Then Mateo continued.
“He also said most officers wanted to do the right thing, so I shouldn't be afraid to ask for a supervisor or put my complaint in writing.”
He looked down.
“I wish he'd lived long enough to see his daughter in that job.”
For a moment, the room became quiet.
Then the investigator answered gently.
“Maybe he knew what kind of person she was going to become.”
Mateo nodded.
“Yeah.”
He smiled.
“I think he did.”
The investigation reached a decisive stage when a judge authorized the seizure of specified records from Blackridge Recovery and related locations.
The warrants were limited to material relevant to the suspected offenses and supported by the evidence presented. Investigators were required to document what they collected, preserve the originals where appropriate, and maintain clear custody records.
No one announced that the sheriff was guilty before the records were examined.
But the inquiry had established enough to justify looking more deeply.
At Blackridge's main office, investigators collected authorized business records, relevant dispatch data, financial documents, and correspondence associated with the questioned assignments.
At the sheriff's office, they obtained specified communications and records through the appropriate process.
And from a financial institution, investigators received material concerning payments linked to the consulting company owned by Marianne Kavalik.
The records took weeks to review.
The findings were troubling.
Certain county-related tow assignments had been treated as special opportunities by Blackridge, and internal communications suggested that particular vehicles were identified in advance based partly on their resale potential.
Several messages described motorcycles, high-end cars, and commercial vans in terms that had little to do with road safety.
Some of the vehicles were later sold after disputed holds and incomplete or questionable notification procedures.
The financial analyst traced consulting payments that appeared inconsistent with the limited services documented.
Additional evidence suggested that Dale Kavalik had been informed of the arrangements and had used his position to direct or protect some of the questionable activity.
Investigators also uncovered records indicating that certain incident reports had been altered after complaints were received.
Not every alteration was improper.
Officers routinely supplement reports.
But some changes were inconsistent with earlier timestamps, dispatch recordings, or video.
The team began preparing detailed comparisons.
Then Helena discovered a message that changed the case from a potentially improper pattern into something far more difficult for the participants to explain.
It was sent shortly before Karen's stop.