Columbia University Story Line

[Rachel]

On Wednesday, October 20, 2004, Janette Friday was approached by a Columbia University student who offered her history test exams and answers.

The following day, while sharing a table with post grad student, Venus Santangelo, Jan saw the guy again and decided to approach him and find out if this was real or just some scam. She joined the guy at a nearby table and said she wanted to buy the exam for Professor Fred Harris' Friday test. Simon, the name she managed to get out of him later, told her it was normally $100 for specific tests and $250 for final exams. He wanted an additional $25 since she needed it that day.

Jan gave him $50 right away, then met him later in empty classroom 22B to trade an additional $75 for the exam. He was smoking pot when she entered and offered her a drag. She never smoked but pretended interest and soon learned he was also selling drugs on the campus. He offered her a nickel bag of marijuana for $50 if she would meet him at the cafeteria again the next day.

Jan left this Simon guy and hurried to Fred Harris' office and showed him the test papers. Fred confirmed that they were the real test. He wanted to contact the police immediately but Jan talked him into sitting on it until she could set up a trap for Simon. She new from her father, Lt. Joe Friday, that if they couldn't catch the guy in the actual act of a sale, he could use a lawyer and walk away clean.

She needed more info before setting this up. Upon returning to the Carnegie Hill apartment she shares with Siobhan Ryan, she explained what had happened and her plan to catch this drug peddler. They agreed that Siobhan could talk to her mother, Captain Theresa Ryan, and garner her support.
« Last Edit: October 21, 2004, 08:24:42 PM by ~Rachel~ »    Report to moderator   Logged
Do it right, or not at all!
~Rachel~
Board Moderator

*****

[Rachel]

 ((synopsis posted regarding Janette Friday))

On Friday, the saga continued. Janette met Venus in the cafeteria and filled her in on yesterday's events. Simon showed up a few minutes later and Venus expressed interest in purchasing an exam for her language class test coming up in two weeks. Since he didn't want to cut any deals in the crowded cafeteria, Jan offered to take them both over to the Carnegie Hill apartment she shares with Siobhan and Tiffany.

Jan paid the taxi fare and Simon smelled money, especially after seeing her apartment. He had already played with Jan's knee in the cab so she knew he wanted her in more ways than one. Jan poured the girls wine and took Simon in the kitchen to give him a beer. Jan asked if he brought the grass, but Simon suggested a better choice for her, since she didn't smoke. Cocaine!

Rather than back off, Jan agreed and Simon took out a small packet and laid out a small line on the kitchen counter tile. Jan produced a small drinking straw and while snorting at it she intentionally sneezed and blew most of the coke away. Simon laughed saying that was a $50 sneeze. He wanted to play, but Jan said Venus was waiting in the other room.

They went back in the living room and Simon and Venus worked out a $150 deal for her exam in two weeks. Venus could see that even that little bit of coke that wound up in Jan's nose was having a serious affect. Venus took Simon back to Columbia alone, leaving Jan alone to sleep it off. They did manage to extract Simon's last name, Grover.

[Rachel]

 ((synopsis posted regarding Janette Friday))

On Friday night, Janette woke up with a start when she heard Siobhan enter their shared apartment. She was still sleeping in her jeans after her little sniff of that cocaine and her head hurt like hell. Siobhan suggested some Tylenol which Jan took after washing her face with cold water.

They shared cold left over pizza while Jan explained what had happened with Venus and Simon Grover. The girls agreed that they had better set up a meeting with their parents and Fred Harris and decide what to do next.

Jan said her father will be pretty upset at them for messing around with a drug peddler, but she intends to insist she'll be the best bait in this situation. She's sure that Captain Theresa Ryan will want to find out who Simon's source of these drugs might be. Maybe they can add an undercover cop to start following Simon around.

[Rachel]

((Posting as Siobhan Ryan))

I called my Mom and asked if I could come over to her house to talk to her.  We met at the deli near her house by accident.  She was picking up our lunch, so we went to the back table to talk.  I told her about Jan's buying Dr. Harris' history exam and Simon trying to get her to snort coke.  I even threw in Venus' going to buy an exam for her language class.  She got upset, but I knew she would.  When it comes to me, she can't seem to separate motherhood from cophood.  She said she'd get some techs over to the apartment to check the sink for the coke that Jan "sneezed" all over the place, and that she would also call Dr. Harris.  I'm assuming she's going to set up a meeting with him, and put some undercover cops around since she gets so mad when Jan and I try to help her out.  Mothers! At least she took changing my major to Pre Med well.

