police officer who Willick said didn’t stand out in any particular way on the job.
“He had odd behaviors but nothing that would be equated to a mass murderer,” Willick said. “He was kind of an average Joe.”
That translated into no outstanding arrests and no major complaints with his work.
Willick recalled how DeAngelo tended to be a “space violator,” getting too close and putting his hand on a shoulder as he talked.
A sergeant before his promotion to chief, Willick said DeAngelo also would noticeably pout when criticized.
“But there was nothing to lead you to believe he was a homicidal serial rapist,” Willick said.
DeAngelo is alleged to have eluded arrest while leading a double life as a trusted member of the Auburn community as he struck fear into the hearts of Californians.
DeAngelo, 72, was arrested April 25 at his Citrus Heights home as a suspect in 12 murders and is also believed by authorities to have raped at least 45 people and burglarized 120 homes in a time of terror that lasted from 1976 to 1986.
Reams said he’s discussed the new case with fellow officers since DeAngelo’s arrest and the common thread of thought is one of shock and surprise.
“We’re taken aback,” Reams said.
Huh, weird....so between Exeter and Auburn he loses a bunch of weight and can perform highly athletic movements....but his nickname at Auburn PD is "Junk Food Joe" because he eats a lot of junk food?! I'm still trying to reconcile how JJD LOOKED during his time at Exeter with how he looked (according to the ONE picture we have of him from this era) at Auburn....AND the guy witnesses and victims describe: young looking, athletic, blonde-haired, etc. This is just adding more "WTF?!" to the whole thing.
www.auburnjournal.com/article/5/03/18/junk-food-joe-golden-state-killer-suspect-deangelos-auburn-police-days-recalled
Imagine unwittingly working alongside a serial killer in the 1970s and then having DNA advances lead to his arrest nearly 40 years later.
Now imagine that you were a police officer and so was he.
For members of the Auburn Police Department who served during the 1970s while Golden State Killer suspect Joe DeAngelo was on the force with them, that near-impossible scenario has been playing out in their memories over the past week.
Joe DeAngelo served from August 1976 to September 1979 before being fired after being caught shoplifting at a Sacramento County store.
Former Auburn Police officers like Nick Willick and Chris Reams are combing through their memories, seeking clues from that time that they missed then and aren’t surfacing now.
“He didn’t fit in,” retired Sgt. Reams said Wednesday. “He was a little odd. He didn’t have common sense. But I never would have anticipated him being a serial killer.”
Willick was five months into his job as Auburn police chief when he fired DeAngelo. Auburn Journal reported at the time that DeAngelo was caught by store employees stealing dog repellent and a hammer. He was tied to a chair before deputies arrived and was reported to be “emotional” at the time of his arrest.
DeAngelo was known as Junk Food Joe because he always seemed to have some kind of snack food going — either soda, candy or chips, Willick remembered.
It was a standout quirk for a police officer who Willick said didn’t stand out in any particular way on the job.
“He had odd behaviors but nothing that would be equated to a mass murderer,” Willick said. “He was kind of an average Joe.”
That translated into no outstanding arrests and no major complaints with his work.
Willick recalled how DeAngelo tended to be a “space violator,” getting too close and putting his hand on a shoulder as he talked.
A sergeant before his promotion to chief, Willick said DeAngelo also would noticeably pout when criticized.
“But there was nothing to lead you to believe he was a homicidal serial rapist,” Willick said.
DeAngelo is alleged to have eluded arrest while leading a double life as a trusted member of the Auburn community as he struck fear into the hearts of Californians.
DeAngelo, 72, was arrested April 25 at his Citrus Heights home as a suspect in 12 murders and is also believed by authorities to have raped at least 45 people and burglarized 120 homes in a time of terror that lasted from 1976 to 1986.
Reams said he’s discussed the new case with fellow officers since DeAngelo’s arrest and the common thread of thought is one of shock and surprise.
“We’re taken aback,” Reams said.
Huh, weird....so between Exeter and Auburn he loses a bunch of weight and can perform highly athletic movements....but his nickname at Auburn PD is "Junk Food Joe" because he eats a lot of junk food?! I'm still trying to reconcile how JJD LOOKED during his time at Exeter with how he looked (according to the ONE picture we have of him from this era) at Auburn....AND the guy witnesses and victims describe: young looking, athletic, blonde-haired, etc. This is just adding more "WTF?!" to the whole thing.
