Thread by @KGETnews

Officer Brian Hansen of the Cal City PD has taken the stand in the second day of trial for Trezell and Jacqueline West. The Wests are charged with murder and other offenses in the deaths of their adopted sons Orrin, 4, and Orson, 3. #WestsTrial

On Dec. 21, 2020, the day Orrin and Orson were reported missing, Hansen went to the Wests home. He had a police trainee, Joshua Flores, with him. #WestsTrial

Prosecutor Eric Smith is questioning Hansen about what he saw when he first arrived. The officer said he contacted Jacqueline and Trezell West. They told him Trezell was in the backyard gathering firewood while the children were playing. #WestsTrial

The couple told him Trezell lost sight of the children, couldn't find them and looked for them then called police, Hansen said. The officer said he canvassed the area looking for the children. #WestsTrial

Spotlights and floodlights on his Chevy Tahoe were used as they searched for the children, Hansen said. He found nothing. #WestsTrial

He said they didn't initially search the empty lots but did later. They didn't find anything. #WestsTrial

Missing persons cases are "a little more sensitive" than other calls, Hansen said. They have to look at people in the area to see if they took the children wandered off, etc. #WestsTrial

Hansen testified for juveniles when searching a home they look under beds and piles of clothes to make sure the children aren't hiding. He said they searched the entire West home that evening. #WestsTrial

The backyard was searched for children's footprints leading out to the gate or a different direction. #WestsTrial

Hansen said he saw one shoeprint in the backyard. #WestsTrial

Prosecutor Smith has displayed a photo of the shoeprint the officer found. It was near the cement slab in the backyard where the kids were supposed to be playing, Hansen said. #WestsTrial

He compared slip-on sandals near the back door to the print and they were "almost identical." Orrin and Orson would have been wearing Nike shoes, Hansen said. #WestsTrial

Hansen testified he saw no other shoeprints in the backyard. The only other prints were animal prints. There was no trial of prints leading to the back gate area. #WestsTrial

There were no prints smaller than the one shoeprint he saw, Hansen testified. #WestsTrial

Hansen says he has children and is aware of the shoe sizes they wore when they were around 3 or 4. #WestsTrial

There were possible dog tracks throughout the whole area, the officer said. #WestsTrial

Hansen said he thinks he asked Jacqueline West whose sandal made the print and she said they were hers. There were no other shoeprints. #WestsTrial

Smith is about to play video of an interview Hansen conducted with the Wests that evening. #WestsTrial

In the recording, Hansen says, "This is not a normal situation. These kids didn't just walk away." #WestsTrial

Hansen tells the Wests they reviewed video footage and there is no evidence of the kids walking away from the house via the side lot. #WestsTrial

In the recording, Trezell West sticks to his story. The officer tells him he's being defensive and says Trezell is afraid of being caught up in a lie. #WestsTrial

"The vanishing part is the weird part," Trezell says of Orrin and Orson going missing. He says he was getting firewood, noticed the boys missing and searched for them. #WestsTrial

Trezell West in the recording says he knows how "people do" when it comes to missing black children. The officer says he's taking it to the "racist route." #WestsTrial

Surveillance footage has been played in court from the night of Dec. 21, 2020. Officer Hansen testified he saw no footage of Orrin and Orson walking in the street. #WestsTrial

Prosecutor Eric Smith is now playing an interview Hansen conducted with Trezell West at the California City Police Department. Trezell is telling him when they adopted Orrin and Orson. #WestsTrial

"When was the last time all six kids were together?" Hansen asks. Trezell says it was either 2 or 3 days earlier. #WestsTrial

Trezell says he was only in the backyard about 20 minutes gathering wood. He says he went inside to check the fireplace. When he came back out the kids weren't there, he tells Hansen. #WestsTrial

Trezell says in the recording the children were on the concrete slab by his home when he went inside. When he came out they were not on the slab. #WestsTrial

Trezell says it dawned on him to back outside to see if the gate was open or closed. He says the gate was open. #WestsTrial

He and his wife were anxious, Trezell says in the video, and he got in his van looking for Orrin and Orson. He describes the direction he took as he searched. #WestsTrial

Hansen tells Trezell search dogs found no trace of the children anywhere in the immediate area except for the house. "What does that mean though?" Trezell asks. "Meaning maybe they left in a car," Hansen says. #WestsTrial

