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About this Episode
https://www.solgoodmedia.com - Listen to hundreds of audiobooks, thousands of short stories, and ambient sounds all ad free! Dive into the captivating world of classic crime-solving with "Dragnet Radio," where each episode brings to life the thrilling police investigations from the original 1950s radio series. Join Sergeant Joe Friday and his partners as they navigate the mean streets of Los Angeles, unraveling complex cases with meticulous detail and unflinching determination. This podcast not only revisits the groundbreaking drama that set the standard for all future police procedurals but also explores the cultural impact and historical significance of one of the most influential shows of its time.
Hosts & Guests
Transcript
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You're a detective sergeant, you're assigned a personnel division.
A resident of your city files a report of assault and battery.
His shoulder is dislocated.
He's been badly beaten.
He claims his assailant was a young police officer.
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Dragnet.
The documented drama of an actual crime.
For the next 30 minutes in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department,
you will travel step by step on the side of the law
through an actual case transcribed from official police violence.
From beginning to end, from crime to punishment.
Dragnet is the story of your police force in action.
It was Tuesday, June 11th.
It was mild in Los Angeles.
We were working a day watch out of BIA.
My partner is Ed Jacobs.
The boss is Lieutenant Jesse.
My name's Friday.
It was 10.23 a.m. when I got to Romedi 3.
Squadroom.
Do you catch up with the lieutenant?
Yeah, the meeting said he'd be out about 11.30
and he wants us to handle it for the time being.
Well, Joe, this is Officer Blanchard.
This is my partner, Joe Friday.
I'm glad to know you're Friday.
I think I've seen you're on Central a couple of times.
Yeah, sure. How are you?
What's this thing all about? Do you mind telling me?
You worked yesterday, did you?
Yeah, that's right.
My regular date's South Central area.
Anything out of your ordinary happen while you're on duty?
No, not much.
I made a couple of pinches, that's about well.
Pretty quiet, otherwise.
Did you make one of those arrests at $7,200,000?
Yeah, that's right.
A woman, two men, users.
All three of them were booked in violation state narcotics act.
Any of the three familiar to you at all, Blanchard?
I mean, had you ever seen him before the time you arrested him?
No, none of them.
I knew the place, though.
I've been keeping an eye on it lately.
One of those old-fashioned homes converted into a rooming house.
I've been noticing some of the people going in and out of the place
that didn't look too good to me.
That's why I say, but keeping an eye on the house.
What's the story on this anyway?
You get a kick back on the rest, I made?
Well, we'd like to have your version of the first Blanchard.
Exactly what happened.
How did you come to make the pinch?
Well, I was walking my regular beat.
I think it was about 3.30 yesterday afternoon.
I was going along Courtland.
The 7,900 block of woman came out of the front door and hailed me.
She complained about a 507 party on the house,
a couple doors down the street.
That was at number 728, the boarding house.
Yeah.
I checked it out.
The party was going on up on the third floor.
I went up found the girl and the two men in the room facing on the street.
The girl was fixing a pop for herself when I came in.
Two caps of heroin on the table in front of her.
Mm-hmm.
What'd you do?
I made a grab for the two caps.
One of the guys beat me to it.
Got him ran into the next room and tried to flesh him down the drain.
He didn't quite make it, though.
I got one of the caps before he could get rid of it.
What'd you do then, Blanchard?
I sat the three of them down, called into the office.
I checked the room over while we were waiting.
Gone two more caps of heroin, usually equipment to go with it.
When the radio car showed up, the three of them were taken downtown
in narcotics squad and booked.
That's all I can tell you by.
Well, during the time you were waiting there in the room, Blanchard,
did you have any trouble with the suspects at all?
And I got a lot of talk from one of the men, thought about a name of Evans.
He's supposed to run the boarding house.
Claims he didn't have any to do with it.
He didn't know the girl was a hype.
You know the usual stuff.
That was the extent of it just tough.
Sure, that's all.
Why?
Well, that's not the story according to Evans.
He had his lawyer bail him out last night.
He was in the file charges against you.
Huh?
What do you mean, salt and battery?
He claims that you worked him over for no reason at all.
He says you beat him up and dislocated his shoulder.
Oh, he's crazy.
He's lying.
I didn't work him over.
Well, he says he got witnesses to prove it, Blanchard.
