In the wake of his disqualification from the recent Wheeler Lake Bassmaster Elite Series for failure of a truth-verification test, Luke Clausen paid for and passed a private polygraph exam last week after returning to his home in Washington state.
Clausen provided BassFan with a report of the exam prepared by polygrapher Lawrence Kuciemba, a member of the Northwest Polygraph Association since 1980 who's done contract work for the Department of Corrections in both Washington and Idaho. Kuciemba examined Clausen last Thursday – 5 days after the angler allegedly "showed a reaction" to a question regarding the 28-day no-info rule on an exam in Alabama. It's standard practice for B.A.S.S. to have several anglers examined at each event and Clausen was selected at Wheeler via a lottery-type system that the organization employs.
Kuciemba reported that Clausen discussed his current employment, family history, education history and medical and mental health history during a pre-test interview. Kuciemba then wrote: "Mr. Clausen adamantly denies that he entered the tournament waters during the 28-day off limits period. He further denies that he solicited or sought out any information regarding tournament waters. Lastly, Mr. Clausen denies that he used any unsolicited information that he heard from non-competitors during the tournament. Mr. Clausen signed the attached statement, which was used as the basis of the exam."
Clausen was asked two questions while hooked up to the polygraph. The first was, "Did you lie in that statement you just signed?" followed by "Is that a true statement you just signed?" Clausen's answers were "No" and "Yes", respectively, and Kuciemba noted that the polygraph showed no significant response.
"I analyzed and scored the polygraph charts consistent with nationally standardized scoring and evaluation procedures endorsed by the American Polygraph Association," Kuciemba wrote. "Based on the physiological responses produced by this subject on the polygraph charts, it was my opinion that the subject answered the relevant questions in a TRUTHFUL manner."
The polygraph report was part of the package that Clausen presented to the three-person appeals committee in an unsuccessful attempt to get the DQ overturned.