Trezell asks if he's telling him his children were kidnapped, and the officer asks if there has ever been an issue with the boys' biological parents. Trezell says it's always an issue, they know where they live. #WestsTrial

In the video, an officer tells Trezell the footage they've reviewed doesn't show any cars moving along his street at the time he says the children went missing. #WestsTrial

Asked for his theory on how the children left the house, Trezell says he assumes they left through the side gate. #WestsTrial

"The kids were never there," an officer says. Search dogs indicate they weren't outside the house, an officer says in the video. #WestsTrial

The only thing caught on camera was a man walking a dog more than an hour before the boys were reporting missing, an officer tells Trezell. The footage showed him walk along the street and leave. #WestsTrial

"Let's do what we have to do," Trezell says. An officer tells him about the resources they have showing up. #WestsTrial

Trezell leaves the interview room. Prosecutor Eric Smith stopped the video. #WestsTrial

Court is in recess for 15 minutes. #WestsTrial

Back in session, Officer Brian Hansen says the day after the boys were reported missing he went to a home on Potomac Avenue to speak with the Wests other four children. #WestsTrial

Another video is about to be played. This interview occurred after Officer Hansen interviewed the Wests' other children. #WestsTrial

Officer Hansen goes back to the West home on Aspen Avenue in Cal City. Both Trezell and Jacqueline are present. The officer has photo lineups for the couple to look at. #WestsTrial

One person resembles "the auntie," Jacqueline West says. Trezell agrees. #WestsTrial

The officer gets contact information for other West family members. The Wests tell him they previously lived at an apartment in Bakersfield for three years. #WestsTrial

Asked when Orrin and Orson last saw her mom, Jacqueline West says right before they moved to California City. #WestsTrial

In the video, Jacqueline West says they moved to the Cal City home in mid-September. #WestsTrial

Officer Hansen asks about their day-to-day routine. Jacqueline West says it's school and cleaning, feeding the pets. The kids won't get play time or TV if they don't listen, she says. #WestsTrial

Asked if they fight or have any money problems, Jacqueline West says they have normal disagreements, but don't fight. She says her husband writes and produces music, and she makes art. #WestsTrial

She says they don't have money issues but they get more money from the adopted children than what they make. #WestsTrial

All the children except Orrin and Orson are in school, Jacqueline West says. #WestsTrial

Jacqueline West says her mom never really visited their home, but she would visit her mother. #WestsTrial

Officer Hansen is asking again about the timeline of when the children went missing, when she last saw them, her interactions with Trezell after they noticed them missing. #WestsTrial

Jacqueline West says she knows of people who would want to take the boys but says they don't know where they live. #WestsTrial

Jacqueline West the other children "sometimes" like playing with Orrin and Orson. She says Orrin and Orson cry a lot. #WestsTrial

She says she and Trezell got married in 2010. #WestsTrial

Their eldest son was born the year they were married and the next a couple years later, Jacqueline West says. The other children were adopted. #WestsTrial

An officer asks them for a cheek swab to collect DNA. They agree. #WestsTrial

Officers also ask to examine their cellphones. Trezell says they need the phones for communication. #WestsTrial

The video has ended. #WestsTrial

Prosecutor Eric Smith told Officer Hansen he wants to go over some photos. Hansen says the photos were taken inside the house. #WestsTrial

Hansen is describing a diagram displayed in court of the West home and nearby area. #WestsTrial

Court is in recess until 1:30. #WestsTrial

Back in session in the trial of Trezell and Jacqueline West. California City police Officer Brian Hansen remains on the witness stand, under questioning by prosecutor Eric Smith. #WestsTrial

Smith is displaying photos of the Wests' home on Aspen Avenue in California City, including the backyard. #WestsTrial

The backyard is almost entirely dirt. #WestsTrial

Hansen testified the dirt was very soft, "almost baby powder-type." #WestsTrial

Smith is now showing photos inside the home. One was taken on Dec. 23, 2020. There are "Minecraft " eating mats, unused diapers inside a closet in one of the kid's rooms. The diapers were size 6, Hansen said. #WestsTrial

The diapers were relevant in that he looked for dirty diapers inside the house or trash cans. There was trash in the trash cans but nothing relevant such as dirty diapers, Hansen said. #WestsTrial

Two toothbrushes were found in a medicine cabinet, Hansen said. They seemed like they hadn't been used in a while, had dust on them and appeared to be stuck to the cabinet by some sort of fluid. #WestsTrial

Hansen testified he looked for kids' cups, kids' silverware, juice boxes, kid snacks. They didn't find sippy cups "or anything like that," he said. He wanted to see evidence kids had been there. #WestsTrial

There were multiple news crews around the West residence, Hansen said. He said he later viewed the interview the Wests gave the media. #WestsTrial

Smith is playing the interview. #WestsTrial

In the interview, Trezell explains how he was gathering wood when the boys went missing. The Wests are standing in the street near their home, multiple microphones set up in front of them. #WestsTrial

The Wests ask the public to call police if they see the boys. Trezell says the boys are "going to be here, in this area." #WestsTrial

A reporter tells the Wests the biological mother of Orrin and Orson thinks foul play is involved. "That's understandable," Trezell West says. "I'd think the same thing." #WestsTrial

Trezell says the police took "just tech" from their house, "like our phones." He says they invited police to search their home. #WestsTrial

The Wests say they were told to stay in their home and not go out searching, that authorities were doing that. #WestsTrial

"Everybody is making their own conclusions," Jacqueline West says in the interview. "They don't know anything." #WestsTrial

Trezell West describes the boys as playful and rambunctious. "They're kids," Jacqueline West says. #WestsTrial

Jacqueline West says she thinks her boys were "picked up, or something." She says the boys wouldn't wander around. #WestsTrial

Some members of the public react angrily to the Wests, telling them the boys should never have been left alone. They ask why didn't they shut the gate. "Y'all are supposed to take care of my nephews!" a woman shouts. #WestsTrial

Others are asking why the Wests weren't out searching. They say the police told them to stay inside. #WestsTrial

The Wests go back inside their home. People can be heard yelling and cursing. #WestsTrial

The recording is over. Hansen testified he searched the West home 3 or 4 times. He said he found no items pertaining to Orrin or Orson. #WestsTrial

The FBI began assisting on Dec. 22, 2020, Hansen said. Bakersfield Police Department and Kern County Sheriff's Office also assisted, he said. #WestsTrial

The BPD assisted with search warrants and interviews, Hansen said. #WestsTrial

Another interview Hansen had with the Wests is going to be played. The transcript of this interview is about an inch think. #WestsTrial

The video has begun, showing Hansen and Trezell West in an interview room along with another member of law enforcement. #WestsTrial

Asked about his background, Trezell says he attended Bakersfield High School then Vista West to catch up on credits. #WestsTrial

Trezell West says he attended Bakersfield College for a while, then started working with a friend of the family. That ended after a few years. #WestsTrial

Trezell West says he and Jacqueline began dating in 2008 and got married in 2010. "I love it," he says of living in Cal City. "I mean, until recent events. #WestsTrial

Asked why he left Lotus Lane in Bakersfield, Trezell West says the house in Cal City was cheap and he loves it there. #WestsTrial

He said they've lived in Cal City since Sept. 9, 2020. The interview occurred in December 2020. #WestsTrial

Wests says he doesn't know his neighbors well but hasn't had issues with anyone. #WestsTrial

Trezell West is going over each of his 6 children for the officers. Two are biological, the other 4 adopted. #WestsTrial

The children are home-schooled, Trezell West says. His wife teaches them. #WestsTrial

Trezell says his eldest son -- 10 at the time -- is a "genius" and he thinks he'll be an astronaut. #WestsTrial

His then-9-year-old son is "mischievous," Trezell says. He says he had some issues earlier in life. #WestsTrial

Trezell says the dates they home school the children are much the same as going to a regular school. They let the kids have summer and holidays off. #WestsTrial

Orrin came to them after suffering a broken leg and his mother lost custody, Trezell West says. He says Orrin cried whenever anyone left his presence, had separation anxiety. #WestsTrial

Trezell says Orrin still cries, but now it's for a reason, not just someone leaving. He says Orrin has some anger issues. #WestsTrial

Orrin and Orson have "issues" with the other children, Trezell West says. He says he keeps them compartmentalized, lets them play together while the other children do other things. #WestsTrial

Trezell says he never really felt God's presence in church, but feels real love with his wife. An officer says "you and your wife are ride or die" and Trezell says that's how he feels. #WestsTrial

Trezell asks for an update on the search. An officers says it hasn't stopped and they're asking more questions, making sure they haven't missed anything. "We're anxious to get these 2 babies home safe," the officer says. #WestsTrial