The two people who were with him, the woman, the other man.
He says elsewhere.
That's what you did.
But it's not true.
We're trying to cook up a frame.
I didn't touch any of them.
This Evans looked like he's been messed up, cuts and bruises all over his face.
His shoulder is fairly recent, too.
Yeah, I know that, but I didn't do it.
He was in the same shape when I found him up in that room yesterday.
Matter of fact, I asked him about it.
He wouldn't tell me.
It's a truth, Sergeant, so help me.
All three of them are lying.
I didn't beat him up.
Melt your word against theirs, Blanchard, the fact seeing the favor Evans.
I don't get this at all.
Two of those people are known hype states where anything for a free cap.
You know that.
What good is their word?
Maybe no good at all.
It's not up to us to decide.
Evans filed a complaint to our job to follow through.
Now, you're sure about the shape Evans was in when you found him up in that room yesterday, Blanchard?
He was already marked up.
Is that right?
I'm sure he was.
I told you.
But you had no way of proving that you couldn't possibly have been responsible for it.
Well, it's up to him, isn't it?
Evans?
He says I worked him over.
Let him prove it.
I'm afraid he's got the jump there.
Two witnesses.
Yeah, but they're lying.
You must know that.
They're lying.
Well, look.
You can see the position that puts us in.
If you're innocent, we're going to do all we can.
If you're guilty, we'll see that you get everything that's coming to you.
I know it as well as I do, Sergeant.
I had no reason to beat him up.
I didn't do it.
It must not up to us, Blanchard.
The court will have to decide.
It doesn't make sense.
None of it does.
There's no other way to handle it.
We've got 4,500 men in the department.
We don't claim they're all saints once in a while when I'm in terms of bed.
And all of us get a black guy.
And you're in a jam, Blanchard, like anyone else.
You'll get a fair trial.
Yeah.
I know what happens now.
Do I grow suspension?
Yeah, that's right.
If you're clear to the charges in court,
they'll be a hearing before the border rights.
Am I through right now?
Let the book here at the main jail case will be presented at the DA's office tomorrow.
It doesn't make sense.
I had no reason to beat up Evans.
No reason at all.
You sure that I am?
What do you mean?
Of course, I'm sure.
Well, Evans claims you did have a reason to good one.
What?
When he says you had him a proposition,
he wouldn't go for it so you worked him early.
What do you mean?
What kind of a proposition?
Add time.
Huh?
He says you wanted to pay off.
Investigating charges against a police officer
involves exactly the same procedures cases
where private citizens are concerned.
Prove the suspect innocent or guilty.
If Blanchard was innocent,
it wasn't going to be an easy job proving it.
If he hadn't beat up the complainant,
if he had charged Evans and dislocated his shoulder,
it seemed the only way out would be to find a man who did.
Either that or prove that the two witnesses
Evans had come up with were lying.
If Blanchard was guilty,
if he actually had slugged and beaten Evans,
we had to find sufficient evidence
and we had to find a motive.
11.10 a.m.,
Ed Knight of Oxford Harry Blanchard
over to the main jail where he was booked in
and lodged in one of the cell blocks.
Then we went upstairs to the women's jail
where we interviewed one of the witnesses
to the alleged beating on Eleanor Rowland.
She'd had previous arrests for vaguency,
grand theft, auto and petty theft,
as well as an established reputation
as a user of narcotic.
She was 23 years old.
Yeah, I was terrible.
I coped really roughed him up for elevens.
Copped didn't have to treat him like that.
How long have you known George Evans
and Mr. Rowland, you old friend?
You know, I wouldn't say that.
I met him a couple weeks ago
when I came down from New York.
San Francisco?
Portland, I was visiting him.
I'm a Portland girl originally.
How about this other man you're with
at the time Officer Blanchard picked you up
this Ray Sherman, he and old friend?
Buster, yeah, I've known him for the years.
You know Evans very well?
Yeah, I guess you could say that.
Ray's had a room at the boarding house
a couple of years.
I guess he's good friends with Evans.
Say, can I ask you something?
Yes, ma'am.
You ever worked narcotics up in Portland?
Oh, ma'am, never had.
Hmm.
Ray's just familiar.
Good to swine, I met you in Portland.
Do you want to run over that story again for us?
