On The Record from Misty: Some Bristol School Questions Clarified

As those of you who have been following the blog for a time know, we had several posts from a woman who goes by "Misty," stating that she had personally seen Bristol in Anchorage in early 2008.

I invited Misty to contact me directly, so I could get an "on the record" statement from her. She did so. She has given me her real - full - name and her contact info. Numerous personal details are verified. I am confident she is who she states she is, and lives in Anchorage.

She has gone on the record with me concerning what she knows about Bristol Palin's whereabouts in early 2008, and her impressions of the entire situation. I think this statement answers numerous questions about Bristol's whereabouts and puts to rest some other gossip and rumors that have been present since the beginning of the situation.

Misty knows Levi Johnston and Track Palin through the fact that her son played "league" hockey with them. She's met and chatted with Gov. Palin several times. She knows of Bristol because she was part of a group of friends that included her son when she came to West High School, though she has never spoken to Bristol beyond saying "hello."

Bristol showed up at West High School in Anchorage after Christmas, 2007. Misty was told by her son that she was attending West, and staying with her Aunt Heather Bruce, because she did not want to go to Juneau with the rest of her family. Misty also stated that he had heard that at that point Bristol and Levi Johnston had more or less broken up. She also heard suggestions that the Palins were interested in "cooling the relationship" between Levi and Bristol and that was one reason for her coming to Anchorage, but this would have to be considered second-hand hearsay. [Comment from Audrey: This would explain the "change" from what had been stated to the Alaska Magazine in December - that the intention was that Bristol was going to remain in school in Wasilla. Perhaps, if her parents wanted to "cool the relationship" they thought it would be better that she would be living in Anchorage with her aunt instead of in Wasilla with ? Her grandparents, perhaps? This is certainly reasonable.]

Misty saw Bristol on several occasions between early January and spring break, mostly at sporting events but once in her home, when she came over with a group of young people for lunch. Around the end of February (but definitely before spring break - March 10-14, 2008) Misty became aware that Bristol was no longer in school. Her son told her it was because Bristol had taken 'distance learning classes' and had finished early.

She did not hear any more information on Bristol until her son told her in very late April or early May that Bristol was pregnant. She cannot date this precisely but is sure it was before her son - who was a senior - was finished with school. (Last year (spring 2008) the last day of school was May 22nd, but seniors finish early. Last year, seniors last day was May 12th.)

Misty states that she never heard anywhere that Bristol had mono. She was as surprised as everyone else when Gov. Palin announced her pregnancy in early March, but never connected it to Bristol, since she had never heard any speculation whatsoever that Bristol was pregnant. She never heard any suggestion prior to Trig Palin's birth that Sarah was "covering" for Bristol. She had never heard any rumors, gossip, or speculation that the pregnancy was fake until the questions hit the Internet after Gov. Palin's nomination on August 30th.

Misty has told me she is as mystified by some of the aspects of Gov. Palin's birth story as anyone but does believe that Bristol is pregnant now...and that the pregnancy commenced sometime in the late winter/early spring of 2008."

Comments from Audrey: Misty's statements allow us to put some of the rumors that have plagued this story from the beginning to rest.

1. It's been said that Bristol was out of school for "five months," "eight months," "all of her mother's pregnancy." That does NOT appear to be true. She appears to have attended high school in Wasilla until Christmas and then West High School in Anchorage for January and February.

2. No source for "Bristol has/had mono" has ever been documented. Although this rumor was repeated everywhere (including on my own website) from the beginning of these questions, Misty states that she never heard that. Her son told her that Bristol left school because she had "finished early" due to distance learning classes.

I am glad to be able to go on the record with some reliable information about this.