An officer asks if, when they were on their way to the home in Cal City before the children disappeared, if there were any road rage situations, any indication people may have followed him. Trezell says no. #WestsTrial

Court is in recess for 15 minutes. #WestsTrial

Court is back in session the video of an interview Trezell had with law enforcement has resumed playing. #WestsTrial

They're going over in detail the stops the Wests made and where he parked the van when they got home. #WestsTrial

They're talking about being at the house on Saturday, two days before the boys were reported missing. #WestsTrial

Trezell is told law enforcement wants to make sure they have everything accurate when it comes to their movement on the days leading up to the disappearance. #WestsTrial

The boys slept a lot on Saturday, went to bed early, Trezell says. He tells law enforcement he cut wood on Sunday. The boys ate chicken soup his wife made, he says. #WestsTrial

Trezell says he's getting mixed up, apparently he was talking about Monday night, not Sunday. On Sunday night he was "chilling," not getting wood, he says. #WestsTrial

Trezell and officers are talking over each other at times. They tell him they want to get everything accurate. #WestsTrial

Trezell is trying to keep straight what they ate on which day. #WestsTrial

Trezell is now going over the events of Monday evening, when he said the boys went missing. He gathered wood, went inside, came back out and the boys were gone. #WestsTrial

Trezell says the gate was open while he was gathering wood but there's no way the boys got out while he was outside. #WestsTrial

He says he asked his wife where the kids were and she said they were outside. Trezell says maybe 3 minutes passed from when he went inside, dropped off the wood, turned back around and went outside again and noticed the children were gone. #WestsTrial

He looks outside, he and Jacqueline search inside, can't find the boys, Trezell says. #WestsTrial

Officers keep asking him to go over again and again the order in which everything happened -- when he noticed the boys missing, when he searched outside, when he looked inside. #WestsTrial

"I didn't realize the gate was open until I checked the whole yard," Trezell says in the video. #WestsTrial

Maybe 3 minutes passed from when he noticed the kids were missing until he looked in the front yard, Trezell says. #WestsTrial

"There was nobody outside," Trezell says of when he went out front to get in his van and search for the boys. #WestsTrial

Law enforcement is asking him what direction he went looking for the boys, to describe his movements while in the van. Trezell is answering them, says he was driving slowly because the boys wouldn't have been able to get far. #WestsTrial

Trezell is describing what the boys had been wearing that day. It was cold that evening. #WestsTrial

"These are my boys," Trezell says of Orrin and Orson. He says he and his wife care about them, it doesn't matter that they're not his biological children. #WestsTrial

Trezell says he wants the boys back but if he can't find them or something has happened he wants to protect his other 4 children too. His focus is on all 6, but he's worried about the other 4 because if he doesn't look to the future they'll suffer. #WestsTrial

An officer asks if his other kids lie. Trezell says they do sometimes. He says he's not sure what they'll tell people they don't know. #WestsTrial

"You have not been honest," an officer says. He tells Trezell he and his wife's story don't match at all. "They have not been missing since Monday," the officer tells him. He tells Trezell his mom has not seen the kids. #WestsTrial

"We talked to your kids. We talked to them. And they have not seen these babies in weeks," an officer says. #WestsTrial

He says the 10 year old would have known. And he says the children say that Trezell tells them "they'll be coming back soon." Trezell says he doesn't tell them that. #WestsTrial

Trezell denies lying. Law enforcement keeps pressing him, telling him he and his wife's stories aren't the truth. "You have shown zero emotion. Your wife has shown zero emotion." #WestsTrial

An officer says all 4 children said the same exact thing. They all have the same story -- they haven't seen Orrin and Orson in weeks, the officer says. Trezell denies knowing where the kids are. "This is your chance to come clean," another officer says. #WestsTrial

Trezell says he didn't give them permission to speak with his children. They tell him they don't need his permission. The kids' stories are the same. "You know where they're at," the officer says of Orrin and Orson. "You haven't even shed a tear." #WestsTrial

Trezell asks if he can leave. "I'm done with this," he tells them. One person leaves the room. Trezell keeps talking with Officer Brian Hansen. #WestsTrial

"Either you're protecting her or she's protecting you," Hansen tells Trezell, referring to Jacqueline West. #WestsTrial

There's still about 10 minutes left of the video but court is in recess for the day and will resume 9 a.m. Wednesday. #WestsTrial

Correction, I meant the trial will resume Thursday morning. #WestsTrial