Mr. Rowland, about what happened yesterday?
No, not much to say, just as soon as I told you.
You usually stay at Evans' room in your house
when you're in town, do you?
No, it's only the second time I was there.
How about George Evans?
Was he there at the time?
No, not first.
Ray and Buster had a pop, and then we sat around and talked.
Evans came in a little later, three of us talked.
Told me and Buster not to bring any more junk in the house.
You didn't want to get into trouble.
And speak of the devil of cop locked him.
What happened then?
Buster grabbed two caps off the table, tried to get rid of him.
He only got rid of one of the cop, got the other one.
How the argument started?
Remember that?
Between Evans and the officer, I mean.
Well, I was a little high at the time.
I don't remember word for word.
Kevin said he didn't have anything to do with it,
but the cop kept pressing him.
He told Evans he'd forget about it if Evans had paid him off.
Evans told him no, he wouldn't give him a cent,
and the cop started beating him up.
You were in the same room with him all this time?
Yeah, Buster and me.
We saw it all, poor Evans.
He really got worked over.
Copped him up a treat, and like that.
Saying sure you're not from Portland?
Yes, ma'am, I'm sure.
And not about how many times would you say the officer hit Evans?
I couldn't tell you that exactly.
Dozens of times, I guess, kept hitting him with his fists,
pushed him all around the room.
I was a little high at the time.
I don't remember everything exactly.
You sure could use a booster about now.
You sure about everything you've told us in this role, and that's the truth?
Yeah, that's right.
On the details, I didn't remember so well.
He straightened it up for me, though.
He told me just what happened.
Who's that?
George Evans.
11.50 AM.
Ed and I continued questioning Ellen and Roland.
The more we talked to her, the more we were convinced that at the time of the alleged beating
she was under a heavy dose of narcotics,
and that for the most part, she picked up her version of the story
from the alleged victim, George Evans.
We went down to the second floor of the main jail to one of the interviewer rooms,
where we talked to the second witness, Ray Sherman,
Alias Tom Raymond, Alias Buster Raymond.
He also had a long record as a user of narcotics.
He gave the same general version of the incident as the Roland girl did,
but despite the girl's story, he claimed he was not under the influence of narcotics
at the time officer Blanchard entered the room and made the arrest.
Besides that, there were other discrepancies.
105 PM.
We had some lunch at the federal cafe, and then we drove out to interview the complainant
in the case, George Evans.
After checking in his roaming house, we finally located him in a neighborhood bowling alley.
He was sitting at a bar joining the actual playing area,
drinking a bottle of beer.
Parks of his face and neck were bandaged, and his left shoulder was in a cast.
He appeared friendly and cooperative.
I kept telling the cop I didn't have anyone.
He told them I wouldn't give him a fail, even if I did.
So he started working me over that.
Right, Evans?
Yes, that's right.
I didn't have anything against cops normally, but this bad that's something else.
How do you ever get in the forest anyway?
Had you ever had any contact with Officer Blanchard before yesterday, Evans?
Yes, I did twice before.
Came to the house, accused me of running a hideout for these junkies.
I tried to get me to pay him off of them, too.
I wouldn't do it.
Man, so when was that, Evans?
About six, eight months ago.
At least that.
Well, how was it you didn't reap what Blanchard then?
Well, that wouldn't have caused any trouble.
It mixed up in a law case.
I figured I could take care of myself.
But after that going over yesterday, that was enough for me.
I didn't understand how the guy who made the forest to begin with.
That's about it.
A shoulder of mine, he would be tore to part.
I'd just spend your time yesterday, Evans.
Do you mind telling us?
No, I don't mind.
I slept till about half past 12 o'clock.
I had a little bit of a hangover.
Then I got up and made some breakfast and read the paper.
That's about the size.
I mean, you were in your room all day after the time,
and went down the hall to raise your arm and drum?
That's right.
The rave is here with this girlfriend to his cell and arm.
I didn't know she was her height.
That's the truth.
The rave should have known better having her there.
I don't like the kind of stuff going on in her own place.
We've checked you through the wrecking bureau, Evans.
There's been three or four similar cases at your place
in the last few years, hasn't it?
A couple, yeah.
It's a real problem.
I don't know how you keep them all whole neighborhood around here,
you know?
