Dru Sjodin 3 - information only

[Doyle]

the other thread was getting too long, and slightly off topic... I have made 2 threads, one for discussion, and for for new information...

please post new information only here.

[wwwxxyyzz]

I thought the link to Dru's site should be on here:

www.FindDru.com

Prayers for Dru~

[johnny]

Psychologist Told Officials Rodriguez Was Likely to Re-Offend




A risk assessment done four months prior to Alfonso Rodriguez Jr.'s release from prison warned that the severity of his assaults on women appeared to be increasing.

Dwight Close, the Minnesota Department of Corrections psychologist who assessed Rodriguez, added that Rodriguez's "victim pool" of women apparently chosen at random "suggests a need for broader notification of the public" than permitted by state guidelines.

Close cited other concerns to consider in calculating the risk of allowing Rodriguez back into the community, including the fact that he already had re-offended after receiving treatment as a sex offender.

Rodriguez, 50, has been charged with kidnapping in the disappearance of Dru Sjodin, a University of North Dakota student missing since November 22.

The risk-assessment report was dated January 10 for a committee that later conducted an end-of-confinement review, required before Rodriguez's release from prison on May 1. That review, done at least 90 days before a prisoner's release, determines how much notification needs to be provided to people where the released prisoner intends to live.

Rodriguez was designated a Level 3 offender, based on that review. The Level 3 category is reserved for those who show the highest likelihood to commit more sex crimes.

It is a separate procedure from the civil commitment hearing, which is required to be held at least a year before release. Those hearings are used to determine whether a sex offender should be held indefinitely for treatment at a secure hospital.

Corrections officials held a civil commitment hearing more than a year before Rodriguez's release but decided against indefinite treatment at the conclusion of his criminal sentence, in part because of his age. He is 50.

In his assessment, Close noted that: "Rodriguez's willingness to use force may be escalating in severity," and he cited four "special concerns" that should be considered in his case:


Rodriguez had re-offended despite having participated in inpatient sex offender treatment for about five years.

Two of his three assaults involved the use of a weapon.

Because his victims had been "adult females (who were) unknown to him and who appear to have been randomly selected," there was "a need for broader notification of the public than that permitted by the risk level associated with the offender's score" on the assessment.

Rodriguez was "unlikely to have a stable, well-supervised living arrangement in a location which minimizes his access to potential victims."

Although he told one official interviewer before his prison release that he would like to return to Mexico to pursue a trade in printing, according to the risk assessment report, Rodriguez moved back to Crookston, where he was living with his mother when he was arrested.

Close's report was released this week by Polk County District Court along with other documents that had been filed by authorities seeking search warrants last month for Rodriguez's car and home in Crookston.

As his 23-year prison confinement was about to end, Rodriguez was given a score of 13 on a risk-to-reoffend assessment by the Department of Corrections, the report shows.

A sexual offender who scores 8 or higher is designated Level 3

[johnny]

All this time I was thinking that these sexual offenders stalk and plan for the right moment to attack ............now I'm thinking that they are always ready to pounce....they are always looking just waiting for a victim to step into the trap.

I bet he gathered all his "gear" the knife, wire, cleaning supplies, and a drop location within days of his release. Even getting the right car. I wonder if he dis-engaged the door handles from the inside?

[Doyle]

Gov. Tim Pawlentysaid Thursday that he is exploring ways to discipline a state doctor and others who declined to seek civil confinement of a convicted sex offender now suspected of abducting North Dakota student Dru Sjodin.
http://www.kstp.com/article/view/125432/

Hundreds gather in missing student's hometown to offer support, prayers
http://www.brainerddispatch.com/stories/121803/new_1218030019.shtml

[Yakwoman]

DRU SJODIN DISAPPEARANCE: Release raises questions.
Minnesota officials spar over civil commitment decision in Rodriguez case.

http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/7527225.htm

[MissMisty]

Posts on Dru's website say that searches are on for this weekend! Dru's mom is on Gretta's show on Fox right now discussing Dru's disappearance. Just wanted to post this before the forum goes belly-up.
Misty

[MissMisty]

BUMP

[blueclouds]

:( ANOTHER search scheduled... unfortunately, I think she'll surface from the river where her shoe was found. But, who knows


http://crime.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.kstp.com/article/view/125629/

[johnny]

Information about the river near Crookston.

