RUMORS OF BREAKING NEWS #8

[Seeker]

This *superior* attitude of the little clique here is obnoxious.  I hate to think you have run anyone off who might've had a bright idea or new angle that helped solve this.  Prosecutors *have* been helped by online brainstorms on crime FORUMS before and I'm sure it will happen again.  I don't get why you all don't want justice, instead of just a little clique-y talkfest!

Most excellent post Itawamba.  

I have a dear friend whose wife is, suffice it to say, very close to the situation.  She was (and may still be, with Natalie's mom in Aruba). But because of the little "talk-fest" I am inclined to take the information I have elsewhere.  It's just a turn off right now.

In case it might make any difference whatsoever, I have to say that I agree with both of you. I started with this board and this site right at the beginning of the Natalee discussion although I have not posted often. I have become very discouraged. A few people seem to feel it is their own private board and all the rest of us are outsiders. Just seems to me that everyone coming to this board out of love and concern for Natalee and her family should be viewed as a good thing.  Although I love the website and check it everyday, I have begun to think maybe I should just stay away from the discussion forum.

Praying for Natalee and her family,
Seeker

[klaasend]

latest off AP
This has a picture of Croes in cuffs. (At least i think that's Croes). He doesn't look like he "voluntarily" was doing anything.

That's not Steve, it's Deepak Kalpoe.  If you enlarge the picture there is a caption with his name.

[Compananzi]

Ladies and gents.. I bring you Max Arrends (man this search lasted an hour geesh)

http://connect.tickle.com/profile/index.html?id=PZBg5CRvFQPGDGKF

You know, if you read the testimonials, so far Joran and Max sound like a real social butterfly....at the age of 17 where you that popular ...no me..did not even own a website.   My highschool days were like Napoleon Dynamite, but worse..

[CaliGirl]

absolut that is Max Arrends the boy questioned last night and released which lead to Steven Croes being arrested...or so the story goes...

[nancy_drew]

Here is a list that I think summarizes today's events, with good extras from the local Ariba folks that are posting:

1. Someone named Lorenzo was detained and questioned yesterday, but we don't think he has been arrested yet. He is known to be a nutcase, maybe capable of something. His dad owned the Volkswagon dealership there but committed suicide 3 years ago and was found hanging in the hallway of their home.
2. Someone else was arrested this morning and two of our posters determined that this is their friend that was arrested. The name is Steve Croes. Croes is a common name like Smith or Jones and he is no relation to the Minister Croes that has been quoted some in some press releases. Steve Croes is an acquaintance of Americaninaruba and DJTAYLOR, and that he drives a large party boat called the Tattoo that stays docked near the Marriott. Steve Croes is divorced and has a two-yr-old child and works hard and also would have been the type that might have enjoyed going to a late-night party.  But this really shook up our friends Americaninaruba and DJTAYLOR.  Americaninaruba went down to the courthouse to see what was going on there.
3. Someone suggested that maybe Natalee was taken to an "underground party". Other posters have explained that these parties are thrown after the bars close, that they are supposed to get permissions before they have them, that the police quickly close down any parties that don't have permission, but that Lorenzo lives out away from town and does throw parties and the police don't close those down as easily.
4. In the radio announcements, there are several announcements from officials that they now are back to thinking she could be alive.
5. We looked closer at the underwear that was found on the beach and discussed that it did indeed look like an American style, "boy boxers" that can be purchased at any major American department store.
6. We looked closer at the guy that was holding up the underwear, and we found a separate picture from Joran's old website.  And it looked like the same guy shown as a friend/acquaintance of Joran also was the guy that found all those items on the beach on 6-7-05.  Among those items also was a piece of foam "that had teethmarks" on it and we discussed that a little.
7. We heard rumors of FBI searches that weren't confirmed.
8. We heard that on local Aruba radio at  5 pm, they announced that an additional person had been arrested.  This hasn't shown up on MSM so far.
9. We knew that today the three guys (Joran and the three brothers) appeared in court.  The court decided to keep them in jail another 8 days.  This decision took hours today.  They were in their at least 3 hours.  One report said that they came out once, and that when they went back in, that Joran was in handcuffs, and had not been in handcuffs the first time he had gone into the courtroom earlier in the day.
10. We heard that a "travelling judge" today overturned another judge's original decision to let Joran's dad visit Joran.  So the dad only got to visit Joran one day.  
11. We heard that Joran now has additional lawyers (we think he has three now), and that one of his lawyers broke some sort of rule by "talking to one of the guards".
12. Someone posted that Steve Croes has been released, but that is only a post from another website and no one has really confirmed it.