Pretty hard to stop it, I guess.
We're going to stand you in the room there
while a girl helping herself to a fix is there, right?
No, I wasn't in the room when she took the fix.
I got there a couple minutes after.
I didn't even know what was going on.
You could ask Ray Sherman, the girl, too.
Let's tell you what's in there.
That's something else we wanted to ask you about.
Sherman and the girl don't seem too sure.
There's stories.
Can you straighten us out there?
How do you mean?
I don't think anything else can't seem to get together.
But I told him.
You told him what?
Nothing.
I told him to tell the truth, that's all.
Stupid Ray.
He does know half the time what he's doing.
Well, that doesn't make him much of a witness in, does it?
What do you mean?
He was there when that cop slugged me, beat me up.
He could see that much.
That's just it.
We're not sure he did.
The girl says the bunch had worked you over in the living room
there.
Sherman says the bunch had took out in the kitchen and beat you up.
Now, which isn't?
I think I'd be getting to get the pitch.
How's that?
You're out to cover up for that cop.
Is that it?
Take care of your own.
It's a sign to investigate this thing.
You have it.
It's just like any other criminal case.
Branch is not getting any more of a break than any other suspect would.
Yeah, sure.
You still haven't asked our question.
Where does that happen?
Living room with kitchen?
The interviews are all over, Sergeant.
I got the pitch.
You can take this fact to your office.
I'm going to get that cop convicted.
It's the last thing I do.
You can count on that.
What's the matter, Evans?
All we did was ask you a simple question.
Then try to kid me, Sergeant.
I got the angle.
You'd try it for a cover-up.
OK, go ahead and try.
I look, why don't you snap out of it?
Mr. Nobody's trying to cover up unless it's you.
Some of the points of their stories don't check out.
We want to clear them up.
Is that's not unreasonable?
I told you, Sergeant, it's new use.
I got your angle.
Answer me one more thing, Evans.
You're on your own.
I'm telling you nothing.
It was a doctor that treated you after you were beaten up.
Down at Georgia Street.
I'm going to see you.
I don't know that.
I'm in for your shoulder.
We checked over your card down at Georgia Street.
No mention ever.
This is OK to children.
Of course not.
I didn't even know I had one.
I had more in Dr. Fixer.
You mind giving us his name?
Why should I?
I'm going to go along and cooperate.
You started playing the cage.
You're trying to cover up for that cop.
Now you work it out on your own.
All right, mister.
I mean, where you want it.
You bet that's the way I want it.
You had this whole thing framed from the beginning.
I hear off the track, Evans.
You're not kidding me.
You're trying to prove that cop's innocent.
Trying to make me out of liar.
What am I supposed to do?
Hope you prove him or I?
I don't know.
I'm helping him far away.
Ed and I double-checked through officer Blanche's departmental record.
It showed that Blanche had been working his present feed for
a little more than four months.
Evans had told us that Blanche had allegedly
listed a payoffs from him at least six to eight months before.
The following day, Ed and I made further inquiries in the neighborhood of Evans'
rooming house and also among his friends and associates.
For one thing, we found out that Evans had not spent the entire morning and early afternoon in the house.
He'd been seeing leaving his place by several neighbors at about 10 a.m.
Through one of his contacts, we got the address of an ex-wife since remarried.
A Marie Evans Arconi.
We located her in a small apartment in East Wilshire District, a small brunette woman about 35.
You told us she used to be married to Evans.
What kind of business was Evans in when you were married to him then?
Well, he had that roaming house over on court with Evans.
We know about that.
Was there anything else?
It's a matter, anyway.
Just a routine investigation.
You'd like to have as much background on him as you can remember.
Are you on fairly good terms with Evans now?
No, I haven't seen him since we split up.
After you and a half ago, I think.
That's why I couldn't stand it.
Well, it was a trouble.
I mean, I'm telling this.
You just did much good.
That's all.
I find a lot of names to fit him.
He was in everything.
What do you mean?
That's why I got away from him.
He was a cheap lousy racquet.
I can think of it.
He was in it.
Pedal and dope.
Blackmail.
I can book.
I'm going to a two-bit racquet.
He's been in all of them.
What else is the other?
I had to get away.
The roaming house on Portland Avenue.
That's where he's been operating all this time.
Long as I've known him, yeah.
