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Sinnett's clerk thinks she saw Laci Peterson
By Leslie Slape
Jan 30, 2003 - 08:41:04 am PST

A clerk at a Longview grocery store believes she may have waited on a pregnant woman who vanished from Modesto, Calif., on Christmas Eve and whose case has come to national attention.

"This is serious," the Market Place clerk recalled the woman as telling her sometime in December. "I was kidnapped. Call the authorities when I leave."

The clerk initially intended to call police but became distracted and forgot. She didn't act until late last week after a CNN report on Laci Peterson, 27, jogged her memory.

Longview police are reviewing all video surveillance tapes for the month of December. If the woman on the tape appears to be Peterson, officers will advise Modesto Police.

Peterson's husband has told investigators he last saw his wife the morning of Christmas Eve. Peterson is due to give birth to a boy on Feb. 10.

While watching the CNN report, the clerk suddenly recalled a strange pair of customers who passed through her checkout line at the Commerce Avenue store.

In her statement to Longview police, the clerk, 45, recalled that the woman appeared to be in her 20s and in a late stage of pregnancy. She said the woman was a "classic beauty" with sleek brown hair.

The clerk said the woman was accompanied by a much older man with "strong features" and a ruddy complexion.

The man's apparent age doesn't correspond with that of Peterson's husband, Scott Peterson, who is 30.

Police have not named Peterson as a suspect in his wife's disappearance, but attention has focused on him, in part because he admits he told his wife he was having an affair shortly before she vanished.

The clerk said the couple bought the sort of food which could be eaten easily on a trip, such as containers of yogurt. After the man stepped out of line to get something he forgot, the clerk remarked to the woman that she should be wearing a coat on such a chilly day.

The woman told the clerk she didn't have time to take a coat because she was kidnapped. She said the man had a weapon.

The clerk told police she wasn't sure whether to take the woman seriously.

The woman then quickly put some candy on the counter, signed her name to a check and gave to it the clerk, telling her to fill out the rest for the price of the candy.

The clerk told her she wasn't allowed to do that. The report does not indicate whether the clerk looked at the name or address on the check.

The woman hurriedly completed the check, but the clerk had no time to ring up the purchase because the man returned. He took the check and insisted on paying cash for the candy along with the rest of the groceries.

He asked what the women talked about while he was gone.

"She said you kidnapped her," the clerk said.

That made the man angry, she said.

The clerk teasingly added that her husband always kidnaps her to take her to dinner. The man relaxed and laughed.

"Yeah, I guess I kidnapped her," she recalled him saying.

After they left, the clerk unsuccessfully tried to find a phone book to call police, then became distracted and forgot about the incident. She told police she feels terrible about it now.

The Daily News Wednesday was unable to contact the clerk or the Modesto officer in charge of the investigation.

Detective Sgt. Dan Jacobs said he didn't know how long it would take to review the videotapes.

© 2003 The Daily News
Lee Publications, Inc.

This clerk must be related the the jerk in the DC area shootings who said he saw the sniper and driver in the parking lot. at Home Depot.

BTW...there is a missing women in the Shasta County area since Dec 15 and has 6 kids. I don't think she is in her 20s but who knows. Her name is Angela Fulmer (sp)