Gil Dobie
May 21st, 2007, 12:07 PM
Didn't realize he was here in Minnesota. Hope everthing is alright for him.
Howard Porter Link (http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_5945164?nclick_check=1)
Howard Porter, a Ramsey County probation officer and once one of the nation's best college basketball players, disappeared mysteriously Friday. He was found Sunday night, and police said he had been assaulted, but they refused to say what condition he was in or where or how he was found.
St. Paul police spokesman Tom Walsh claimed that releasing even basic details of the case would jeopardize the investigation.
"We're not talking about where or what his physical condition is," he said, declining to answer questions. "It's part of the investigation. We feel that to release that would jeopardize the investigation."
Earlier in the day, police had said they suspected foul play in the disappearance of Porter, 58, an adult probation officer and former pro basketball player.
"Given the way he went missing, the circumstances of him having gone missing, we are gravely concerned for his well-being," Walsh said Sunday afternoon before Porter was found.
The spokesman said that later, after television news stories about Porter appeared Sunday evening, "somebody was able to identify him for us." Asked what he meant, Walsh declined to comment. "We're not in a position to say anything about that."
A woman at his home who wouldn't give her name said the family would have no comment on his discovery.
Porter was considered the top college basketball player in the country when he played at Villanova in 1971. Following a pro career, he dabbled in some failed businesses, got addicted to cocaine, came to Minnesota for treatment, got clean and discovered he had a knack for counseling others. He went to work for Ramsey County Community Corrections in 1995.
Porter works out of the Spruce Tree building at University and Snelling avenues in St. Paul. He has a caseload of 102 clients, said Chris Crutchfield, a spokesman for Community Corrections.
Howard Porter Link (http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_5945164?nclick_check=1)
Howard Porter, a Ramsey County probation officer and once one of the nation's best college basketball players, disappeared mysteriously Friday. He was found Sunday night, and police said he had been assaulted, but they refused to say what condition he was in or where or how he was found.
St. Paul police spokesman Tom Walsh claimed that releasing even basic details of the case would jeopardize the investigation.
"We're not talking about where or what his physical condition is," he said, declining to answer questions. "It's part of the investigation. We feel that to release that would jeopardize the investigation."
Earlier in the day, police had said they suspected foul play in the disappearance of Porter, 58, an adult probation officer and former pro basketball player.
"Given the way he went missing, the circumstances of him having gone missing, we are gravely concerned for his well-being," Walsh said Sunday afternoon before Porter was found.
The spokesman said that later, after television news stories about Porter appeared Sunday evening, "somebody was able to identify him for us." Asked what he meant, Walsh declined to comment. "We're not in a position to say anything about that."
A woman at his home who wouldn't give her name said the family would have no comment on his discovery.
Porter was considered the top college basketball player in the country when he played at Villanova in 1971. Following a pro career, he dabbled in some failed businesses, got addicted to cocaine, came to Minnesota for treatment, got clean and discovered he had a knack for counseling others. He went to work for Ramsey County Community Corrections in 1995.
Porter works out of the Spruce Tree building at University and Snelling avenues in St. Paul. He has a caseload of 102 clients, said Chris Crutchfield, a spokesman for Community Corrections.