TACOMA — A lawsuit against Tacoma police over the abduction and killing of a 12-year-old girl said an Amber alert was delayed because an officer fell asleep.
Court documents said a detective made the request to department spokesman Mark Fulghum at 4 a.m. on July 5, 2007, but he fell back asleep because he had taken an over-the-counter painkiller, sleep aid. The Amber alert for Zina Linnik wasn’t issued until 10 a.m.
Fulghum declined to comment for the story in The News Tribune and did not immediately return a call to The Associated Press.
Deputy City Attorney Jean Homan said the Amber alert system is voluntary and the city is not liable for delays. She also said Zina was killed minutes after being abducted by Terapon Adhahn who confessed.
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