About three years, I'd say.
Is narcotics just a sideline with him?
Or does he go in for it?
Pretty heavy.
Pretty heavy when I left him.
I know what he's been doing since.
I don't care.
I just don't forget all about it.
Yes, ma'am.
I can understand.
What's the matter now?
Well, not exactly.
Evans is filed against police officers,
assault and battery.
So this is named Brian.
We're investigating the charges.
Hmm.
Sounds like it.
So I'm caught really rough enough?
No, we don't know, ma'am.
That's what we're trying to find out.
Well, I don't like to help you out.
I don't like a candle.
I'll just win more question, ma'am.
Why you were married to Evans?
Did you have a family doctor?
I mean one that you called regularly when you were sick?
Yeah, we did.
Why?
Well, what was his name?
Can you remember?
Yeah, Dr. Chase.
Do you like his address?
247 PM.
We got to Dr. Chase's office, and luckily we found him in.
Say, look at this magazine, Joe.
What?
National Geographic looks like a real old one.
Wouldn't you say?
Yeah, sure does.
Cover's torn off there.
Yeah.
What do you know about that?
That's older than I thought.
Look at this here.
Oh, what do you got?
These pictures there?
Look.
Four pages of them.
Pretty grand affair, huh?
Yeah.
Teddy Rose felt Craig's ground for Panama Canal.
How about that?
Yeah.
It's all right to keep you waiting, Joe.
It's perfect.
All right, Dr.
Let's see now, you'll want to know about...
Mr. Evans, Dr. George Evans?
Oh, yes, Evans.
What was the exact size and what'd you have in mind?
Well, the first thing we'd like to know is if you've treated Evans recently the last week or so?
Yes.
As a matter of fact, I haven't.
He was in here, uh...
Well, let me see now.
Let me see.
Yes, I thought so.
He was in here three days ago.
I had some bad cuts and bruises.
Mm-hmm.
They'd already been treated, though.
There wasn't much I could do.
Who was there anything else wrong with him, Dr?
No, not actually.
I examined his shoulder.
He insisted it hurt him.
He wanted me to put it in the cast.
You put the cast on, did you?
Well, there really wasn't any need for it.
But I put it on anyway.
A little bit of psychiatry.
So I would make him feel better.
Well, honey, me and Dr.
wasn't any need for it.
Just one of those peculiar things.
I've been treating Evans for some time, you know.
Yes, and that's what we understood.
It's fairly unusual, hardly a rare case, though.
I suppose you might call it a trick shoulder.
It looks as though it might be dislocated.
But it actually isn't.
I think it's voluntary.
You mean you could do this thing himself?
Oh, yes.
You can make it appear dislocated anytime you want.
You are listening to Dragnet, authentic stories of your police force in action.
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Saturday, June 15th, 10 am.
The investigation continued.
Meantime, the newspapers were still making front-page material out of the story.
One of the morning banner lines read,
cop slugs, cripples, citizens to get pay off.
And another one with police brutality rouses entire city.
Our investigation went on.
Early Saturday afternoon at night,
succinct and locating a former friend of Evans,
who told us that he'd seen him downtown the morning of the day
on which the alleged beating had taken place.
The same time Evans had told us he was in bed nursing a hangover.
The former friend, a Fred Werner, said Evans was in the company
of two known gamblers.
Carl Sweeter and Stanley Perry.
He told us that he'd spotted the three of them together at about 11.45 am.
We questioned Sweeter and Perry,
but they refused to tell us anything.
They admitted that they were acquainted with Evans,
but they knew nothing about the beating he received.
We continued making the rounds.
5.30 pm.
We dropped to the main jail and questioned Evans
two witnesses again, Ray Sherman, and Helena Rowan.
We got the same stories as before.
6.18 pm.
We got back to the city hall.
All stretchers?
Sure, we'd love to get home.
What a bad day, though.
We had fair luck in it.
We suppose some could always be better.
Should I get the straight story one way or the other?
We want to check the book you had to see if we got any.
Yeah, okay.
Not much, Joe.
Call from a Tom Donnelly, you know?
Donnelly?
No, I didn't sound too familiar to me.
I got it.
First now, Jacobs.
How's that?
Well, Fred, he's gone for the night.
Yeah, huh.
No, I'm sorry. I wouldn't know.
