Investigator Digs For The Truth

From The Bradenton (Florida) Herald:

Her name is Lucky. At least that’s what she goes by.

In late 2006, she witnessed a drug transaction during which police fingered the wrong guy for the illegal buy.

Now that man awaits trial and could possibly get prison time if he’s wrongly convicted.

That’s where Gavin Kelly steps in.

He’s a criminal defense investigator with the 12th Judicial Circuit working for the public defender’s office in Manatee County.

His mission: To find Lucky so she can corroborate the suspect’s claim of innocence.

A name – sometimes an alias. Often, that’s all Kelly is given.

No known address.

No telephone number.

So he walks the streets and knocks on stranger’s doors until he finds his witness. Although he’s never had a gun pulled on him, he said he’s been to a few shady neighborhoods.

But he knows how to work them.

Growing up in a declined area of South Bend, Ind., and attending an inner-city school helped him learn how to work the city streets.

When he’s on the hunt to help suspects out, he lets potential witnesses know.

“I tell them, ‘I’m from the public defender’s office – no one is in trouble, but I was told you have information and if you don’t it’s OK. I say this guy’s jammed up pretty good, and whatever you can do to help them . . . to prove he’s innocent.’ “

Once they find out Kelly’s there to help someone, the witnesses ease up, Kelly said.

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