The investigative file into the abduction of Jacob Wetterling could be ready to be released to the public within the next 45 days.
The process of redacting and copying thousands of pages of statements, lead sheets and interview transcripts is entering its final stages. County officials estimate that preparing the file for release will cost as much as $200,000.
"I could see easily with personnel hours reaching $200,000," said Bruce Bechtold, chief deputy in the Stearns County Sheriff's Office. "It wouldn't surprise me."
The county recently received about 3,000 pages of transcribed interviews from audio and video recordings that had to be sent to a Blaine company to be digitized and then to an Arizona company to be transcribed. That will cost about $15,000 when it's done.
The county already has about 37,000 pages of investigators' reports prepared to be released. Also included in the file are more than 80,000 leads sheets with tips from the public.
Staff will start working on redacting the audio and video transcripts Monday in hopes of releasing the file in the next month or two.
"We're not quite there, but the list of things we have left is definitely diminishing," said Matthew Quinn, chief deputy Stearns County attorney.
Investigators, attorneys and staff began preparing the file in late October. That was after Danny Heinrich admitted kidnapping and killing Wetterling.
Initially there were between 5-13 people working full-time to read and redact information protected from release under the state Data Practices laws. Becthold estimated the costs of preparing the file by multiplying the hours worked by an average salary for those employees.
There likely won't ever be a definite and accurate cost of the hours spent preparing the file, and there won't be any reimbursement to the departments from which the workers come.
"We're losing out on getting other stuff done," Becthold said of result of the hours spent on the Wetterling case file.
