[7] In 1977, he told a psychiatrist that her death had deeply affected him. Mention the name Polly Klaas, the 12-year-old Petaluma girl kidnapped and killed by ex-convict Richard Allen Davis 10 years ago this Wednesday, and the memories spill out vivid and searing. Kate McLean is a Bay Area journalist and documentary filmmaker. I am so thankful organizations such as yours exist and will never forget how helpful you were in my time of need. News of Polly's death came to the Klaas family late Saturday, after Mr. Davis, who has spent more than 15 of the last 20 years in jail for a series of increasingly violent crimes, directed. Read Polly Klaas story and learn how a local search effort sparked a worldwide movement dedicated to finding and protecting missing children. Our plays are based usually on women authors, said Barlas as she took in the space that hadnt seen performances in nearly two decades. The residential address for Polly is 312 Western Avenu, Petaluma, CA 94952-2919. When he was 12, he was placed on probation for burglary and forgery, and burglary again when he was 15. Her body was found not far from the Klaas house. He runs a nonprofit foundation, KlaasKids, that promotes child safety measures and assists families around the nation whose children go missing. On Oct. 1, 1993, in the small town of Petaluma, CA, their 12-year-old sister, Polly Klaas, was kidnapped from her bedroom during a Friday night sleepover and murdered. The officers bought the story after running his name and seeing no outstanding warrants and briefly searching his car. Before the hectic pageantry of Fridays groundbreaking celebration, Howe took a moment to envision what the 100-seat theater will look like when extensive renovations are completed. Polly Klaas Foundation, located in Petaluma, CA, is a not-for-profit organization with a philanthropic goal. In Petaluma, authorities still are trying to determine when and how Polly Klaas died. About Us Contact Us Gillian Pelham, a dual citizen of Great Britain, is a lawyer living and working in England. . It played a role, as well, in support for Megan's Law, through which the public now has access to information about sex offenders in their midst. The Charity accepts donations from the public and offers volunteering options. Pollys case also lead to the enacting of the Three Strikes Law which mandates life in prison for lifetime criminals, like Davis, convicted of three felonies. Privacy Policy On October 1, 1993, at age twelve, she was kidnapped at knifepoint during a slumber party at her mother's home in Petaluma, California, and was later strangled. And in the days that followed, neither they nor the woman who reported the trespasser noticed any resemblance between Davis and the widely circulated drawing of the kidnapping suspect. The location is also identified as 7565. You can support us by using our unique link when shopping on Amazon, and we will receive .05% of most purchases! She can be reached via e-mail galoosha@aol.com. Davis was convicted of kidnapping, committing lewd acts on, and killing 12-year-old Polly Hannah Klaas in 1996 for crimes alleged in the Fall of 1993 in Sonoma County, CA. Prosecutors claim this was a premeditated crime. However, their relief was short lived because even though the palm print left conclusively proved Richards presence, the police couldnt feel any joy until they found Polly. It is also believed that he had chosen the gravesite in advance, since it would not have been discovered by a casual observer. The field trip was requested by prosecutors to give the jurors a sense of the time and distances involved. The Polly Klaas Community Theater is a 100 seat theater which is perfect for intimate audience sizes. A torn pair of ballet leggings were found that were later matched by the FBI Crime Laboratory to the other part of the leggings which were taken as evidence on the night of the kidnapping. 4,000 volunteers assisted in the search for Polly, covering over one thousand miles of Fields, Meadows, apple orchards, and redwood preserves. He served eight years for this second felony and was paroled in June of 1993, just four months before Polly was abducted. Today, we celebrate Polly's life by remembering how she lived, instead of for how she was taken from us. Nichol, now a resident of Monterey County, has dealt with her grief more privately, though she remains affiliated as a founding board member with the foundation that bears her daughter's name. His mother had also held his hands to a hot stove for playing with matches when he was three. Barlas was one of the many people who turned