Posted on Mon, Dec. 01, 2003
Police make arrest in connection with missing UND student
Associated Press
GRAND FORKS, N.D. - A Crookston, Minn., man has been arrested and is facing a kidnapping charge in the disappearance of Dru Sjodin, police said.
Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., 50, was arrested on Monday at 7:20 p.m. in Crookston, Grand Forks police said.
Rodriguez, a Level 3 sex offender, has a history of sexual contact and attempted kidnapping with adult females, a Minnesota Department of Corrections Web site said.
Rodriguez is being held at the Tri-County Correctional Center in Crookston, police said.
Dru Sjodin, of Pequot Lakes, Minn., has been missing since Nov. 22, when she left her job at the Columbia Mall in Grand Forks.
Police said a search for Sjodin is ongoing. Police said no further information will be released until a press briefing on Tuesday morning.
The Minnesota Department of Corrections said sexual contact by Rodriguez included penetration in two instances. He also used force and a weapon in assaults. In one instance, he knew the victim. In two others, he did not previously know the victims.
Rodriguez, who is 5-4 and 159 pounds, was no longer under supervision by law enforcement, the Web site said.
Minnesota law classifies Level 3 sex offenders as those at the highest risk for re-offense. Department of Correction officials hold meetings in neighborhoods where offenders plan to live. At those meetings, information about the offender is distributed to the general public, including area of residence, a photograph and a description of the pattern of behavior in the past.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© 2003 AP Wire and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.grandforks.com