RETIRED DETECTIVE CLIPPER, FIRST RESPONDER IN THE MARISA GOVEA HERNANDEZ HIT-AND-RUN CASE, SHARES HIS VIEWS

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Retired BPD Officer Thomas Clipper and Girlfriend at Charlie Cabler for Mayor Event

Trying not to stare at the broad shouldered, totally pumped man behind the sunglasses, I kept asking myself:  "Where have I seen this guy?"

Then, it dawned on me. . . . . . "It's Clipper, Thomas Clipper from the Marisa Govea Hernandez hit-and-run trial, the first guy to the scene after the incident was finally reported!"

Introducing myself, I told Clipper:  "You're Thomas Clipper.  You were at the Marisa Govea Hernandez trial?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to talk about it," Clipper responded.

"OK, I understand that.  I won't ask you about it," I replied, aware that I was close enough that Clipper could totally take me out with either arm.

Then, without prompting, unable to contain himself, Clipper blurted out:  "80% of what's been reported on that is false!"

I just looked at him.  He seemed steamed.

"Let me ask you this," Clipper started.  

"If your wife had been driving on that dark road that night(FM 803), would you have wanted her to stop?"

"I admit that's a dangerous road with no shoulders," I responded.

"All right, then," Clipper continued.

"A guy was hit on the Interstate and killed recently.  No charges," stated Clipper.

"It was clearly a 'no report' incident."

Actually, well after the fact, the hit-and-run driver's son, Deputy Sheriff Marin Hernandez called the incident in a a "10-50." that is a fender bender, not a "10-57," hit and run.

"Anyway, what was she doing on that road at night?" asked Clipper rhetorically.

Of course, on FM 803 that night there were several driveways Ms. Hernandez could have pulled into to check out what she'd hit, but some evidence shows she was on the phone at the precise time of the accident and minutes thereafter.

Clipper had yet another question for me:  

"If that had been your wife and she had a relative in law enforcement, who do you think she calls, '911' herself or her relative in law enforcement?"

"The important thing is the accident be reported," I responded cautiously.

"Exactly!" answered Clipper.

Later, it would not be Clipper that was sent to the home of Hernandez, but then rookie cop Esteban Nino, who did not actually interview Marisa Govea Hernandez, but instead spoke with her son, Deputy Sheriff Marin Hernandez, then 25.(Marisa Govea Hernandez stayed behind a slightly cracked front door, only handing out her driver's license to Nino.)

The two of them(Nino and Hernandez' son Marin) came up with the theory that Ms. Hernandez had struck a skunk, despite being just a few feet away from a white Volkswagen with a dent at the 30" mark on the front end, a busted windshield and wiped out side mirror, not to mention human flesh on the side panel.

"Let me ask you one more thing," I told Clipper.

"Did anyone ask you to 'stand down' on this case?"

"No one ever asked me to stand down.  I worked over a thousand murder cases and they were all solved," Clipper responded, despite the fact that he seemingly was replaced on this case by young Nino and was was reportedly reassigned to a desk job.

Clipper was still not finished.

"Do you know where she (Mary Tipton)

was staying?"

"Yes, I reported she was staying at the motel on the Interstate(the Deluxe 6 Motel at the corner of the I-69 frontage and FM 511) and that her and her husband were separated at the time," I replied.

"Well, just check that out," Clipper continued, "and I think you might have some answers."