[Rachel]

((Posted as Joe Friday))

On Saturday my daughter, Janette Friday, arrived at the 5th Precinct conference room to explain what was going on. Once again, Jan and her close friend and roommate, Siobhan Ryan, had tried to play detectives. The last time Jan pulled this stunt, she damn near died at the hands of serial killer Adam Gold.

She was accompanied by post graduate language student, Venus Santangelo, the woman that helped me select Jan's birthday gift at a local shopping mall. Venus sat quietly as Jan tried to explain why she was buying test exam answers and worse yet drugs from a Columbia student named Simon Grover.

Capt. Theresa Ryan and Professor Fred Harris were there as we discussed the situation and our options. I finally agreed since Jan had this Simon's attention, that she would set up a cocaine buy, under surveillance by our undercover police. Theresa hopes we will be able to find out who the real drug peddling source might be and put him in jail for good.

[Rachel]

 (Posting as Siobhan Ryan)

Mom, Jan, Venus, Dr. Harris, and I met with Jan's dad, Lt. Joe Friday in the 5th this afternoon.  While Jan told her story, you could see her Dad getting more and more ticked off at her that she got herself into this mess.  And I thought Mom got mad when I told her!  Venus confirmed she did place an order for a test for one of her languages classes.  Lt. Friday wasn't very happy about the coke, but Mom reminded him that Jan was their best chance to catch Simon because he trusted Jan.

They're going to assign an undercover officer to be with her when she sets up the buy, and Jan is going to introduce the officer as a friend and potential customer.

Mom decided to take Simon and not go after his supplier, because she's concerned that she might not get Simon if they tried for the bigger fish.  She thinks if he is arrested, he might squeal if he's leaned on hard enough.  I hope so.  This guy is bad news.

Dr. Harris is going to talk to the History Dept. and see if they can do anything about the computers being hacked.  Mom has offered Tyler's services as well.

[Rachel]

 ((synopsis posted regarding Janette Friday))

On Monday, Janette and Venus met with Simon Grover at the Columbia University cafeteria as usual and this time he took them to his 2nd floor flat at 220 West 125th St. in Harlem. Jan kept teasing him and there was no doubt Simon was hoping for a little Menage a Trois at his place.

The flat was small and so grungy that they didn't even want to sit down. It had three rooms, a living room, a small kitchenette and what probably was supposed to be the bedroom which Simon had turned it into his computer room.

The sofa was a hideaway bed and opposite it was a brand new big screen TV. Jan glanced at the pile of DVD movies stacked on it and saw what had to be a XXX porno movie. There wasn't any doubt what Simon wanted form the girls.

Venus asked where her test papers with the answers were and Simon insisted on seeing the cash first. She pulled a roll of bills out of her pocket and he counted them as he went into the computer room and picked up the test. She glanced at it quickly, confirming it was indeed the test she expected.

Jan asked what a nickel bag of coke would cost her and he said $200. He agreed that she could pick it up Tuesday evening after school at his place at 6:30 pm. He kissed Jan goodbye as Venus rolled her eyes and they left.

Venus kept warning Jan not to wear a wire when she went back on Tuesday for the anticipated buy and the raid, saying Simon's roaming hands might notice it. Jan said the police needed to know exactly when the drugs were being traded so they could break in at the correct moment. She's sure she can make Simon do the buy before they started fooling around.

[Rachel]

((posted as Joe Friday))

On Monday evening Capt. Ryan and I had a conference call with Siobhan and Janette. Jan filled us in on her meeting with Simon Grover. I couldn't believe that Jan and Venus went up to his apartment in Harlem. She seemed so pleased since they obtained his address, 2nd floor flat at 220 West 125th St. Jan set up the cocaine buy for Tuesday night after school, probably around 6:00 pm.

In spite of my concerns, I had to agree that at least we know where the buy will take place in advance. I insisted that Jan wear a wire, hidden in her bra, just in case Simon gropes her. Growling at the very thought of him touching her. It's probably best that I don't know exactly what ploy's Jan is using to convince this drug peddler that she's a safe buyer.

Capt. Ryan is insisting that I not be involved in the raid. It will be up to her and Dara to pull this one off. She plans to ask Frank Close to be there too. I'll stay in the vehicle and just listen.

[Rachel]

 On Tuesday evening, October 26, 2004, Captain Theresa Ryan and Lt. Joe Friday accompanied me to Harlem where Lt. Friday's daughter, Janette was meeting Simon Grover to buy drugs.