All right, thank you.
Another message here for us, Joe, in the book here.
Blanche's wife again.
I'm getting to feel pretty silly about telling her the same thing
not after night.
Why don't you call it a night?
What have you been doing all right?
Let me give it up now.
First now, Fredy.
Yeah.
What was that?
Mm-hmm.
Your name?
Yeah, okay.
Uh-huh.
10 o'clock tonight?
All right, that's fine.
That's all.
Sure.
Yeah, we'll meet you.
Okay.
10 o'clock. Yeah, fine.
Bye.
Sounds pretty good.
It was.
Have anyone Martin Kimbrill says he knows George Evans.
He wants to talk to us tonight.
What's a pitch?
I don't know.
Might be straight, might not.
What'd you say?
About Evans being worked over.
He claims he knows all about it.
Yeah.
He says Blanchard couldn't possibly have done it.
7-0-5-bm.
We went over to Frank Tanks' place, had some dinner,
and then we drove out to the interview with a man
that identified himself on the phone as Martin Kimbrill.
We located him at the designated meeting place.
A small bar just off Beverly Boulevard in Normandy Avenue.
Kimbrill was a small man, slight-billed middle-aged.
He seemed like sure of himself, and he did on the phone.
He said that he knew George Evans fairly well,
and that up until six months before he'd been on good terms with him.
He didn't go into details, but he gave us the general idea
that Evans had cheated him on some business deal
with whom it had been engaged in.
We asked Kimbrill about the beating Evans attainment.
He said it was common knowledge among the people he traveled with
that gamblers Carl Sweeter and Stanley Parish
were responsible for beating up Evans.
He'd welched on a gambling debt, and the tour
had been after him for months to pay off.
He also said he knew a close friend of the two gamblers
who told him that in private Carl Sweeter openly boasted
of beating up Evans.
According to Kimbrill, the beating had taken place
about one p.m. the Monday before,
the same day Officer Blanchard allegedly had given him the beating.
We located Sweeter in the coffee shop of a small hotel
on South Rampart Street.
I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about,
but I don't know what you're talking about.
We understand you do, Sweeter heard you speak,
but we got it from a couple of people.
I guess they made a mistake, I don't remember the name at all.
If he's going under a different one, how about his description?
I don't remember that.
Maybe I meet quite a few people, it's kind of hard to place all of them.
It kind of looks like.
He's tall, dark, complexion, dark hair,
scar under his chin, he dresses pretty well, usually wears a suit.
It's a mean thing to me.
It runs a roomy house over on Portland Avenue,
and then quite a few rackets all around.
I'm not sure, I'm afraid I wouldn't want.
We haven't got any beef with you, Sweeter.
The point, Evans is trying to get away with a fast one.
We're out to stop, and we could use your health, how about it?
I don't see how hard it can help you.
What's the beef, anyway?
We think you know.
It's been all over the newspapers the last couple of days.
Oh, yeah, young cop.
What's up, he's got a guess from anyway.
I was trying to see the face we figure out.
We hear anyway.
Oh, what do I mean?
Well, I think you know how Evans likes to play the big shot.
It wouldn't do his stock much better around town if a real story got out.
I don't follow, what story are you talking about?
Bodies were all chewing on a gambling tab, getting roughed up.
If he says a cop did it, it makes him look a lot better than it.
He comes out of it pretty clean that way down here.
Pass the song.
Why don't you guys have some coffee?
I hate to yell.
Okay, sounds like the waitress comes around.
No.
Oh, what else are you here about this, Evans?
Pretty bad boy, right?
Bad enough.
He's got a fast mouth, telling quite a few stories around the neighborhood.
That's all.
I might remember him.
Follow that guy around the room, huh?
Yeah, that's right.
You should remember him.
He's mentioned to you in a couple of the stories he's passing around.
Where'd you get that?
Fucking your fellow last night.
He says Evans claims that that card game he was in with you was rigged.
That's why he didn't pay you off.
He claims you would stay in parish for him the whole thing.
Oh, that's all that.
Huh?
If only if bombs are all alike,
he would lose a couple of dollars and squeal like a pig.
What's this Evans doing now?
Who's up for narcotics rap? He's out on bail.
What's your stake in this thing?
We're trying to clear the thing up.
