March 17: John Evander Couey sits in the back of a police car after his arrest in Augusta, Ga.
Posted on 03/17/2005 7:47:30 AM PST by 4everontheRight
breaking...caught in Savannah GA
OK--now they're saying he will not be taken to FL but that FL officials will be going to GA.
I was out all morning and just got home. I don't want to speculate on anything regarding this case anymore. It is just too sad. All I hope is that Jessica is found safe and unharmed. If this man is the key, I hope the answers come quickly.
Update after press conference:
Couey is in GA, being held for a parole violation and for absconding (which may or may not be a felony). Absconding is a no-bond violation. Dawsy's guys are on their way right now to question Couey in GA. Dawsy beleives they will know this afternoon whether Couey is a viable suspect in Jessie's disappearance or if he is a lead that didn't pan out. Regardless, the sheriff's department is currently following 40 good leads right now, and Couey's lead was the hottest.
I thought Fuhrman was very interesting last night...he is usually pretty good on these things
I know he has a record, and has been acting fishy, but has anyone heard of any more specific information tying him to this case?
It seems he lived about 2 miles from Jessica, but his 1/2 sister, who he visited lives 100yds away from Jessica's home.
A little additional background info from CNN:
Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy said Couey had been staying with a relative in a house near the Lunsford home, and his name came up when authorities were investigating sexual offenders in the area.
A relative of his told detectives that Couey left on a bus for Savannah, Georgia, on February 28, where police interviewed him recently at a shelter, Dawsy said.
With no jurisdiction, the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department was unable to hold Couey, he said.
Under Florida law, a convicted sex offender must register his change of address, and a warrant was issued, according to the sheriff.
Dawsy said there also was an August outstanding warrant for Couey for a probation violation because of alleged marijuana possession. That warrant was amended to be effective outside Florida, the sheriff said. Couey also was wanted on an outstanding warrant that he failed to report to his probation officer.
"There is no indication at all that her family had any contacts with this individual," Dawsy said.
But he said detectives are concerned because of Couey's criminal history spanning more than three decades and 24 arrests, which includes multiple arrests for burglary, carrying a concealed weapon, indecent exposure, disorderly conduct, larceny and drug charges.
Couey pleaded guilty to 1991 felony charges of sex offense against a child, fondling a child under age 16 and lewd and lascivious conduct in Kissimmee; he was convicted of indecent exposure in 1987, according to records from the sheriff's office.
During a 1978 burglary for which he was convicted, Couey was accused of grabbing a girl in her bedroom, placing his hand over her mouth and kissing her, Dawsy said.
Thanks. I hope they can now break the case quickly. Of course, if he is the guy, it would be looking very bad for Jessica
Thanks for the additional info. I hope they can quickly solve this now.
You know, I watched the Sheriff's press conference at 11:45 and couldn't help but compare him to the lack luster LE from Atlanta we were subjected to recently. This guy seemed extremely comfortable with this guy being brought in and even said he was very happy that they had him in custody. Not sure if that is just to abolish him as a lead or what.
What I found interesting was Fox News reporter emphasizing how the ground search for Jessica pretty much came to a grinding halt after 5 days and has never picked back up. The cops obviously know she left the area, either on her own or with help but no clues were left behind for ground work to follow.
Gee, is it her dad like the mind readers around here have alleged... With no facts to back it up other than the all knowing internet rumor control mill and the fact that this guy looks a little "trailer trashish"?
I'm not familiar with the term "LE," but I was very underwhelmed by the public statements of Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington.
sorry...Law Enforcement.
YEah, they sure coould have used a cop like Dawsy in the big city couldn't they? Wanna take three guesses why a real professional is working in Homowhatsa Florida? Two words and they both start with A.
Sure could have used a detective like Mark Fuhrman too, couldn't they have. The leftist bolsheviks disgust me.
March 17: John Evander Couey sits in the back of a police car after his arrest in Augusta, Ga.
Prayers that it is not too late for Jessica.
