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Show Salt Lake DA's Investigators Ask Questions In Escalante ESCALANTE Investigators from the Salt Lake County District Attorney's office were in Escalante last week interviewing witnesses in connection with the Feb. 20 shooting death of 16-year old Sherilyn Piquet. The teenager died at the Escalante home of her mother and stepfather from a gunshot wound after a rifle handled by her 19-year-old stepbrother discharged. No charges have been filed in the month since the shooting took place. Investigation of the incident was turned over to the Salt Lake County District Attorney's office by Garfield County Sheriff Than Cooper and County Attorney Wal-ace Wal-ace Lee. Cooper had responded to the scene and conducted the initial investigation. Radio dispatch and telephone tapes and transcripts were among evidence turned over to the Salt Lake County district attorney's office. Taped interviews by the Salt Lake City investigators took place over a two-day period at a rented office at the local bank where among those interviewed were some immediate family members of the victim, several Emergency Medical Technicians and other medical personnel who were at the scene, numerous juveniles and others in the community who were either at the scene or who may have had other possibly relevant information. On the evening of the incident after being notified at a friend's residence that their daughter had been shot,, Kent and Analee Robinson, the dead girl's stepfather and mother, arrived at their home about the same time that seven EMT's, an EMT trainee, a registered regis-tered nurse and an ambulance arrived at the scene, all within minutes of the shooting. Kent Robinson, who also serves as Escalante chief of police, took charge at the scene. Sheriff's Deputy Celeste Bernards, based in Escalante, had been dispatched, but before she could arrive, Robinson told the Sheriffs dispatcher he would not allow her on his property and the order for her to respond was rescinded. Because of the distance, it was almost 90 minutes before Sheriff Cooper and Deputy Danny Perkins, traveling from Panguitch, arrived on the scene. The body of the dead girl had been moved at least twice in the interim. Salt Lake Deputy District Attorney Tom Vuyk is in charge of the investigation. He is assisted by investigators Rich Bergen and Kent Cravens. None would reveal any information but Vuyk said last week he expected investigation to take at least two weeks before a conclusion can be reached about any possible charges. V |