No deal on table, but prosecutors would ‘listen’ to Steven Powell

Prosecutors in Pierce County say they would listen to any information that Steven Powell has about the disappearance of his daughter-in-law Susan Powell, but have not offered him any kind of plea deal.

Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist told 97.3 KIRO FM in an email Tuesday that his office would “listen” if Steven Powell, his attorney or Utah law enforcement “proposes something” in exchange for information about her whereabouts.

“No deal has been proposed,” Lindquist said. “We are not offering any deal but if information is brought forward we would listen.”

“You have to weigh what’s best for everybody involved in the case and if that works out, that would be great,” said Ed Troyer with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office. “But I would not have everybody put their hopes on it because I’ve had enough dealings with Steve to know that he’s playing a game and he might jerk everybody around for a couple years and enjoy doing it. Not that we wouldn’t try, but not that he’d be cooperative.”

Powell was arrested in September 2011 after a search of his Puyallup home turned up “thousands of images of females being photographed without their knowledge, including Susan Powell and many minors.” He has been held at the Pierce County Jail in lieu of bail since his arrest. His trial date is scheduled for March 20.

West Valley City Utah Police Chief Buzz Nielson told reporters in Graham, Wash., Monday that he considers Steven Powell a “person of interest” in Susan’s disappearance, but said he “didn’t want to get involved with Pierce County’s criminal case.”

“There should be things that he [Steven Powell] would probably like to talk to us about we hope,” Nielson told Utah TV station KSL Tuesday. He said they plan to question Powell when authorities here think he’s ready to talk. “Sure we can’t prosecute Josh, but did somebody know anything? Did somebody help him … those are all the question that we need to resolve.”