Department: District - 2
Sub-department: Uniformed Police
Section: Beach Police Station
Update no.: 204017011-12
Adm. No.
OFFICIAL REPORT
I, Mike Alexander GOELOE, police officer with the Aruba Police Force and
assigned to the Beach Police Station, declare the following.
On May 15, 2004, at approximately 15.30 hours, I, GOELOE, interrogated
the witness named:
David Russel STACEY,
bom in the United States of America, on April 5, 1949, of no occupation
(unemployed), temporarily staying in Aruba at La Cabana Resort 3578.
Before interrogating the suspect, I, GOELOE, informed him that he was not
obliged to make a declaration.
His declaration made in English was translated by me, GOELOE, into Dutch
and put down in writing, and runs as follows.
"I had never seen or had any contact with Ivonne before. It was in Aruba that
I met her the first time. My son had seen Ivonne for the first time on Friday, May
7, 2004 and had told me about it. Not until Sunday, May 9, 2004 did Max
introduce me to Ivonne. With regard to the relationship with Max and his family,
it was my son who first made friends with Max, he got a pool partner. I found
Max' mother, so Ivonne, very attractive and very interesting to talk to. So, during
the time that my son played with Max, I availed myself of the opportunity to talk
with Ivonne. Also in many of the cases Max and his family meet us somewhere
and comes to us for a chat or to play with my son. I am not married, nor have I
ever been married, I have not yet met a single one who said yes to me. Max took
me to a spot where he had already been the day before. Max switched off his
wave-runner and jumped into the water still wearing his jacket. He surfaced
immediately, climbed onto his wave-runner and tried to start it. The wave-runner
would not start. After trying a couple of times, Max said that we had to tow his
wave-runner to the shore. Maxjumped into the water and brought the rear side of
his wave-runner to the rear side of my wave-runner. I held the wave-runners
while Max tied the ropes together. After this, we tried to tow Max' wave-runner,
but we did not manage. We tried in several ways. Max and I on our own waverunners,
Max and I on my wave-runner, Max in the water hanging on to my
wave-runner, but we drifted further west from the shore instead of going forward.
After this, it also became difficult to remain seated on the wave-runners, each
time the wave-runner would topple over and we would land in the water. After
trying to climb onto the wave-runners for approximately 45 minutes, I saw Max
sitting on his capsized wave-runner. I was still in the water. I tried to climb
between the wave-runners. That was where I got most of the scrapes during my
~ trying to climb onto the wave-runner. I got very tired and still could not climb. At
/ that moment I noticed that Max was no longer sitting on his wave-runner, but I
could not see him any longer either. I went around the wave-runners to find him
and saw that Max had let go of his wave-runner. I called 9JJJ tQ",«him, but he did
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Unive-rsal Translations
not answer. At that moment I tried to grab a black . rubber that was attached
around the wave-runner and climb up. The rubber broke off and became detached
from the wave-runner at that moment. I saw that Max' eyes were open and that
he moved now and then, but he did nothing and remained floating very calmly. I
could also see that his head was high above the water. When I noticed that Max
and I were drifting further apart, I tried to swim to him, but I could not, it became
very difficult for me to breathe while swimming with all those waves. So I
decided to stop swimming and to float in order not to create any problems in
which case Max would have to help me. After drifting calmly for about 20
minutes I lost sight of Max. When I saw Max for the last time, he was floating
very calmly, moved now and then, but did not try to swim. We did not have any
eye contact and we had not said anything to each other either. He was
approximately 75 meters (approx. 80 yards) away from me. It seemed as if he
was drifting north west. I continued drifting west; I could see La Cabana straight
in front of me in easterly direction. I could still see the wave-runners for some
time. After having drifted for about an hour, I was rescued by a boat. What my
son had told about what had happened the day before was that he and Max had
stopped a little while to rest when my son saw that he could see the bottom of the
sea due to the water being very clear. My son decided to take off his jacket,
switch off his wave-runner ahd dive into the water. He exited and climbed onto
his wave-runner again.
They saw another wave-runner coming to them and thought that it was an
employee of the water sports enterprise, because he was not wearing a jacket. But
this person did not do anything, did not say anything to them nor did he signal to
them. Then my son started his wave-runner and they continued. I have been a
lawyer for 17 years, was in the Navy during 8 years, from 1969 to 1977. I h~
been in contact with the police earlier for driving while intoxicated in 1983. With
regard to your question on leadership when Max and I were in the water,
according to me I had the leadership, but because Max knew according to me
what he was doing, I decided to let him have his way in order to maintain
calmness. If I had seen anything that was not correct according to me, I would
certainly have reacted. I was not aware when Max had let go of his wave-runner,
otherwise I would have certainly encouraged him to keep holding on. And I still
think that I am a leader. Finally, I would like to say that most of the bruises that I
got are disappearing and the wounds that I got were scrapes that I got while
trying to climb onto the wave-runner.
After I, GOELOE, had read the declaration above, translated into English, to
the witness, he declared that he persisted in it and signed this draft.
Whereof this official record drawn up, closed and signed by me,
GOELOE, under oath of office on May 16, 2004 at Palm Beach.
The reporting officer,
M.A. GOELOE