Red Lake River
The Red Lake River is one of the few canoeing rivers in northwest Minnesota, the Red Lake flows westward from Upper and Lower Red Lake to join the Red River in East Grand Forks.

Water characteristics - This is generally a smooth flowing river except below St. Hilaire to almost Crookston. In this area a chain of easily navigable boulder-field rapids and pools interrupts the Red Lake in this 17-mile stretch where the river drops 110 feet, some of these rapids can be Class II at high and low water levels.

Landscape - Marshy wilderness, flat farmland, towering eroded cliffs and steep, wooded banks characterize the Red Lake River. Above the dam at river mile 181 the river flows through marshland in the Red Lake Indian Reservation. White and yellow water lilies, wild rice and cattails thrive here.

Below the dam the river is flanked by a prairie that is at times bright with wildflowers. Trees are sparse and small on the low grassy banks. Near High Landing the trees become larger and the river meanders through farmland. Stands of willow, elm and cottonwood are interspersed with open fields. Residential development is extensive along the banks at Thief River Falls.

Below St. Hilaire the banks steepen and are heavily wooded to Red Lake Falls. High, nearly vertical, eroded cliffs and the first of many huge slump areas are encountered near Red Lake Falls. Entire hillsides have been torn away by spring floods and deposited in the river. In its lower reaches the river meanders through farmland, often screened from the river by stands of elm, willow and cottonwood.

Fish and wildlife - The river supports several species of game fish, including northern pike, walleye, and channel catfish. The Red Lake River is particularly noted for its channel catfish angling. Some of the most popular fishing areas are located below the Otter Tail Power Company dams in both Crookston and Red Lake Falls, and near the junctions of the Red Lake with the Thief, Clearwater and Black rivers.

Wildlife along the Red Lake River is varied and abundant. Wooded bottomlands provide excellent habitat for wood duck and deer. Fox, grouse, beaver, mink, muskrat, weasel, coyote, squirrel, rabbit and raccoon range through the region. Bottomlands and scattered oxbows attract mallards, blue-winged teal, great blue herons, shorebirds, owls and numerous species of songbirds. The marsh is inhabited by blackbirds, snipes, wrens, gulls, great blue herons and many ducks inhabit.

Cultural Information - Just downstream from Huot is the Old Crossing Treaty State Historical Wayside Park, where in 1863 the Ojibwe Indians ceded almost 10 million acres of land for white settlement of the Red River Valley. This also was an important crossing of the Red River Oxcart Trail, the tracks of which are still partially visible. The area now is primarily utilized for agriculture. Sugar beets are a dominate crop on the western end of the river.

[johnny]

Red Lake River
The Red Lake River is one of the few canoeing rivers in northwest Minnesota, the Red Lake flows westward from Upper and Lower Red Lake to join the Red River in East Grand Forks.

Water characteristics - This is generally a smooth flowing river except below St. Hilaire to almost Crookston. In this area a chain of easily navigable boulder-field rapids and pools interrupts the Red Lake in this 17-mile stretch where the river drops 110 feet, some of these rapids can be Class II at high and low water levels.

Landscape - Marshy wilderness, flat farmland, towering eroded cliffs and steep, wooded banks characterize the Red Lake River. Above the dam at river mile 181 the river flows through marshland in the Red Lake Indian Reservation. White and yellow water lilies, wild rice and cattails thrive here.

Below the dam the river is flanked by a prairie that is at times bright with wildflowers. Trees are sparse and small on the low grassy banks. Near High Landing the trees become larger and the river meanders through farmland. Stands of willow, elm and cottonwood are interspersed with open fields. Residential development is extensive along the banks at Thief River Falls.

Below St. Hilaire the banks steepen and are heavily wooded to Red Lake Falls. High, nearly vertical, eroded cliffs and the first of many huge slump areas are encountered near Red Lake Falls. Entire hillsides have been torn away by spring floods and deposited in the river. In its lower reaches the river meanders through farmland, often screened from the river by stands of elm, willow and cottonwood.

Fish and wildlife - The river supports several species of game fish, including northern pike, walleye, and channel catfish. The Red Lake River is particularly noted for its channel catfish angling. Some of the most popular fishing areas are located below the Otter Tail Power Company dams in both Crookston and Red Lake Falls, and near the junctions of the Red Lake with the Thief, Clearwater and Black rivers.

