Jul 1, 2008 9:30 pm US/Eastern
Missing Vermont Girl's Stepfather Arrested
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) ―
The head of the state police said Tuesday that authorities are making
"great progress" in the search for a 12-year-old girl, but he
gave few details.
"I think we're eliminating possibilities where she may be. I just
don't want to be in the business of predicting how close we are. Our
efforts right now, our unfettered efforts, are to locate (the girl) and
bring her home to her family," Col. James Baker said at a news
conference.
Baker reiterated that Michael Jacques, the child's uncle, remains a
"person of interest" in her June 25 disappearance. He declined to say
if the same is true of her stepfather, Ray Gagnon, 40, of San Antonio,
whose arrest muddled an already confused situation Tuesday.
Baker said Gagnon, who has family in Vermont, was arrested Monday
night and was expected to be charged with sexually assaulting a minor
last year in the Royalton area.
His arraignment was canceled, however, and federal authorities took over his case.
At the afternoon news conference, an FBI agent with Baker said
Gagnon was expected to be charged with obstruction of justice for
destroying evidence. They didn't elaborate about what evidence he is
alleged to have destroyed.
Authorities said Gagnon was on a regular visit to Vermont from
Texas when he was arrested after questioning at the state police
barracks in Royalton on Monday evening, said Baker. He was being held
at the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield.
State police arrested Jacques, 42, of Randolph on Sunday, charging
him with aggravated sexual assault. Jacques has pleaded not guilty to
the charges, which involve a girl other than Bennett.
Police continued Tuesday to scour Jacques' property, including with search dogs.
Court papers say the victim in the case against Jacques told police
Jacques was to be her trainer in a "program for sex" and that she had
met three men affiliated with the program.
Girls in the program were warned that "the first (girl) who does it
lives and the second gets her throat cut," according to an affidavit
filed Monday at Vermont District Court for Orange County.
Baker said Tuesday investigators aren't sure whether there is a sex ring.
"We're not prepared to say if that there is a ring or there's not a
ring at this point in time. We're still researching evidence and
analyzing evidence," he said.
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