I think that is the summary of today's posts.  We had incredible information coming in from Aruba and others.

What I have to say isn't personal.  We should all be very proud of the news gathered here.  HOWEVER, I'm going to be tough as hell on every piece of information posted here AS FACT.  An old crusty brilliant news editor did the same to me many years ago.  At the time I hated him for it...now I honor him.

Just because this is a blog/discussion forum doesn't mean the standards of good reporting are any less!  If you want to claim you're getting faster, better news than the big boys, then you damn well better have your facts right!

What do you consider a confirmation? A girl you like on the phone giving you a report who says it's so?  

This report you've typed is filled with hearsay, rumor and innuendo...I suggest you fix it, or explain it.

People's lives are at stake here, and news reports even from this forum go out around the world.  You have a responsibility to give more than hearsay and rumor.

[KerinTX]

Ladies and gents.. I bring you Max Arrends (man this search lasted an hour geesh)

http://connect.tickle.com/profile/index.html?id=PZBg5CRvFQPGDGKF

From the site: "My Life Until Now:  
I will miss a lot of my friends in Aruba, wish them the best. Life is great make it worthable.. do something for yourself and always keep a steady face .. "

What does that mean?

It means he did not make an A in English 101.  

[Selena]

THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN AUTONOMOUS REGIONS Anecdotal reporting suggests that the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, autonomous regions within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, are transit and destination regions for trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation. Curacao and Saint Maarten, in particular, reportedly are destination islands for women trafficked for the sex trade from Columbia, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. In Curacao (and neighboring Aruba) observers estimate that 500 foreign women are in prostitution, some of whom may have been trafficked. There are also reports of children being trafficked for sexual exploitation as underage prostitutes, particularly from the Dominican Republic. In September 2004, Curacao prosecuted and sentenced two traffickers who trafficked children from Suriname to Curacao using fraudulent documents. Visas for Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles are issued by Dutch Embassies following review by Aruban or Netherlands Antilles' authorities. Visa controls were reportedly tightened in 2004. Also in 2004, the Dutch government provided 100,000 Euros to an IOM program focused on awareness raising, information dissemination and regional cooperation targeting officials from the Dutch Caribbean.

[iquitos]

One serious handicap we have in following the story is that we can't get timely print news out of aruba.  there are a few papers on the island and they are on line.  But they don't put up the days paper on the day it comes out, presumably to sell actual papers in Aruba instead of having everybody with a computer read online.  I have stopped checking them for breaking news.  I have not read a paper today.  Most of what they will print tomorrow we already know.  So we depend on the Aruba radio FM 95.1 we can't all always understand and US TV.  AP is reliable but does not dispatch ofet enough iin a day and is vailable on google only when posted to an actual newspaper.  Aruba needs to find a way to get the story out on its terms, that means more world language and more timely access.  If they don't do that they will just have to keep reacting to MSM which is a hard row to hoe.  I started looking for stuff on this case because I used to be in the citizen protection business overseas and have served in the area.  These type cases were my daily bread.  I got hooked on this site because there is fresh information here from diverse sources.   It really is a stretch to partcipate, contribute, and keep up.  I guess I type and read too slow.  Thanks to the sponsors and participants for your forebearence.

[absolut]

absolut that is Max Arrends the boy questioned last night and released which lead to Steven Croes being arrested...or so the story goes...

