[stagebear]

here's the latest article just posted on in-forum.com

Man arrested in Sjodin disappearance
Dave Forster , Matthew Von Pinnon and Steven P. Wagner
The Forum - 12/01/2003

A Level 3 sex offender recently released from prison and living in Crookston, Minn., was charged Monday night with kidnapping in the Nov. 22 disappearance case of Dru Sjodin.

Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., 50, is being held for kidnapping in Crookston’s Tri-County Correctional Center.

Police did not immediately disclose what led them to Rodriguez, or if signs of Sjodin had been found.

Rodriguez, released from prison May 1, has a history of sexual contact and attempted kidnapping of adult women, according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections Web site.

Rodriguez has raped women in two earlier instances and has used a weapon to gain compliance, the site says. Rodriguez was known by one of his victims and unknown to two others.

Rodriguez, 5 foot 4 inches tall and 159 pounds, was no longer under supervision, according the corrections Web site. Level 3 sex offenders are deemed those highly likely to re-offend.

Law enforcement officials said in a press release Monday night that no other information would be released until an 11 a.m. press conference today in Grand Forks.

News of Rodriguez’ arrest came to Sjodin’s family at 8:05 p.m. Monday from a Forum reporter who was with them at the time.

Sjodin’s father, Allan, asked: “Is it legit?”

About 10 family members then watched in the lobby of the Grand Forks Hilton hotel as WDAY and WDAZ TV reported Rodriguez’s arrest.

WDAZ reported Rodriguez was arrested at his mother’s home in Crookston.

Sjodin’s family members immediately began making cell phone calls to authorities and friends upon hearing the news. There was then a scurry of activity -- they hugged each other and paced the hotel hallways.

Sven Sjodin, Dru’s brother, said, “It’s good news, but we still have a mission ahead of us. We all know she’s still alive.

“We have a piece of the puzzle. Now we just have to get her back.”

Allan Sjodin, Dru’s father, said he would not comment on the arrest until today’s press conference.

Grand Forks Police refused to say last Wednesday whether or not detectives were interested in talking with Rodriguez.

A call placed to Rodriguez’s mother’s house last Wednesday night was answered by a woman. The Forum wanted to find out if Rodriguez had been questioned in the search.

When asked, the woman on the phone said, “That’s none of your business” and hung up.

Also last Wednesday, a worker at El Roco Night Club, where Sjodin worked nights as a waitress, said she recognized Rodriguez’s face when shown his mug shot, by a Forum reporter, from Minnesota’s sex offender Web site. She said she last saw him a couple of months ago, but other workers there said they didn’t recognize him.

Waitress Stephanie Brumwell was working Monday night when TV reports hushed the crowd with news of the arrest. Neither she nor the two bartenders on duty recognized Rodriguez, but Brumwell said they all were so shocked they didn’t pay close attention to his face.

“Emotions were running a little bit wild,” she said, minutes after hearing the news. “Hope is definitely still alive.”

Dru Sjodin, a 22-year-old University of North Dakota senior, was last seen leaving the Columbia Mall in Grand Forks.

She graduated from high school in Pequot Lakes, Minn., where she was an honor student, athlete and homecoming queen.