“Missing Woman’s Husband Misses Polygraph Test”

Los Angeles radio station KFWB and the Associated Press report. Excerpt:

(KFWB/AP) 8.30.01, 5:10p — Homicide investigators using body-sniffing dogs planned to search an oil field Friday for clues to the disappearance of the daughter of a former state senator. The area to be combed in Signal Hill is near the garage where a sport utility vehicle belonging to Jana Carpenter-Koklich was found earlier this week.

Her husband, Bruce Koklich, failed to show up Thursday for a scheduled lie-detector test, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

“He wanted the questions to the test (ahead of time),” said Deputy David Cervantes. “It’s not our policy to provide them.”

It was unclear if the Lakewood man would reschedule the examination.

His mother-in-law said Koklich was leary of how the polygraph test would be administered.

“He’s been given a lot of advice by a lot of friends, some of them… in the law field and even in law enforcement, and has heard all kinds of horror stories about how they use tricky questions,” Janet Carpenter said.

Koklich has not been named as a suspect in the disappearance but also has not been ruled out, authorities said. He has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to his wife’s return. Former Sen. Paul Carpenter says he does not consider his son-in-law a suspect.

Anyone requested to submit to a polygraph interrogation in connection with a crime — whether innocent or guilty — would be well-advised to refuse. “Passing” this pseudoscientfic “test” will not clear one of suspicion, while “failing” it is highly prejudicial.

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