While federal officials have prepared and filed charges against Roland Dampeer, 28, in the shooting of rural postal worker Sherry Ingold, the Kosciusko Police Department continues work on a separate case against Dampeer — the attempted kidnapping of Carmack resident Andrea Goss from inside the Sunflower supermarket on Highway 12 in Kosciusko.
This incident reportedly preceded the suspect’s alleged interaction with Ingold, who succumbed to her injuries Friday, a week after Dampeer reportedly shot her in the head while she delivered mail along her rural route in the Hesterville community.
In an interview with The Star-Herald, Kosciusko Police Chief Herbert Dew detailed what he said the department has confirmed regarding the incident, and also debunked some incorrect information and rampant rumors that have swirled around the case, particularly on social media.
Dew said he was aware of an incident on Wednesday night, Jan. 15, in which Dampeer reportedly entered a Greenwood home, and said the department has since become aware of a similar incident in Kosciusko that same night.
“Another person here in town reported that he did go to a house and did knock on her door,” the Chief said. “There is no crime there, so the resident didn’t call us at that moment, but did contact us after (subsequent events).”
It was the next morning that the alleged kidnapping occurred.
At around 11:14 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16, the department received a call about Dampeer’s alleged attempted kidnapping of Goss.
“When we got there, we encountered some witnesses and the victim,” said Dew, who noted that Dampeer had reportedly initially tried to get a Sunflower cashier to exit the store with him. That woman declined and Dampeer went further into the store where he encountered Goss, eventually tossing her into a freezer case before exiting the store.
“He attempted to kidnap her by grabbing her by the arm after she refused his demand to go with him,” said Dew. “Witnesses gave us a description of the guy and a tag number, which we had to run multiple ways at first because we were unaware it was an Indiana tag.”
The chief said information supplied to The Star-Herald by federal investigators indicating that the suspect waited in the Sunflower parking lot and followed Goss’s vehicle up Highway 35 from Sunflower is incorrect.
“After we talked to the victim, we escorted the victim from Sunflower to Central Tire/Central Signs, where she works,” said Dew. “Once we delivered her, at that point we left and continued to look for this suspect vehicle.” Witnesses indicated the suspect had headed east on Highway 12 after leaving the Sunflower parking lot.
Goss reportedly headed home from Central Tire/Central sign driving her own vehicle up Highway 35 North, followed by her father in his vehicle.
The chief said it is unclear how the suspect caught up with Goss for the second time along Highway 35 North, just prior to his interaction with Ingold, which resulted in her injury. According to court documents, Dampeer allegedly shot Ingold as she fought against her assailant in the driveway of one her postal customers.
“How the second encounter (with Goss) happened, I can’t explain. That is a question that I’d like an answer to,” said Dew. “According to witnesses, he went 12 East, but we know he was not driving on 35 South (where Central Tire/Central Sign is located), because an officer did not meet his vehicle.”
The Chief said that following the shooting of Ingold and Dampeer’s subsequent capture, the department confirmed that the suspect in both incidents is the same man.
“We have since issued an affidavit and warrant for this arrest for the charge of kidnapping,” said Dew.
During The Star-Herald interview, the Chief also responded to a series of rumors about the attempted kidnapping.
Dew said there is no reason to believe that Dampeer had been stalking Goss, since she told police this was her first encounter with the suspect. He also said no firearm was displayed by the suspect during the Sunflower incident and that he did not chase Goss’s vehicle up Highway 35 from Sunflower.
The Chief said he is aware of information indicating Dampeer is originally from Mendenhall, MS, where he reportedly played high school football before playing at Arkansas Tech. He said, however, that the KPD had not independently confirmed any of that information.
The Star-Herald also asked about the validity of online information that Dampeer had been employed in Indiana law enforcement.
“I was told that by some (federal) law enforcement officers — that he had been an Indiana Department of Corrections officer — but we haven’t confirmed that,” said Dew.
The chief said that, while there have been discussions of federal officials rolling this case into the federal case against Dampeer, no such decision has been made at this time.
“There have been discussions between us and the United States Postal Inspectors about them possibly taking this case and going federal with it. If they can, we’re willing to have that happen,” said Dew. “We have the case worked up and are prepared to pursue this case ourselves if it is not picked up by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
If the case remains local, Dew said he expects it to be presented to the Attala County grand jury in August for the September Circuit Court term.
