Officers detail chronology of case

Prosecutors opened their case against businessman Dick Dasen Sr. on Wednesday with testimony from two Kalispell police officers and by introducing a series of items as evidence.

Detective Kevin McCarvel was called on to explain the chronology of events that led to Dasen's arrest on prostitution-related charges in February 2004.

McCarvel said that through his undercover work with the Northwest Montana Drug Task Force, he spoke with six to 10 people who made allegations about Dasen over a six-month period starting in July 2003.

At first, the informants and "concerned citizens" provided only vague information, McCarvel said.

"During the course of my duties, it was being brought up on a fairly consistent basis," he said. "The nature of the allegations was the defendant was paying females to have sex."

By January 2004, the decision was made to pursue an investigation. McCarvel said that effort got under way in earnest with a "controlled meeting" that he had arranged between Dasen and a woman acting as a confidential informant.

With video and sound surveillance equipment in a room at the Blue and White Motel, officers saw what transpired. McCarvel said the informant was partially dressed when Dasen entered the room. There was discussion about her "financial needs," then Dasen rubbed the woman's feet and he started to get undressed.

When it appeared Dasen was reaching to remove the woman's underwear, McCarvel said, officers entered the hotel room and arrested Dasen.

Dasen's attorney, George Best, characterized it as a "sting" operation. Best questioned McCarvel in further detail about how the controlled meeting came about.

McCarvel said he was contacted by the informant's probation officer, which then led to an interview with her. McCarvel said he came away from that first meeting convinced that the informant had lied to him. But in a second meeting, he was convinced she was telling him the truth.

The Feb. 7 controlled meeting was arranged soon after.

On March 3, officers searched Dasen's West Valley Drive home and his Peak Development office in the South Hill Tower building.

The home search yielded a document that appeared to be Dasen's written response to the police investigation that was developing around him. Prosecutor Lori Adams read an excerpt in which Dasen describes how a sexual relationship developed between himself and another woman, Leah Marshall.

The document states that Dasen came to know Marshall while the woman's mother was in prison on a drug conviction.

"Leah introduced me to other girls," the document states. "I know it was because she was grateful because I helped her through some tough times."

Also entered as evidence were photographs of three naked women provided to police by the police informant, but Wednesday's testimony did not indicate who had taken the photos.

Best asked McCarvel if Dasen was suspected of being involved in any drug crimes, and McCarvel responded that he is not. After further questions for McCarvel, Best established that some of the sources who made the original allegations against Dasen were "drug criminals."

Also introduced as evidence were sexual "aids" and toys, about 30 computer disks, and a personal computer tower that were all recovered from Dasen's office on March 3.

Best questioned officer Timothy Falkner, the evidence technician who collected the items from Dasen's office.

He asked who put the sex toys in Dasen's office. When Falkner said he didn't know, Best asked, "Can you tell me whether or not it was a member of your search team?"

That prompted a terse objection from prosecutors, which led to a recess while Judge Stewart Stadler met with all the attorneys involved.

Stadler soon after recessed the trial in the early afternoon, saying it would be a short trial day because of pending changes in the order of witnesses scheduled to testify.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com