Rape victim seeks reward for arrest tip (Crimestoppers screws up)

The last alleged victim of Ladon Andre Stephens thinks she should receive the $10,000 reward for information leading to his April arrest and indictment in the Melissa Bittler slaying.

But Crime Stoppers has given the money to a tipster who two months earlier gave police Stephens' name, even though that tip did not lead to his arrest.

Stephens wasn't arrested until the April rape victim, Lakecia Banks, 24, reported her assault and identified him as her attacker. Once police arrested Stephens in April, they got a warrant to obtain his DNA. That sample matched evidence from Bittler's Dec. 13 killing and three 1997 rapes.

"Ms. Banks was the key to identifying and apprehending Mr. Stephens," her attorney, James Zwaanstra, wrote to Crime Stoppers in October. "Her bravery and courage in coming forward should be rewarded."

Normally, The Oregonian does not print the name of victims of sexual assaults, but Banks said she wanted her name published.

The unidentified tipster who got the reward called police about 3 p.m. Feb. 13 and identified Stephens as the suspect in a composite drawing police released after Bittler's death.

In an Oct. 18 letter to Banks' attorney, Crime Stoppers President Roger Williams wrote that because Banks did not provide information that Stephens might have been tied to other crimes, the Crime Stoppers board of directors determined Oct. 10, on the advice of police, that the reward should go to the February caller. The board consulted with Portland police Cmdr. Jim Ferraris, head of the detective division, and homicide detail Sgt. Ed Brumfield.

"Your client was indeed the victim of a very brutal and tragic crime at the hands of Mr. Ladon Stephens, a person she knew," Williams wrote. "At no time, according to investigators, did your client mention or refer to Ladon Stephens in any manner, other than he was the perpetrator in her crime."

Banks' attorney responded with a letter this week, asking for reconsideration and a share of the reward money for his client.

"The root of my concern comes from the fact that someone had apparently identified Mr. Stephens in February from a composite drawing but nothing was done until my client suffered at the hands of Mr. Stephens in April," wrote Zwaanstra, a Hillsboro lawyer. "It is our position that Ms. Banks was equally as responsible for the identification and apprehension of Mr. Stephens as the person who identified Mr. Stephens in February."

Her attorney said Banks is "appalled at the audacity" of the Portland police in this matter.

Homicide Detective John Brooks, the lead investigator in Bittler's killing, said the February tipster was the first to provide police with Stephens' name. In February, Stephens' name was among dozens of people on the detectives' "high-priority list" of sex offenders to examine. He said police were trying to obtain Stephens' DNA through his parole officer, but Stephens was avoiding his parole officer. DNA was not obtained until Stephens allegedly struck again, and after his arrest in the April rape.

"You kinda hate to tell her 'no,' " Brooks said. "But someone came forward in February."

Crime Stoppers is a nonprofit organization made up of community volunteers. Its policy is to provide reward money for information reported to Crime Stoppers that leads to an arrest in an unsolved felony.

The Portland police could not find this guy for 2 months after they had the tip. But they still claim the tipster had something to do with his arrest. The rape victim identified him, gave his location to the police, gave them all the reason they needed for a DNA test but didn't help put him away? Yeah, right. Was the tipster someone's cousin or brother? Is CRIME STOPPERS a SCAM like United Way? Anyone else have experience with this organization?

Remember, the reward was there because of the Bittler and other previous, crimes. Not because of the rape of the Banks girl, a friend of the perp.

Suppose that Salt Lake City right now has a half million dollars out on the Elizabeth Smart case. If someone in Colorado says her brother-in-law stole her Camaro, and it turns out after LE investigation that this is the perp in the Smart case...can this victim, who alleged no more than car theft, and knew the perp, collect the Smart reward funds?

Not just yes, but hell yes.

That was sort of the hypothetical I laid out, but you beat me for the punch. By the terms of the contract that Crimestoppers established, if your information leads tot he arrest of the person for this crime, you get the money. Doesn't matter if I don't know the big picture or not, or even if I'm motivated by altruistic or revenge motivations.

The police took the info Banks gave her and could compare it to the M.O. for the prior cases and they were able to close all of the crimes. The fact that the police already had the name of the suspect goes more to the level of police incompetence.

It's unfortunate that Miss Banks had to suffer for this incompetence. You know in most states, avoiding your parole officer is enough to get you sent back to the Pen I guess the police had better things to do for those two months.

IMO, nobody should have gotten the money. The first tipster's information did not lead to an arrest and the Banks girl simply dientified her attacker to the police and gave no information that her attack was related to the crimes that CRIME STOPPERS had offered a reward for information about.

It appears that DNA testing, not a tipsters information, linked the man to the other crimes.

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