out Saturday to celebrate the grand reopening of The Polly Klaas Community Theater. Davis, then 39, had spent most of his adult life in prison. Jas vs. Jasmine), sometimes they use their names international variations (Joseph/Yousef). Friday marked a new phase in the buildings history, as dozens of Petaluma and Sonoma County residents gathered to officially mark the beginning of a nearly $2 million project to revive the Polly Hannah Klaas Performing Arts Center and attempt to reframe how Klaas is remembered. It turns out that in the early hours of October 2, when officers received a call of a strange man trespassing on a private road Polly was probably already dead. The Polly Klaas Community Theater is a 100-seat gem of a building, originally built as a church in 1911. Then on November 28th, finally, after so many false leads and false hope, Dana Jaffe, a woman who had previously called police about a suspicious man on her property the night of Pollys kidnapping, and who lived on Pythian (pith-ian) Road in Santa Rosa, about 25 miles north of Petaluma, called police for the second time in two months. Out of the tragedy, the Polly Klaas Foundation was formed, a nonprofit devoted primarily to educating area schoolkids about online safety and aiding in the recovery of missing children across the country. He was caught breaking into the home of a single mother of a twelve year old girl, and had with him a knife and what they called a rape kit. Maybe try searching. My goal is to improve understanding of the issues, to find hope and to help all of us navigate the future of our environment. The intruder, a twice-convicted kidnapper named Richard Allen Davis whose criminal past included multiple, violent attacks on women, was indeed a stranger, with no connection whatsoever to Polly, her family or her life. It was like any other normal slumber party until around 10:30pm that night a stranger entered house. Thank you to our community for making this renovation possible! Because of the casual manner in which the neighbor remembered the man walking into the house, police briefly considered whether or not it had been Pollys father who had taken her. After nearly 2 decades, Polly Klaas Community Theater reopens in Petaluma with diverse program. There were seven suicide notes at the scene. Around 10:30 pm, an intoxicated Davis entered their bedroom carrying a knife from the Klaas's kitchen. Stop by and enjoy all we have to offer. The Polly Klaas Foundation is a Petaluma, CA based, national nonprofit dedicated to the safety of all children, the recovery of missing children, and public policies that keep children safe in their communities. The court ruled this was justified by the public safety exception to Miranda v. Arizona. The population of the US is 329,484,123 people (estimated 2020). At the time of her kidnapping, Polly was at her mom's house in Petaluma, California. Information on the Modal age groups of Klaass neighbors (weve analysed 500 households nearest to the Klaass current address), https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=Polly+Klaas&epa=SEARCH_BOX, https://www.facebook.com/directory/people/, https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/people/?keywords=Polly+Klaas, https://www.classmates.com/siteui/search/results?q=Polly+Klaas&searchType=all. This is exactly the kind of stuff the kids can see that their talents can directly affect the community.. Millard said he would like to have more opportunities for the high schools music program to perform locally in venues like the theater to reach more local residents as opposed to more formal performances. You made it very easy today by your conduct. Kevin Ghilotti, 32, owner of the Petaluma-based family-run company, said he used to drive past the red-shingled former church every day for years, not knowing its history or its years of disuse. [8] At 17, when Davis was in court for a motorcycle theft, a judge told him that he could either go to the California Youth Authority or join the United States Army. Last updated on March 06, 2022 at 8:03 PM (PST). Raine Howe, executive director of the Polly Klaas Foundation, walked over old floorboards caked in dust Thursday, ducking through vertiginous scaffolding before stopping to stand inside the cavernous belly of one of Petalumas most conspicuous downtown structures. Two patrol cars, lights flashing, traveled ahead of the bus, while four more trailed behind. It is the ideal facility for performing artists, poetry and book readings, civic engagement, lectures and educational presentations. Klaas was kidnapped and murdered in October 