Man
arrested in connection with missing student
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) -- A man described
by authorities as a predatory sex offender
was arrested and charged with kidnapping
in the disappearance of a college student.
But authorities said Tuesday the young woman
was still missing.
Dru
Sjodin, 22, a University of North Dakota
student from Pequot Lakes, Minn., vanished
Nov. 22 after leaving her job at the Victoria's
Secret at Columbia Mall in Grand Forks.
''Dru, we will find you,'' Grand Forks Police
Chief John Packett said at a briefing Tuesday.
''With the arrest of Alfonso Rodriguez Jr.
last night, this investigation has only
reached the 50-yard line. As additional
charges and information comes available,
we will not be satisfied or comforted until
such time as we find Dru.''
Rodriguez,
50, was arrested Monday in Crookston, Minn.,
about 30 miles from Grand Forks, where he
lives, police said. He had been expected
to appear in court Tuesday, but officials
said the appearance would be delayed until
Wednesday morning. Court documents in the
case were sealed.
Authorities
declined to discuss what led them to Rodriguez,
other than to say they had probable cause
to believe he was in the mall parking lot
the day Sjodin disappeared and to note it
is standard to look at known sex offenders
in such investigations. They declined to
say whether he was cooperating.
''Our
entire focus on this is in finding Dru,''
Grand Forks County state's attorney Peter
Welte said. ''This is by no means the end.
This is a marathon and not a sprint.''
Authorities
issued a plea for at least 1,000 volunteers
to search for Sjodin Wednesday in Grand
Forks County and in Polk County, Minn.,
where Crookston is located. Property owners
in the two counties were asked to search
their land.
Sjodin's
father and brother spoke directly to their
sister.
''Honey,
we will find you,'' her father, Allan, said.
And her brother, Sven, added: ''I know we
are just around the corner from you right
now. We love you. Keep strong.''
Rodriguez
has a history of sexual contact and attempted
kidnapping with adult women, and has used
a weapon in at least one assault, according
to a Minnesota Department of Corrections
summary of his criminal history posted on
the agency's Web site.
His
past offenses require that Rodriguez be
registered as a predatory offender, the
department said.
Authorities
said Sjodin may have been abducted while
talking to her boyfriend, Chris Lang, on
a cell phone after leaving work the afternoon
of Nov. 22. He called her roommate, saying
he heard Sjodin say something like, ''Oh,
my God,'' before the phone went dead. During
a second call a few hours later, there was
only the sound of static and numbers being
pressed, he said.
The
case had drawn more than 1,300 volunteers
who have searched the area without success.
In addition, about 30 FBI agents, along
with investigators from 20 different agencies
in three states and the Canadian province
of Manitoba, were working on the case. A
$140,000 reward was offered.
Neighbors
of Rodriguez said a town meeting was held
in May to inform them about his release
from prison. They said he lived with his
mother, Dolores. No one answered the phone
at the home Monday night.
Sonja
Thygeson, who lives about four houses down
from Rodriguez and his mother, said she's
never seen him do anything wrong, but took
precautions anyway.
''I'm
a widow and I'm older, and I was scared,
so I had my son-in-law come over and install
a motion light after he (Rodriguez) moved
in,'' Thygeson said.
Another
neighbor, Milton Stave, said ''there were
a lot of frightened people around'' when
Rodriguez returned to the community.
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