Posted on 03/12/2004 6:21:56 AM PST by chance33_98
Dog Handler Pleads Guilty To Planting Bones
Woman Faces Up To 30 Years In Federal Prison
POSTED: 4:02 pm EST March 11, 2004
A once-celebrated trainer and handler of cadaver-sniffing dogs has pleaded guilty to federal charges that she planted bones and other fake evidence in cases she worked.
Sandra M. Anderson, 43, of Midland County, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Detroit's federal district court, to multiple felony charges including obstruction of justice and making false statements to federal authorities.
"The defendant's actions seriously undermined the ability of dedicated law enforcement officials to investigate crimes and bring those responsible to justice," R. Alexander Acosta, assistant attorney general for civil rights, said in a statement Thursday. "We are grateful for the cooperation of the law enforcement agencies that helped bring this matter to closure."
Anderson (pictured, left) faces up to 30 years in federal prison when sentenced. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Martin Crandell, Anderson's Detroit-based attorney, did not immediately return a call for comment Thursday. Anderson's home telephone has been disconnected, and she could not be reached for comment.
No one answered the phone at the Sanford-based Great Lakes Search and Rescue of Michigan K-9 Unit, the organization founded by Anderson.
A 10-count indictment in August charged Anderson with evidence tampering, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators. If convicted on all the counts, she would have faced up to 65 years in prison.
The indictment contended Anderson faked evidence in several cases in Michigan and Ohio. Not only did she plant bones in search areas, it says, but she also used her own body fluids to stain a saw blade, coins and a piece of cloth.
Anderson is best known for her work with Eagle, a Doberman-German shorthair pointer mix. They have been invited to Panama and Bosnia to look for victims of political repression, and to ground zero in New York after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
They also were featured on TV's "Unsolved Mysteries" after helping convict a Michigan biochemist of murdering and dismembering his wife.
I'll bet it even bothered the "sit in the coffee house and eat donughts all day" law enforcement officals too!
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