1993 in Petaluma, California. The general hope of the almost 4,000 volunteers was that high visibility meant she and her abductor couldnt travel freely, but as it turned out, the culprit, and his innocent, had been in Petalumas backyard the entire time. I want it to span generations. The first two days of the search were kept as low-key as possible, since Davis was under surveillance at an Indian rancheria near Ukiah, California. He dropped out of school in his sophomore year of high school. He was booked into the county jail where they had the police sketches of the suspected kidnapper on the actual walls of the jail, but no one noticed the resemblance of questioned Daviss past crimes. No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. "It's not just a lingering memory. The all-points bulletin was broadcast on the CHP (California Highway Patrol) channel, which only CHP radios could receive. I want it to be Grandma, Mom and Dad sitting in the seats over there, watching their kid on stage, who will then grow up and come back to watch their kids and then their grandkids, Howe said. About. Find 3 external resources related to Polly Klaas Foundation. They utilized a sketch artist to draw what the girls remembered about the man- the girls recalled he was white, had a yellow bandanna around his head, and had facial hair. Within hours of the kidnapping, in a rural area of Santa Rosa, about 20 miles (32km) north of Petaluma, a babysitter on her way home noted a suspicious vehicle stuck in a ditch on her employer's private driveway. His lawyer, Phillip Cherney, told reporters he intended to ask for a rehearing and that he would be lodging a habeas corpus appeal with state and federal courts.[15]. Davis is currently an inmate of San Quentin State Prison in Marin, just 25 miles from Pollys family home. [6] Robert was mentally unstable and suffered from hallucinations; he was reported to have taken a gun outside the home and shot at mirages. The deputies ran Davis's driver's license and license plate number, but they came back with no wants or warrants. Copyright 2022. Theres never a dull moment, and you get the best prices in town. The Polly Klaas Foundation Making America Safe for All Children PO Box 800 Petaluma, CA 94953 Phone: 800-587-4357 Fax: 707-769-4019 E-mail: service@pollyklaas.org The foundation will start accepting applications next year for groups that want to host events at the theater, Howe said. See all. Authorities had expressed concern for his safety, and the view into the van was obscured by tinted windows and wire meshing. She can be reached by phone at (707) 769-1334(Pacific Bell). In 1994, the space was dedicated to Klaas, a 12-year-old Petaluma girl who went missing in October 1993. She said via email that she returns to Petaluma every year to visit family and friends, and always makes a point to walk by Polly's old house. "You don't know what she would have done or become. He was reportedly out of breath, sweating profusely (despite it being a cool night), and had twigs and leaves in his hair when contacted by deputies. [4][5] He witnessed many violent domestic disputes between his parents, who separated when he was 9, leading his mother to take him and his siblings back to their maternal grandmother. The state also alleges that in addition to the kidnapping Davis attempted a lewd act on her. * Other possible variations for this name:Pauline, Holly, Paulette, Pollyanna, Pollyann, Dolly, Pollya, Pollie, Poly. The gravesite area would be directly visible from Highway 101, but not the grave itself. April 17, 1996. It is quite rare but still happens that a person can be found being listed under a completely different name. The problems come even as the foundation helps in the search for missing Mendocino County teen Raina Shirley and . Polly Hannah Klaas (January 3, 1981 - October 1, 1993) was an American murder victim whose case garnered national media attention. The History In 1993, twelve-year-old Polly Klaas, who loved to dance and sing on stage, was abducted by a stranger from her home in Petaluma. [2] The couple divorced when Davis was 11, and the children were given the choice of whom they would like to live with; Davis and his sisters chose their father while his brothers chose their mother, although Donald would later join his father. Later in the day, the jurors climbed into vans and travelled up Pythian Road, several miles from Petaluma, where Davis had been stopped by two sheriff's deputies a few hours after the kidnapping. He was convicted in 1996 of first-degree murder with special circumstances (burglary, robbery, kidnapping, and