Apparently, Evans figures he's going to frame the young cop
save face, talking himself out of a bad situation.
Oh, what do you want from me?
The truth.
I'm not going to talk myself into jail.
Young cop or not.
We're not asking the truth.
You want to clear the case, huh?
I only need his proof.
The cop didn't give Evans a working over.
That's right.
Okay, you got to deal.
Ah!
Ah!
Ah!
Ah!
Without actually incriminating himself in any way,
Carl Sweeter gave us information and leads,
which after they were checked out showed definitely
that George Evans was slugged and beaten in a neighborhood,
at least a mile from his roaming house.
We talked to half a dozen people who saw Evans in that neighborhood
shortly after 1 p.m., the day of the incident.
We talked to the clerk at the drugstore where Evans went to buy iodine and bandages.
They all told us that he bore the markings of a severe beating
as early as 1 o'clock that afternoon.
Evans had told us repeatedly that he'd received the beating
at the hands of Officer Blanchard no earlier than 3 or 315 that afternoon.
Ed and I go over to the main jail where we interviewed Evans two witnesses again.
The girl, Eleanor Roland, was the first to break.
She admitted that Evans had promised both her and her friend, Ray Sherman,
$50 a piece if they would go along with him and his plan to frame Officer Blanchard
for assault and battery and soliciting a bride.
After an hour of questioning, Sherman admitted the same thing.
We had a stenographer take their statements.
450 p.m., Ed and I got McIarn drove out to the roaming house on Courtland Avenue.
Yeah?
Oh, hi, sir.
You want to get your coat Evans, like, see you downtown?
Look forward to it about filing a false report. You know this story.
What are you talking about? What do you mean a false report?
You've been checked out all over town, Evans.
Your doctor, your ex-wife, your gambling friends, we talked to them all.
So what? What's that proof anyway?
Proves you were lying, Mr. At the Young Officer Blanchard. He didn't bitch up.
There's nothing wrong with your shoulder either, Dr. Chase, with us for that.
Look, I don't care what he says. I don't care what any of them say.
I got my case against that cop and sticking with it.
You're not going to cop any of it.
Why don't you give it up, Evans? We had a talk with Carl Switzer.
What do you tell you?
Enough to convince us you're trying to frame Blanchard.
We've got statements from people who saw you before you got back home on the afternoon.
They say you were messed up then. That was at one o'clock in the afternoon.
You've been telling us Blanchard wasn't at your place till three o'clock.
I don't explain that.
I don't know. Maybe I didn't have the time right. My watch could have been off.
It doesn't make any difference anyway.
It'll make a lot of difference. How about getting your coat?
I'm going to call my lawyer for it.
That isn't going to do much good.
We've got statements from your two witnesses.
Ray Sherman and McGurly admitted the whole thing that you haven't got much of a case left.
I don't care what they say. They're lying. Both of them. They're lying.
You ought to know, Mr. What?
You taught them how.
The story you'll have just heard was true.
The names were changed to protect the innocent.
On September 2nd, trial was held in Superior Court Department 89,
city and county of Los Angeles, state of California.
In a moment, the results of that trial.
And all here is our star, Jack Webb.
Thank you, George Farman.
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A complaint was received on George Evans from the city attorney's office
for violation of Section 5243 Municipal Code filing a false report
to the police department of Mr. Meener.
He received a sentence of 30 days in the county jail.
Ray Sherman was tried and found guilty of Section 11,500 Health and Safety Code
possession of narcotics.
He was sentenced to one year in the county jail in three years probation.
Eleanor Roland was filed on as a vague addict, Section 11,721 Health and Safety Code.
She was sentenced to 60 days in the county jail.
Officer Harry Blanchard was cleared of the charges pending against him
and was reinstated with back pay.
You have just heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files.
Technical advice comes from the Office of Chief of Police, W.H. Parker,
Los Angeles Police Department.
Technical advisors Captain Jack Donahole, Sergeant Marty Wynn, and Sergeant Fan Spracier.
Heard tonight we're Barney Phillips and with Connor, scripted by Jim Moser,
Music by Walter Schumann, Health Gipney Speaking.
Fatima cigarettes.
Best of all, King's Eye cigarettes has brought your Dragnet transcribed from Los Angeles.
Now it's counter spy on NBC.