It looks like he had already left and that was goodbye. With fond memories in the pictures.

[AzRose]

Ladies and gents.. I bring you Max Arrends (man this search lasted an hour geesh)

http://connect.tickle.com/profile/index.html?id=PZBg5CRvFQPGDGKF

Seems to have a lot of friends who speak highly of him but MAN...that photo scared me!
Note the photos at C&C.

Scared me too.  I thought I was looking at the blue light special there for a minute.  

[Selena]

iquitos. this story is spotlighting another story that Aruba does NOT WANT TO GET OUT...

[CaliGirl]

Kerrin.... are you playing match the friends like I am?? lol

[Y'alls Psychic Detective]

Ladies and gents.. I bring you Max Arrends (man this search lasted an hour geesh)

http://connect.tickle.com/profile/index.html?id=PZBg5CRvFQPGDGKF

From the site: "My Life Until Now:  
I will miss a lot of my friends in Aruba, wish them the best. Life is great make it worthable.. do something for yourself and always keep a steady face .. "

What does that mean?

He was accepted at a University in Florida (as was Jaron).  Speaking of which, how many people think that if somehow Jaron gets released, he will be going to a school in the US??  I don't think so!

Thanks for the link, Caligirl!

[CaliGirl]

Absolut.. yeah I saw that comment but he didn't leave he was at the police statement last night.  

[RB]

iquitos. this story is spotlighting another story that Aruba does NOT WANT TO GET OUT...

and that is?

[lookingood]

I notice on Max Arend's tickle site, where he shows "14 pix" that there are 3 photos of him showing those weird finger gestures.  What DO those mean?  Someone on this site said that Aruba doesn't have gangs.  But those finger gestures are in some of VDS' pix also.  

And one of Max' 14 pix is at Carlos and Charlie's.

[Selena]

The Government of the Netherlands fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. Although the government did not provide final 2004 data on investigations, prosecutions, convictions and sentences, the Secretary of State has determined that it has made a good faith effort to do so. In 2004, the government adopted an anti-trafficking national action plan, expanded its outreach to potential trafficking victims and increased overall funding for protection and prevention. In January 2005, the government supplemented its existing trafficking law and incorporated forced labor into its definition of exploitation, bringing penalties in line with international standards. International scrutiny continued to focus on the legalized commercial sex industry in the Netherlands. Police reported a decrease in trafficking in the legalized sector, though comprehensive data on the number of trafficking victims is unavailable because the government did not carry out a recommended systematic screening of foreign prostitutes in the red-light district. While the government initiated several information and awareness raising campaigns, additional targeted and highly visible campaigns aimed directly at customers and women in the red-light zones should be made to increase effectiveness in combating the overall problem. - U.S. State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2005

[writenow]

Ladies and gents.. I bring you Max Arrends (man this search lasted an hour geesh)

http://connect.tickle.com/profile/index.html?id=PZBg5CRvFQPGDGKF

You little snoop dog. Very good!

[Whitney]

dash

I thought today's events were all good, and held up more hope than has been seen in 10 days.

What's really great IMHO is that the Curacao judge who's the primary or independent judge, or was that initiating judge, basically took over and DENIED Mr. father VDS the granting that the other judge gave to him to see Joran VDS.  

Also, did you notice that Joran is so lawyered-up now, he has a team of 3 attorneys on his side, 2 of which presumably can "see" him by court order.

Additionally, rumor is that the FBI is on a team reconoiterring the Peninsula de Paraguana...that little finger sticking out from Northern Venezuela...(not confirmed)...

That's more hope than I've seen in a long time.

[KerinTX]

Kerrin.... are you playing match the friends like I am?? lol

ssshhhh....yes  
I have been piecing the web of friends together for about a week. One thing that is troubling (but not surprising) is how many girls from the US fall for the "lines".
I guess it was the same way when I was young (can't rememeber that far back without looking at photos actually) but the difference is we only heard the BS lines from local boys. The internet has enabled a worldwide flirt-fest of sorts.