Mr. Grover is suspected of stealing tests from Columbia University professors, and also selling drugs.  He previously sold a history exam to Janette Friday, and had an order for one for one Venus Santangelo.  He also gave Janette a bit of cocaine, which she "accidentally sneezed" into the sink of her apartment.

While Janette was inside Grover's apartment, Captain Ryan and I waited in the hall for the buy to go down.  While we were all hyped up and ready to break down the door, we had to wait until Janette actually had possession of the drugs.

Once we heard Jan asking for help in how to lay out the coke, Captain Ryan broke open the door and in we went.

Grover was taken without incident, and brought to the 5th Precinct for booking.  We also recovered his computer, and turned it over to Tyler Franco for him to go through and to see if there were indeed any tests from Columbia professors.
We should get those results shortly.

Respectfully Submitted,


Lt. Dara Bertolli
Lt. Dara Bertolli, NYPD

[Rachel]

((Posted as Nelle Porter))

On Wednesday I recorder an interrogation with Simon Glover and his attorney, Donald Balardi. After a long question and answer period we reached a plea bargain agreement. Simon will provide us with his drug source's name along with their meeting place and times.

On Thursday, he'll plead guilty to possession and sales of marijuana and cocaine plus the computer theft of Columbia University exam tests.

Judge Gamble will sentence him first to a drug clinic, then one year at a low security, halfway house. Hopefully, Simon will have learned his lesson.

On Thursday, after the short arraignment and sentencing, I met with Simon Grover and Balardi in a private courthouse room. Simon confirmed that Lex Lucious as his contact. I gave Simon his cell phone and instructed him to call Lex and leave a message requesting a meeting place and time for the buy.

He made the call and returned the cell phone, which I'll give to the police. They'll await the return call and hopefully catch this nasty drug peddler in the act with the cocaine on his person.

[Rachel]

 ((as lex))

~in the corner of the club...i take out my phone, amid the thumping bass and shine coming off the shiny dresses of highschool chix lookin' way too much like the ho's i take home wit me...usually i'd be on 'em like white on rice, but other things be on my mind, yo.....like that sucka kid i been slingin' to....he left 'nother business proposal on the table, all t's crossed and i's dotted, too....but i 'eard sumpin' funny in his voice, like he had sumpin' up his ass or sumpin yo....i jot down the place and time of the meet, but as i hang up i'm thinkin' 'bout whether or not imma needa pack some heat or bring some hard hittin' pipe carryin' muthafuckas wit me dis time.....~

[Rachel]

((Posted as Joe Friday))

Tuesday night we picked up a cell phone call from Lex Lucious to Ash Grover's cell phone, saying to meet him at warehouse 17B near the Brooklyn Docks at 11:00 pm. I called Dara and asked her to meet there and I drove over. We met with two Brooklyn squad cars and I stationed the four officers discretely in and around the warehouse.

We had to wait about 20 minutes before Lex arrived. We let him park, walk inside the warehouse and into the office he had designated as the pick up spot. Dara and I followed him inside and I challenged him, telling him he was under arrest and to place his hands flat on the desk. I was reading hin his rights when he suddenly turned and fired.

His shot hit my left arm just below the shoulder and drove me back against the metal office wall. Dara had no choice and fired off two shots. Lucious was dead before he even hit the floor.

Dara called for the medical examiner and the CSI team. She found a 5 pound bag of cocaine on the desk and left it there for the CSI team to collect. I was starting to bleed pretty badly so she drove me to a near by hospital emergency room where they took care of my arm and made me spend the night.

Dara will have to write up the official report and turn her pistol over to Capt Ryan for that pain in the ass group called Internal Affairs that follows up any police shootings.

[Rachel]

 I received a phone call from Joe  Friday last evening, and he told me that Lex Lucious was on the move for a meeting at the Brooklyn Docks.  I hurriedly drove over and met him.  We waited until Lucious was in the warehouse before we entered.  Joe and I found him in the warehouse office.  Joe informed him he was under arrest and read him his rights.  Lucious pulled out a gun and fired a shot, wounding Joe in the arm.  I had no choice but to fire my weapon, and fired two shots.  One hit Lucious through the heart, and the other entered in the thoracic cavity.  He was killed instantly.  I called CSI and the new Medical Examiner, Dr. Aaron Xavier and let them know they were needed.

Since Joe was hurt, we left the patrol officers in charge and I drove him to the hospital, where he was treated and admitted overnight.  I returned to the precinct, called his wife, and then surrendered my gun to Captain Ryan.

Respectfully, Submitted,



Lt. Dara Bertolli