Known sex offender arrested in missing student case
From the "Wolf Blitzer Reports" staff in Atlanta
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Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. was arrested Monday on a kidnapping charge.
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ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The search continues for 22-year-old Dru Sjodin, despite the arrest of an ex-convict who has been charged with her kidnapping.
Fifty-year-old Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. was taken into custody Monday at his home in Crookston, Minnesota.
Crookston is about 30 miles from the shopping mall in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where Sjodin was last seen November 22. She worked at a Victoria's Secret store in the mall, while also attending classes at the University of North Dakota.
Rodriguez is a registered predatory sex offender who has served time for rape, and authorities say he was near the mall when the crime occurred.
"We have probable cause that he was in Grand Forks at that time and that he was in the parking lot," said North Dakota State Attorney Peter Welte at a news conference on Tuesday.
Officials won't say whether the suspect is cooperating with investigators, but the missing woman's family remains hopeful she'll be found alive and well.
Dru Sjodin's father, Allan, sent this message to his daughter on Tuesday: "Honey, we are still looking for you; we know you're there. Our strength is drawn from you; we're just overwhelmed with this, totally overwhelmed. ... What we want is everyone to continue doing what they're doing, just like these folks are saying, check shelter belts, buildings, check everything. We want information. We have the strength; we will continue. Honey, we are gonna find you."
The missing woman's brother, Sven Sjodin, also spoke publicly Tuesday, saying, "We are a strong family and we know she is out there. She is a strong girl. I know we are just right around the corner from you, Dru. If you're watching TV right now, you have a bunch of things to say, and we'll see you in a while. We love you."
