BCI focused on prescription drugs during police shooting investigation
Altru Hospital and University of North Dakota may have betrayed the public
by Timothy Charles Holmseth on December 20, 2016, 12:17 P.M. CST
Does a police shooting victim’s medical background and prescription drug history have anything to do with whether or not the shooting was justified?
In an undated letter authored by Grand Forks State’s Attorney David Jones, he determined the shooting of David James Elliott by a UND police officer was justified based upon all the evidence he reviewed, which included police-cam evidence.
But nobody has been allowed to see the video that Jones claims clears the cop.
And…
There are new questions being raised in this bizarre North Dakota case that involves drugs – drugs that Attorney Jones knew about – but has never talked about.
The seizure of thousands of bagged pills from the vehicle of David James Elliott on the night he was shot in the head has created those questions.
On February 28, 2015 the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) began an investigation into the police shooting of David James Elliott by a University of North Dakota police officer in the Emergency Room parking lot of Altru hospital.
David Elliott was unarmed and on the telephone with a Grand Forks police officer, and had arranged to meet that officer at Altru Hospital, when he was shot multiple times by a rookie UND campus cop he had been trying to stay from during a slow speed pursuit.
Audio from the inside of the UND squad car later revealed the officer, Jerad Braaten, was diabolically and cynically hoping to cause a collision with David Elliott – it also captures what David Elliott says is the sound of Braaten attempting to shoot David Elliott several minutes before the actual shooting – but his gun jammed.
Questions are rapidly developing in this case regarding what was really going on between David Elliott, the University of North Dakota, Altru Hospital, and multiple law enforcement agencies.
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And – it’s all about drugs.
Here’s why.
The region has been saturated with drug use, fatal overdoses, and mysterious unattended deaths as result of narcotics that are flooding into the area.
BCI records show ‘thousands of pills’ were found in David Elliott’s pick-up truck after he was shot – the pills were in bags.
“We found three bags of pills,” said SA Michael Ness during his interview with David Elliott’s wife, Jennifer Elliott, an employee in the Accounts Payable department at UND.
“That’ what Altru – he gets it all from doctors. It’s all coming from doctors at Altru,” Jennifer Elliott said.
Jennifer Elliott said she repeatedly tried to curtail the dispensing of drugs to her husband by Altru. She told investigators she confronted Barbara Norman, a clinical nurse specialist about it.
“He keeps coming here and you (Barb Norman) keep prescribing stuff – so I said what’s your plan – what’s your plan here – what, were going to come here every three months and your going sit and go oh you need this one – okay we’ll print that one – what else do you need? Oh you out of this one? Oh okay were going to print that one. Okay and after sitting and watching her do that for twenty minutes I start to argue with her and say what’s your plan – do you have a plan here for him more than just to give out drugs,” Jennifer Elliott said.
Jennifer Elliott said Dr. Matthew Roller, a neurologist at Altru, looked at David Elliott’s prescription list and was “appalled” at what he saw in David Elliott’s chart.
The drug dispensing appeared weird to Jennifer Elliott.
“Now, [my husband David Elliott will] always say don’t argue with them before we get in there – don’t argue with the doctor,” Jennifer Elliott said.
Margaret Dolan, Jennifer Elliott’s mother, was at the BCI interview. “The pain management doctor in Bemidji when he would go there – he didn’t want her there – he made it very clear that he did not want her at those appointments,” Dolan said.
Ness and Jennifer Elliott discussed prescription drug documentation regarding David Elliott. “I ran the same thing - it’s called a PDMP - prescription drug monitoring on a report – I just went back a year and it’s like five pages long,” Ness said.
“Isn’t one Benzo enough? Why three? Who takes morphine for headaches?” Jennifer Elliott said.
BCI investigator Ness was greatly focused on obtaining David Elliott’s medical records and wanted Jennifer Elliott to sign a release.
“Be important to look at all his records to see kind of where were at – why were at where we are now today,” SA Ness said.
“I think it’s important. I really do,” SA Ness said.
“Important for what?” Jennifer Elliott replied.
“Just to kind of figure out why were at where were at,” Ness said.
David James Elliott eventually pled guilty to traffic/driving related offenses and the police shooting case has since been closed.
No more was ever heard about the prescription drug issue.
Interestingly…
Jennifer Elliott said UND Police Chief Eric Plummer told her that his department was trying to reach David Elliott by telephone the night he was shot.
Disturbingly…
Write Into Action is presently battling the ND AG for the police videos after AG Wayne Stenehjem called upon Marsy’s Law (a victim’s rights law) to stall my investigation.