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Man questioned in case of missing Florida girl
A registered sex offender called a “person of interest” in the disappearance of a 9-year-old girl was questioned for a second time by police Thursday after he was arrested in Georgia, police said.
John Evander Couey, 46, who lived near the home of Jessica Lunsford before leaving Florida, had been questioned by police in Georgia over the weekend, and “he is getting more and more interesting to us as time as goes on,” Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy said.
Authorities called him a “person of interest” in the case, though he has not been charged and sheriff’s spokeswoman Ronda Hemminger Evan said there was nothing that ties him directly to Jessica’s disappearance on Feb. 23.
“Couey is being cooperative with us and he is answering our questions,” Dawsy said. “We’re building a rapport with the gentleman.”
Couey was arrested Thursday near a Salvation Army shelter in Augusta, Ga., because he didn’t notify Florida officials he was leaving the state, a requirement for sex offenders. He had a first court appearance on Friday and could return to Florida quickly if he waives the extradition process, Dawsy said.
Couey’s home in Homosassa is about two miles from Jessica’s, but he also sometimes stayed with his half sister who lives within “eyeshot” of her house, Dawsy said.
Mark Lunsford, Jessica’s father, said Wednesday that the family didn’t know Couey. “It’s someone nobody has seen before,” Lunsford said. “I know my daughter doesn’t go with strangers. So I just don’t see it.”
No one answered the doors Wednesday evening at the half sister’s house and Couey’s mobile home. Homosassa is about 60 miles north of Tampa.
Detectives tried to contact Couey five days after Jessica disappeared and discovered he no longer lived there. Police in Georgia picked him up on Saturday and interviewed him for about two hours before releasing him.
You know.....I have this gut feeling they should question the father alittle more......
A registered sex offender called a “person of interest” in the disappearance of a 9-year-old girl was questioned for a second time by police Thursday after he was arrested in Georgia, police said.
John Evander Couey, 46, who lived near the home of Jessica Lunsford before leaving Florida, had been questioned by police in Georgia over the weekend, and “he is getting more and more interesting to us as time as goes on,” Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy said.
Authorities called him a “person of interest” in the case, though he has not been charged and sheriff’s spokeswoman Ronda Hemminger Evan said there was nothing that ties him directly to Jessica’s disappearance on Feb. 23.
“Couey is being cooperative with us and he is answering our questions,” Dawsy said. “We’re building a rapport with the gentleman.”
Couey was arrested Thursday near a Salvation Army shelter in Augusta, Ga., because he didn’t notify Florida officials he was leaving the state, a requirement for sex offenders. He had a first court appearance on Friday and could return to Florida quickly if he waives the extradition process, Dawsy said.
Couey’s home in Homosassa is about two miles from Jessica’s, but he also sometimes stayed with his half sister who lives within “eyeshot” of her house, Dawsy said.
Mark Lunsford, Jessica’s father, said Wednesday that the family didn’t know Couey. “It’s someone nobody has seen before,” Lunsford said. “I know my daughter doesn’t go with strangers. So I just don’t see it.”
No one answered the doors Wednesday evening at the half sister’s house and Couey’s mobile home. Homosassa is about 60 miles north of Tampa.
Detectives tried to contact Couey five days after Jessica disappeared and discovered he no longer lived there. Police in Georgia picked him up on Saturday and interviewed him for about two hours before releasing him.
You know.....I have this gut feeling they should question the father alittle more......