Wildlife along the Red Lake River is varied and abundant. Wooded bottomlands provide excellent habitat for wood duck and deer. Fox, grouse, beaver, mink, muskrat, weasel, coyote, squirrel, rabbit and raccoon range through the region. Bottomlands and scattered oxbows attract mallards, blue-winged teal, great blue herons, shorebirds, owls and numerous species of songbirds. The marsh is inhabited by blackbirds, snipes, wrens, gulls, great blue herons and many ducks inhabit.

Cultural Information - Just downstream from Huot is the Old Crossing Treaty State Historical Wayside Park, where in 1863 the Ojibwe Indians ceded almost 10 million acres of land for white settlement of the Red River Valley. This also was an important crossing of the Red River Oxcart Trail, the tracks of which are still partially visible. The area now is primarily utilized for agriculture. Sugar beets are a dominate crop on the western end of the river.

[johnny]

Like the Crookston to Fisher segment, this segment is a long haul. Paddling from Fisher's Landing to East Grand Forks will be a long 11-12 hour day of continuous paddling. The river is slow and meanders in almost complete circles. You can cut the trip short by negotiating the grassy and muddy banks at the Hwy. 220 bridge about 5 river miles upstream of East Grand Forks. Or start a trip here for a short, leisurely afternoon float into town. If you are at all apprehensive about such a long trek, a small skiff with a motor is the most enjoyable mode of transport through this section. Perhaps future improvements to the trail will provide a few more access points and possibly some areas to camp for the night. There are no dams between these points and the river is almost always navigable, even during low flows. Fishing is good, as catfish become more abundant and the presence of pike, walleye, smallmouth bass, drum, and goldeye provide a diverse catch.

Red River at East Grand Forks
Flood Stage: 28 Feet

Latest Stage:15.29 Feet at 20:00 CST 01/01
[Graph Description] [Feedback] [Text Products] [Precip.]
[Impacts] [Map] [Historical Crests] [Low Water Events]

North Central
River Forecast Center


Red Lake River at Crookston
Flood Stage: 15 Feet

Latest Stage:5.09 Feet at 20:00 CST 01/01
[Graph Description] [Feedback] [Text Products] [Precip.]
[Impacts] [Map] [Historical Crests] [Low Water Events]

[alpharee]

Shocking allegations from a former prison mate of Alphonso Rodriguez, Jr. He says the Department of Corrections had plenty of warning that the convicted sex offender may strike again.

The Department of Corrections admits it made a mistake by letting Rodriguez go free. And Governor Pawlenty's already moving forward with plans to change the state's sex offender release process. But tonight, you'll hear from a Moose Lake inmate who says you haven't heard the full story yet.

Full Story (http://www.kstp.com/article/view/125950/)

[starpatch]

the other thread was getting too long, and slightly off topic... I have made 2 threads, one for discussion, and for for new information...

please post new information only here.
startribune.com

Hearing for Sjodin kidnap suspect delayed

Associated Press
Published 01/15/2004

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- A preliminary hearing for the Minnesota man charged with kidnapping University of North Dakota student Dru Sjodin has been delayed until March so he can be examined by a psychiatrist.

Grand Forks County Magistrate David Vigeland set a new hearing date of March 5 for Alfonso Rodriguez Jr.. The hearing had been scheduled for Feb. 4.

Rodriguez' attorney, David Dusek, asked for more time ``because of the uncertainty of the mental status'' of his client.

Sonja Clapp, assistant Grand Forks County state's attorney, joined in the defense motion, saying the extra time is needed to get Rodriguez' records from the Minnesota prison system.

Rodriguez, 50, a convicted rapist, remains jailed in Grand Forks on $5 million bail. He was arrested Dec. 1 in his hometown of Crookston, Minn.

Sjodin, 22, of Pequot Lakes, Minn., disappeared Nov. 22 from the parking lot of a Grand Forks mall. She has not been found. Dusek said earlier that Rodriguez has denied any involvement in her disappearance.

Northeast Central District Judge Lawrence Jahnke on Wednesday approved Dusek's request that Fargo psychiatrist Dr. Edward Kelly be hired to evaluate Rodriguez.

Kelly testified earlier this week at the sentencing of Paul Sambursky, a former University of North Dakota student who pleaded guilty to assaulting five women in and around campus.

Jahnke has barred attorneys in the Rodriguez case from talking with the media.

© Copyright 2004 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

[starpatch]

startribune.com

Dru Sjodin search continues near Crookston

Associated Press
Published 02/24/2004

CROOKSTON, Minn. -- Searchers looking for University of North Dakota student Dru Sjodin say a bloodhound remains interested in a stretch of the Red Lake River near here.

