Exclusive Interview with John Pinder- Excerpts
On the evening of November 4, John Pinder showed up at KSL wanting to "set the record straight." Authorities were looking for Pinder in connection with an apparent double-murder on or near the ranch he and his father run in Duchesne County. At the time, there was no warrant for Pinder's arrest. But now there is a warrant and Pinder faces two charges of murder.
Pinder knew the victims, but denies involvement in the crimes. He says he is being framed because he has inside knowledge about a massive drug trafficking operation in eastern Utah, involving corrupt law agents. During the interview he appeared angry and said he is afraid for his life. Here are some excerpts from the interview.
His role during the past few years prior to this incident
"I've helped with certain information to certain agencies-- one of them the Vernal City police department, and the FBI on attempts that may be made on certain people's lives. I'd been trying to help on certain undercover operations on finding chemical dump sites-- methamphetamine."
"I went to the ranch (in Duchesne) four years ago-- five years ago-- to retire from what I had been involved in. To try to lead a normal, peaceful life. Today I found out from Barbara's husband they are still investigating me and have been for the past ten years. Which seems very odd that they're doing it, when I've been working for all. I've worked for almost every agency there is in an undercover capacity."
On the murders
"I don't even know if it's one or two (murders), or what's involved. The media, the newspapers splatter everything in the wrong context."
When and how he heard about the murders
"We went up there (to Idaho- to remodel a rental house)-- I think we left last Thursday, I believe it was. We came down here to grab tubing to build (a lion pen). So we came down and grabbed the horse trailer, filled it up with fencing materials, had one of the guys cut the tubing up, loaded it up... I was moving to Idaho to get out of here, to get away from this stuff. We left Thursday, and I don't even remember when we learned of it-- Friday? Saturday?"
(Says his mom left messages for him) "She just said there was a couple of people missing, they thought. They didn't know for sure. And then all hell broke loose. There's ATF agents running around, cops running around, they're on our property..."
"At the ranch, they have disrupted all of our operations as far as the cattle, the oil. We can't even get in there to our records, anything. And I believe they know what they're doing. They're doing it purposely and maliciously. That's why I'm here, to try to protect myself and to let the public know what's going on with our system. It's wrong. We have bad, bad people in there who are supposedly supposed to be protecting us. I'm one of the very few who is willing to step forward."
What he thinks is at the heart of the matter
"A setup on me, against me, by certain bad cops, bad agents within our governmental agencies. And I think that there should be investigations into certain people within each individual agency."
"Things should be investigated more thoroughly. I think that the system, the individuals within the systems, their transfers out of state, ought to be investigated, and why they were terminated or removed from the Salt Lake or Vernal offices. (Question-- "DEA? FBI?") "Yes. Local cops, sheriffs, everything. I think each one of them ought to be investigated thoroughly. I think there should be some investigations brought out of Washington into the system."
Under what situation would he talk with investigators now?
"My attorneys were on the phone with the police out there tonight until just the last couple hours. They told them that I would talk, but the problem with talking with police is we don't know whether or not they would have a warrant (for arrest) right behind the conversation. And if they did have a warrant and I was put into the system-- I'm a dead man!"