an attempted lewd act upon a child under the age of 14) of a 12-year-old Polly Klaas. Ver. When things get hard, arts are often the first to go, and I really feel kids need more than reading, writing and arithmetic. As she drove down the long driveway to Pythian Road, the owner passed Davis. On October 1, 1993 Polly Hannah Klaas, a resident of Fourth Street in Petaluma California along with female two friends, were participating in a time-honored tradition amongst pre-teens: the sleepover. The Polly Klaas Community Theater Renovation will finally honor the life of Polly Klaas, and create a, Phone: 800-587-4357Fax: 707-769-4019theater@pollyklaas.org, 2023 The Polly Klaas Community Theater & The Polly Klaas Foundation | Website by. Whispering Woods Campground. At the Petaluma stop, Davis remained in the van but a door was opened so he could hear court officials' comments to the jurors, sources said. Richard Allen Davis was sent to California's death row at San Quentin Prison for killing Polly after kidnapping her from a slumber party in the bedroom of her Petaluma, Calif., home Oct. 1, 1993. With a stuffed dolphin by her side, the girl spoke to the president about her 12-year-old sister, Polly Klaas, who had been abducted five months earlier from the family's home in Petaluma, California, while Annie was sleeping nearby. Marc attempted to lunge at Davis but was restrained by the bailiffs, leaving the courtroom to avoid causing further commotion. The nonprofit acquired the building from the city in April 2021 after raising more than $1 million. In July 2006, Davis was found unconscious in his cell following an opiate overdose, but was resuscitated. Based on the evidence it is supposed that by the time Davis was being questioned by police next to his car, Polly was already dead and Richard was coming back to collect her body, but had broken down prior to reaching his goal. Judge Thomas C. Hastings proceeded to formally sentence Davis to death, saying, "Mr. Davis, this is always a traumatic and emotional decision for a judge. Davis tied both of Klass's friends up, pulled pillowcases over their heads, and told them to count to 1,000. Tuesday, Oct. 1 marked 20 years since the kidnapping of 12-year-old Petaluma resident Polly Klaas, and her father used the grim anniversary to focus on progress that has been made in missing-child . The Polly Klaas Community Theater Renovation will finally honor the life of Polly Klaas, and create a vibrant community resource for our local youth. I am amazed, too, by the expertise in our community and by the commitment to protecting the land, its waterways, its wildlife and its residents. Robert, a longshoreman, was frequently unable or unwilling to care for his children, so he had them shuttled among family members, hired caretakers, and women he was romantically involved with. [9] A few weeks after Voris' death, Davis was arrested for attempting to pawn property he had stolen. When Ginny Ranta, a Polly Klaas Foundation volunteer, was visiting friends in Oregon last week, she saw an item in a local newspaper about an attack on a 12-year-old girl in Petaluma. Address: 1473 Petaluma Blvd. The daughter of Eve and Marc Klaas, Polly was two and a half when her parents divorced. Once the identity of Davis was revealed, his palm print at the scene of the kidnapping was also traced to him. Polly's body was not found until months later. Davis, 59, remains among the 720 inmates on California's Death Row at San Quentin State Prison, where he is permitted five hours a day in the concrete exercise yard among carefully segregated inmates, prison spokesman Sam Robinson said. The Polly Klaas Community Theater is a 100 seat theater which is perfect for intimate audience sizes. Address, Phone Number, Fax Number, and Hours for Polly Klaas Foundation, a Charity & Non Profit, at Western Avenue, Petaluma CA. When 12-year-old Polly Klaas was kidnapped from her Petaluma, California home in 1993, it made headlines across the country. Winona Ryder, Who was an active advocate for Pollys family, dedicated her role as Jo in the feature film Little Women to Pollys life and memory. It is the ideal facility for performing artists, poetry and book readings, civic engagement, lectures and educational presentations. In all, Pollys image was shared digitally more than 2 billion times. Thanks to the avant-grade techniques of two concerned and computer-literate Petaluma residents, Gary French And Bill Rhodes among with journalist Larry Magid, Pollys case was the first missing persons case to utilize the internet as a means of spreading awareness.