``We're basically working that same area along the river, and near a building,'' search coordinator Bob Heales said.

Denny Adams of Conde, S.D., and his bloodhound, Calamity Jane, have been working with the searchers.

``At some point, Calamity really reacted and was very focused and showed a lot of interest in that same general area,'' Heales said.

``It's just another piece of the puzzle,'' he said. ``Hopefully, it's a big enough piece that it will make sense when we figure it out. But there's definitely some reason she's so interested in that area.''

The bloodhound seemed interested in that same area two weeks ago, near a bridge where authorities found one of Sjodin's shoes just days after she disappeared three months ago.

A Crookston man, Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., is charged with kidnapping Sjodin, 22, of Pequot Lakes, Minn., who disappeared from a Grand Forks mall Nov. 22. Rodriguez has denied any involvement.

© Copyright 2004 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

[indigomood]

GRAND FORKS, N.D. - A Minnesota crime agent said Friday that authorities' suspicions about Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., "grew at every turn" as they investigated the disappearance of University of North Dakota student Dru Sjodin.

"It was through inconsistencies and outright holes that we were able to put into his initial statement, from evidence that we gathered," Agent Daniel Alquist said at a court hearing to determine whether Rodriguez should stand trial for kidnapping Sjodin.

*snip* for rest of story...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040305/ap_on_re_us/missing_student_3

[indigomood]

GRAND FORKS, N.D. - A convicted rapist was ordered Friday to stand trial on charges he kidnapped a University of North Dakota student who was last seen at a shopping mall in November.

A magistrate judge ruled that prosecutors presented enough evidence to try Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. At a separate hearing moments later, Rodriguez pleaded not guilty to the charge. A trial date was not immediately set.

*snip* for rest of article...
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040306/ap_on_re_us/missing_student_8

[starpatch]

Every time I see Dru's photo I just feel sick.....her killer should be put to death.
I heard today that they will ask for a stipulation inMinnesota and No Dak law for the death penalty for this dirty rat!

[indigomood]

Every time I see Dru's photo I just feel sick.....her killer should be put to death.
I heard today that they will ask for a stipulation inMinnesota and No Dak law for the death penalty for this dirty rat!

kill his sorry ass along with Joe Smith etc. ooops didn't mean to sugar coat it there. ;)

[Trino]

There seems to be no movement in locating Dru. Has anyone heard new information?

[indigomood]

Chris Lang brought his girlfriend, Dru Sjodin, to the state Capitol on Monday.

Not the person, but the image and essence of the missing 22-year-old University of North Dakota student.

"Dru Sjodin is the woman I love. She can make me laugh with the drop of a hat. She's full of life. This room would get brighter if she'd walk in here right now," said Lang. Although Sjodin has been missing for almost five months, Lang spoke of her in the present tense.

Lang and two of Sjodin's cousins went to the Capitol to testify in support of a bill that would require a life sentence without the possibility of release for some first-time sex offenders.

*snip* for rest of article click link...

http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/8137903.htm

[Trino]

Minnesota hasn't had a death penalty since 1903, when a hanging went bad. The MN mood isn't to pass it now, despite the Dru Sjodin case.

[Doyle]

The father of Dru Sjodin took the search for his daughter to a new plane Tuesday, spending the day inspecting the Red Lake River from the water instead of from the banks above.

Allan Sjodin viewed the river in a boat piloted by Rusty Miller, a Crookston Police officer and part-time fishing guide. Accompanied by dog handler Denny Adams and two search dogs, they cruised the river from Crookston half way to Fisher, Minn., and back again, Sjodin said.

http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/8372289.htm

[Trino]

On Saturday, April 17, there will be a huge coordinated search for Dru.

http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/8382094.htm

[Skinny]

I have not been following this too closely. What could have prompted this big search? I think about the family often and wish them all peace and that sometime there may be some answers!

[mindys]

I have not been following this too closely. What could have prompted this big search? I think about the family often and wish them all peace and that sometime there may be some answers!
The spring thaw? Ice and windy, frigid weather is gone for a while.

[Trino]

I think two things prompted this search. One was the spring thaw; the other was a fund raiser. They will certainly find her, hopefully soon.

[Trino]

http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/8434176.htm

Still no information...

[Bubble1421]

THEY FOUND HER!!!!!!

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20040417134309990004

No details at this time.