DATELINE JANUARY 23rd 2025:
On Elvis Presley’s recent 90th birthday, after sixty-seven years of searching, I finally discovered the identity of the blonde lady who was riding with Elvis on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle: Hannerl Melcher, movie actress and Miss Austria 1957.
In November 1957, while I was in the Las Vegas, NV police department and observed Elvis with a beautiful blonde on the back of his Harley-Davidson motorcycle travelling over 100 miles per hour. I detained Elvis and the woman, and transported them to the police station to book him in jail; however, I decided to give him a pass. While speaking with Elvis in the presence of Hannerl, I learned Elvis loved cops and law-enforcement (according to published reports, he gave away twelve Cadillacs to cops as gifts during his career). Also, during our encounter I told Hannerl that she resembled my fiancé, Ava, who was the same age and blonde. Ava was also a huge fan of Elvis. Several days later, I moved to Chicago to join the Federal Bureau of Narcotics as an agent, and married Ava on December 22, 1957, which lasted 63 years until she passed away. I always wanted to meet and thank Hannerl for her nice comments and encouragement regarding my future marriage to Ava.
In 1969, as a Federal Bureau of Narcotics official, I was aggressively involved in assisting President Nixon in his 2 weeks anti-drug program, known as “Operation Intercept” at the US/Mexico border. In 1970, Elvis Presley met with President Nixon at the White House. President Nixon gave Elvis a Federal Bureau of Narcotics badge around the same time I was assigned to Mexico and South America as a regional director for the same agency. In 2018, President Trump posthumously gave Elvis the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the USA!
Published reports called the meeting between Elvis and President Nixon, “a bizarre encounter” ; possibly my encounter with Elvis should also be considered “bizarre.” I also appreciated Elvis’ rendition of my favorite song, “My Way,” which was incorporated in my favorite controversial video montage of my career as Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona.
Link to video montage:
