Parole agents spoke to Jaycee Lee Dugard during her captivity but failed to identify her

Authorities spoke to a woman who had been kidnapped and held captive for 18 years by a paroled rapist who fathered her two girls, but failed to determine her identity, according to a state report released Wednesday.

State parole agents spoke to Jaycee Lee Dugard and her eldest daughter during a supervised visit of Phillip Garrido, who was living in Antioch at the time and kept Dugard and the children in a backyard shed, according to the report by the state Department of Justice.

"Agents saw and spoke to Ms. Dugard and her eldest daughter but failed to investigate their identities or their relationship to Garrido," the report said.

The report, dated June 25, provided a legal analysis of the case for state lawmakers before their vote last week to agree to pay a $20-million settlement to Dugard and her family.

State officials have previously acknowledged failures in adequately monitoring Garrido, who was supervised by California parole agents from 1999 until he was arrested in August 2009. But the Department of Justice report offers some of the strongest evidence yet that agents could have identified and rescued Dugard.

Now 30, Dugard was abducted from her South Lake Tahoe neighborhood in 1991 as she headed to school. She was missing until she was discovered living in the ramshackle compound owned by Garrido.

-- Robert J. Lopez

Comments

[Adam B]

$20 million payout by California tax payers for being kidnapped by a sexual predator? WTF! No wonder this state (and country) are in such dire straits. My God. The Dugard family and their attorneys should be ashamed of themselves cashing in on a tragedy like this. Despicable.

[Schigolch]

This is the government. Oh Liberals! Oh Jerry Brown! Oh Barbara Boxer! Oh Hillary Clinton!

This is the government. This is your beloved bureaucracy. This is that with which you would replace what we have now. See! Admire! Worship! Advertise! This is your campaign platform.

[RC]

Jaycee Lee Dugard disappeared on my oldest daughters (Roxana) 13th Birthday of June 10, 1991. This really hit me and I am glad that she made it out alive because after all that time most thought that she had been killed. When I live in Tahoe there was a lot of talk that she was buried at Fallen Leaf Lake after being killed by a Satanic Group! Anyway, Welcome home Jaycee Lee and you should get more than 20 Million! You should get 200 Million instead! Good Luck to you and your kids! Thanks for showing your courage and convictions!

[Rocco]

Beauracracy (sp) and incompetence are killing my country.

[vanessa]

Yet another example of our tax payer dollars going to public service workers who slack at their jobs. There is little supervision. It's just as bad and prevalent as finding public works crews drinking on the job. We have a new CEO heading this country, he should clean house, rid those who are corrupt, under performing and also hold them accountable for their misconduct! Shame on our system and for those who are put in charge to supervise their subordinates! It's egregious and negligent if we as citizens allow this kind of work ethic to continue to proliferate our public offices. Just check out the DMV and how lazy these people are, some even getting kick backs for issuing fake ID's - it's all rampant and pandemeic here in Calfifornia - why? Because corruption breeds corrupt blind eyes. Gov arnold should put people in jail!

[apachecraig]

20 million is nothing- after her criminal lawyers get there cut-she will be lucky to get 7 million. This generous award should come from the idoit parole agents who cannot tell from a hole in the ground from thier own a******s .

[mom2two]

@AdamB

Cashing in!? Are you nuts? She lost her childhood, she was kidnapped and raped, then impregnated twice by that monster. The parole morons who didn't ask questions contributed to her imprisonment by not following through. Do you have any idea how long and how much therapy both she and her children are going to need? I doubt it. Apparently you think oh well, it's just her tough luck. Well, that's baloney! She deserves and needs that money. And shame on you for not having any compassion!

[AJG]

Hey, Adam B- WTF. What if you were kidnapped and held against your will? Then a parole agent from the state failed to do their job and allowed you to stay. What compensation would you expect? "Sorry!"

Since she received this amount, she will be considered a multi- millionaire for tax status purposes:

the $20 million will be divided like this:

1. $6.6 million for the attorney at 33%.

Her taxable income then becomes $13.4 million.

2. The State of California will receive $1.34 million on a tax rate of 10.5%

3. Then Uncle Sam (IRS) gets his cut at a rate of 38% (since she is a millionaire) and they will collect about $4.2 million in taxes.

She will be left with almost $9 million. So I ask again, Adam B what is your price for being held against your will and sexually abused for 19 years. When you had a chance to be freed, the state failed to do their job. What would cover your expenses for a life lost? "Sorry!"

[Zacksmom]

Makes you wonder why anyone would want the Government involved in healthcare? Most Government employees are known for being slow and lazy. Do you want a trip to the doctor or Emergency Room to become reminiscent of a trip to the DMV?

[Jimmy]

She never told the parole agents HELP?

Now she is suing the state for them failing to find her?

I felt sorry for her until the lawsuit.

She will now use the money to hire a lawyer to get the father of her children out of prison.

[Irma]

If she was clueless to get away, what could she had said to the parole agents anyway? The whole point is that $20 million less to provide for needed services and adding to the deficit. It's all funny money to the Democrats of California. She deserves nothing but her family back.

[John L Mendez]

They "saw and spoke to Ms. Dugard and her eldest daughter" and weren't concerned since this guy was a convicted sex-offender. Way to go parolee agents, you make California proud.

[John L Mendez]

They "saw and spoke to Ms. Dugard and her eldest daughter" and weren't concerned since this guy was a convicted sex-offender. Way to go parolee agents, you make California proud.

[John L Mendez]

They "saw and spoke to Ms. Dugard and her eldest daughter" and weren't concerned since this guy was a convicted sex-offender. Way to go parolee agents, you make California proud.

[Lou Bricano]

$20 million is an absurd amount of money. The woman's life was seriously damaged by her ordeal, but the damages ought to bear some relationship to what her earning potential might have been. I don't want to sound harsh, but given the social milieu in which she grew up to age 11, earning $100,000 per year would have been a huge stretch. Nonetheless, if we generously concede that she might have earned $100,000 per year over a 30 year career, the present value of that is about $2 million, assuming a 3% interest rate. $20 million is preposterous.

[Shira]

People, consider the context. This wasn't a "Gosh, I'm sorry, here - take some money" gift. It was a legal settlement because the state screwed up. She'd likely have received much more than that in a lawsuit, and the state would have put up plenty of money defending itself. This was a bargain, in the long run.

[Shira]

People, consider the context. This wasn't a "Gosh, I'm sorry, here - take some money" gift. It was a legal settlement because the state screwed up. She'd likely have received much more than that in a lawsuit, and the state would have put up plenty of money defending itself. This was a bargain, in the long run.

[uber]

There needs to be accountability from goverment and state workers. Maybe the unions can cover the lawsuits. Most likely just nas doctors, contractors and others they can pay for there ouw insurance policys for this.

[James]

Why do we have to pay for Justice Department, parole agents ?
Now, we have to pay for the damages !
Taxpayers are the victims of this justice system !
The government never charges his employees for any mistake or make them
responsible for their mistakes, the taxpayers have to pay everything at the
end !
All the parole agents, the command chains should be fired at least
and partially pay for the damages to the victims.

[Robert B.]

And now these imbeciles are thinking about paroling Leslie Van Houten. I'd like to see all the parole officers (state and federal) who let Philip Garrido out of jail sent up the river for 18 years, like Jaycee Dugard. And raped a lot, too. Paying her $20 million isn't half enough.