Delayed Justice

It’s tragedy enough to have your child murdered.

Then add that he wasn’t doing anything wrong/shady/risky and only was standing at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Then add that he was a loving and good son, hard working, engaged to a lovely young woman.

Then add that police identified the shooter and his accomplice and had warrants for their arrests but when they went to execute the warrants the suspects had fled…to Mexico.

Then add that a tip comes to you that identifies the location of the suspects, and you pass it on to the  F.B.I.   The F.B.I. turns over the information to Mexican authorities…and the F.B.I. is still waiting for substantive cooperation.

Then add reaching out to those you imagine could help–elected officials in particular–in motivating the Mexican authorities to apprehend the suspects and they give you nothing but reasons why they can’t help.

And then you wait and wonder month after month if a day of justice ever will come for your son.

Douglas Ryan Pollok, Jr. (Ryan to family and friends)

 

That’s the case for Doug Pollok, Sr., and his family.  His son, Douglas Ryan Pollok, Jr., was murdered September 30, 2007, at 751 Cutler St. SW. in Grand Rapids.  Ryan had been at a friend’s party and was outside waiting with others in preparation of leaving when a car drove up and a man got out, spoke with some of the group and then opened fire wounding another bystander and killing Ryan with a gunshot to the chest.

Police responded to a call for help at 2 a.m. 

“I was there,” said GRPD St. Terry McGee.  He was there along with Major Case Team Detectives Brent Robinson and Les Smith.  As the investigation revealed, the two men had previously come from a shootout at a Wyoming gas station.  There is even video of the two driving around the pumps and targeting somebody with whom they had a beef (see below).  When they drove into the Cutler neighborhood “they may have been chasing another car,” said McGee.  It’s possible they saw the crowd on the street they thought they had found their quarry.

The two assailants were identified as brothers Eric Santiago and Juan Reyes, Santiago as the driver and Reyes as Pollok’s murderer.  The Kent County Prosecutor’s office reviewed the file Oct. 10 and issued warrants the same day.  “We get the warrants, “said Sgt. McGee, “And they’re gone.”

To Mexico.  With their mother.

The case was then transferred to the Violet Criminal Fugitive Task Force of the F.B.I.  “We have offices all over the world,” said F.B.I. agent John King.  “We’re working with our office in Mexico.  That office is working with local (Mexican) law enforcement in this case.  I don’t know if you’ve been to Mexico, but it’s a little different than up here.  It’s extremely volatile.  Money talks down there and drug lords are taking control.  There’s a lot of corruption.” 

The F.B.I. simply cannot enter the country and do its business as it would in the U.S.; that would cause an international incident.  “We’re in a foreign county and we have restrictions,” said King.  “We have to follow their rules.”

For Ryan’s dad, Doug, the most frustrating this is, of course, that his son was murdered.  Beyond that: “It’s just that these guys–who are U.S. citizens–could just do this thing–grab their mother and she takes them to Mexico AND THEY GET AWAY WITH IT!”

To add to the frustration, when a tip came in to the website Doug posted to memorialize his son, he immediately passed it on to the F.B.I., which in turn rapidly investigated, verified, and then had to pass the tip on to Mexican authorities…and it seemed to stop there.   but it might seem like it: “It takes time,” said the F.B.I.’s John King.  “In some places there’s not a lot of chain of command and you sometimes have to work with untrained individuals.  You have to be careful of who you’re dealing with and the flow of information.”

So far the fugitives remain at large, Reyes for the murder of Ryan Pollok and Santiago for his role in that and for attempted murder in the gas station shoot out. 

“We know who they are and we knew where they were and they didn’t act on it,” said Pollok.  “It’s not a good situation.”

And when he contacted U.S. Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, U.S. Representative Pete Hoekstra, and even two presidents, all that came to nothing.  

“Carl Levin’s office wrote a letter to the FBI with no follow-up,” said Pollok.  “Stabenow’s office is the one that told me what they could not do. Hoekstra’s office multiple times, both presidential candidates. And then President Obamas’ office never responded.  When George Bush was still in office all I got was a reply saying they were too busy to answer all e-mails and thanked me for my concerns. 

“It appears the high profile cases get the attention. Do you remember the case of the female Marine who was murdered and her murderer escaped to Mexico?  They solved that in weeks.  We were led to believe that they took resources from our son’s case to solve that one.”

So, what will it take?  Either cooperation from the Mexican authorities or…for Santiago and Reyes to come back into the United States and be picked up for that crime or some other.

“They (investigators) feel they’re gonna get caught,” said Pollok.  “Just waiting for ’em to get caught doing something else.”

But are the two still in Mexico?  “We don’t know now,” he said.  “Because the case was turned over to the F.B.I. we couldn’t even get a grand jury together to put pressure on family and friends here to reveal what they know about their whereabouts.  I’ve found out just how ignorant I am.  I don’t know what it’s going to take to solve this.  Our goal is  to say to Mexico ‘Give us a hand here, guys.'”

It’s frustrating,” said Sgt. McGee.  “You actually have warrants for the two suspects but you can’t get them.  It’s a shame.”

“Would we like to be able to go in and…?” asked King.  “We’re restricted; we’re in a foreign country.”

If you have information that might help, Agent King asks that you call the Detroit Office of the F.B.I–313.965.2323.  “That phone is answered 24 hours a day.”  Or, he suggests a call to Silent Observer: 616.774.2345 or, toll free, 866.774.2345.

Here’s are some other links to the stories surrounding Ryan’s murder.

Here are the AMW postings of the case.  You also can watch the video of the gas station shootout here and two America’s Most Wanted  interviews.  To do that you’ll have to clink on the “Media” tab.

Here’s the WZZM (Channel 13) account of the crime.

…And the Grand Rapids Press account.