I look forward to his analysis during coverage of these true crime stories.
This undated photo released by the Citrus County Sheriff's Office, Wednesday, March 16, 2005 in Inverness, Fla., shows a tattoo on the right arm of John Evander Couey. Detectives identified the 'person of interest' they are seeking to interview in last month's disappearance of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford as a 46-year-old registered sex offender who left the area without telling authorities. (AP Photo/Citrus County Sheriff's Office)
Man Held In Fla. Missing Girl Case
(CBS/AP) A registered sex offender being sought for questioning in the disappearance of a 9-year-old Florida girl has been taken into custody.
The Citrus County sheriff's office said deputies in Georgia arrested John Couey. A spokeswoman for the Florida sheriff's office said deputies arrested the 46-year-old sex offender because he didn't notify Florida that he was leaving the state. Sex offenders are required to do so.
Jessica Lunsford vanished Feb. 23 from her bedroom in her family's house in Homosassa, about 60 miles north of Tampa.
The spokeswoman said investigators are on their way to question him.
Couey lived near the Lunsford family, has an extensive criminal history including fondling a child under the age of 16 and left the area around the time Jessica went missing.
Jessica had known Couey, according to County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy.
Officials had been trying to contact Couey since Feb. 28, but had been unable to track him down recently, despite being in contact with his relatives.
He voluntarily went to police in Savannah, Georgia, and was interviewed. But by the time he was wanted for another interview Monday, he couldn't be located.
Dawsy said at a press conference Wednesday that a relative of Couey's told officials he had not lived at the Homosassa, Fla., residence at which he was registered as a sex offender. Upon a second visit to the residence by officials, the relative changed the story, admitting that Couey had lived there.
Couey is thought to have gone to the Savannah area and have used a bus ticket that was intentionally not in his name.
The father of the missing girl said Wednesday he is convinced she will be found safe as investigators searched for a "person of interest" in connection with the girl's disappearance.
Mark Lunsford said Citrus County sheriff's detectives have told him little about their investigation and nothing about the man they are seeking, but he remains confident.
"I truly believe my daughter is alive and is coming home," Lunsford told reporters.
Couey's criminal history, according to the Citrus County Sheriff's Department, includes: burglary, carrying a concealed weapon, indecent exposure, and fondling child under the age of 16.
Most notably, Dawsy said, in 1978, Couey was convicted of executing a burglary while residents were home. Officials are drawing comparisons to the Lunsford case, because in this burglary, Couey entered a child's bedroom, put his hand over the child's mouth and fondled the child.
A statement issued earlier Tuesday by the sheriff said that "red flags" were raised in an FBI polygraph test given March 4 to the girl's grandmother, Ruth Lunsford, regarding two of her responses. But investigators were unable to determine what, if anything, she might know about Jessica's disappearance, the sheriff said.
"I'm not sure it wasn't stress-induced," Dawsy said. "We have totally not been able to rectify one of the answers she gave or why we got this type of response."
He declined to elaborate.
Reached Tuesday by telephone at the family's home, Ruth Lunsford, 73, said investigators have told the family nothing.
"I have no idea what they are talking about. I'm sorry, I'm under a lot of stress," she said. She told NBC's "Today" show Wednesday that she doesn't remember what she was questioned about.
No concerns were raised in polygraph tests given to Mark Lunsford, 41, and the girl's grandfather, 72-year-old Archie Lunsford, Dawsy said.
The reward for Jessie's safe return and information of her whereabouts had grown to $115,000. Atlanta Braves pitcher Mike Hampton, who grew up in Homosassa, donated $25,000.
Local news is reporting that he was captured in Augusta, Georgia. They've been reporting it every half hour for several hours now.
So this fella pleaded guilty to molesting a minor/child, was convicted of indecent exposure, was convicted of burglary where he terrorized a kid and has 24 arrests? Completely outside of this story, but why is this guy free at all? For that matter, why is he even alive?
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