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POST 37: Investigation Report - Pages 6-9 Gibbs's Statements

Pages 6-9 of the Investigation Report referenced Gibbs's official statement

Pages 6-9 of the Investigation Report referenced Gibbs's official statement. See the images below:







If you haven't already read POST 27, please do so. I went into detail about Gibbs's official statement in that post.

Here are some clips from his official statement:


Summary of Gibbs's Official Statement

When you compare what Gibbs actually said to what was documented in the Investigation Report, much of his statements were intentionally left out of the report - specifically his statements which supported the walleye was hooked legally. Here are some of the statements Gibbs made:

  • Gibbs stated, "I don't think we foul-hooked any walleye...he (Tom) has pictures." 
  • Gibbs stated, “it (the record walleye) was ripping drag…fighting like a normal fish…you could see the head shakes…never saw where it was hooked in the water…fighting like a normal-hooked walleye the entire time...had no doubts." 
  • Gibbs stated, “He (Tom) said he thought he saw it hooked in the mouth.” 
  • Gibbs stated, “I didn’t see the fish coming in tail first.”
  • Gibbs stated, “the water was as dark as chocolate milk…took me a minute to find it (the walleye)…had to run further to find it…it was staying underwater.”  
  • Gibbs stated, “…fish that big, couldn’t get it across in the current…took me a minute to find it…had to run further to find it…was staying underwater…head was upstream…I got it in the net tail first…reached out as far as I could…scooped it up…was out as far as I could…hand extended fully on the handle.” 
  • Gibbs stated, “people were hoop’n and holler’n…it was a big fish…I netted the fish…I wasn’t looking for the line or hook…Tom uses dark string, saw the size of the fish…threw it over my shoulder…ran up the bank…wasn’t looking for the hook…didn’t see the hook…” 
  • Gibbs stated, "Threw the net over my shoulder…I could feel it (the walleye) flopping on my back. It sure felt like it was flopping.” 
  • Gibbs stated, “Everybody was hoopn’ and hollern’.” 
  • Gibbs stated, "It (the walleye) has a hole in its mouth." 
  • Gibbs stated, "Tom's saving the fish for you. He wants this to be legit." 
Game and Fish intentionally left out nearly all of Gibbs's statements in the Investigation Report which supported his belief the walleye was caught legally.

Changes

Why did the investigator have such a difficult time believing Gibbs? Did the investigator already have his mind made up about what had happened? An investigator who has his mind made up won't seek out information or evidence to prove the contrary. When someone believes they already know what happened and make the statement new evidence "won't tell them anything new," the investigation will become biased.
An investigation must be thorough and impartial. 
Much of what Gibbs stated to the investigator could have been corroborated by the evidence in his possession. Why didn't the investigator compare Gibbs's statements to the evidence? This should have happened.

Gibbs provided many statements which supported his belief my walleye was caught legally. These statements were intentionally left out of the investigation report. This type of "cherry-picking" needs to stop.
In a court of law, all statements made and evidence provided would have been considered. 
Why did the investigator intentionally refrain from asking what Gibbs believed happened? The responses by Gibbs would have provided context to why he asked me if I was going to get my walleye mounted. Gibbs had no concerns as to how the walleye was caught and his beliefs would have provided context. They should consider asking these questions in future investigations.


#northdakotaslargestwalleye #volkswalleye #justiceforthelargestwalleye

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