middbriefs
Brian Fung & Anthony Adragna
Issue date: 3/20/08 Section: News
Police employ helicopter in search for Garza, several leads dead end
Members of the Middlebury Police Department (MPD) used a helicopter to conduct an aerial search of the local area including Otter Creek on March 18 in the latest in a series of measures to locate missing student Nick Garza '11.
The move came after a suggestion from a representative from Texas-based EquuSearch.
"I'm lured to the water because that's where we usually end up having a majority of them and you have a really wild river here in Otter Creek that has a lot of water in it," EquuSearch volunteer Gary Peterson said in an interview with WCAX.
Canine search crews examined the campus on March 16 for any signs of Garza, although no new leads emerged. The crews came from Lower Adirondack Search and Rescue.
Last week, a private investigator hired by the Garza family completed his inquiry into the disappearance with no new information for the MPD. Additionally, the search last week discovered an unregistered sex offender living in the area.
"Elvin L. Williamson, age 41, was arrested today on a charge of Failing to Register as a Sex Offender in the State of Vermont," a MPD press release said. "Mr. Williamson is wanted in Florida for violating that state's sex offender registration law. Florida authorities will not extradite him. He is classified by the State of Florida as a Sexual Predator. His prior record involves sexual activity with young children."
Authorities determined there was no connection between Williamson and the Garza disappearance. MPD reported interviewing two people who were on campus during February break with no discernable connection to the College. The agency later found the two had no relevant information to the case.
"America's Most Wanted," a long-time television show that airs on Fox, featured the Garza case on its Web site and could profile the case in future episodes. "The Lineup," another Fox program, interviewed Garza's mother, Natalie, for a recent program.
Members of the Middlebury Police Department (MPD) used a helicopter to conduct an aerial search of the local area including Otter Creek on March 18 in the latest in a series of measures to locate missing student Nick Garza '11.
The move came after a suggestion from a representative from Texas-based EquuSearch.
"I'm lured to the water because that's where we usually end up having a majority of them and you have a really wild river here in Otter Creek that has a lot of water in it," EquuSearch volunteer Gary Peterson said in an interview with WCAX.
Canine search crews examined the campus on March 16 for any signs of Garza, although no new leads emerged. The crews came from Lower Adirondack Search and Rescue.
Last week, a private investigator hired by the Garza family completed his inquiry into the disappearance with no new information for the MPD. Additionally, the search last week discovered an unregistered sex offender living in the area.
"Elvin L. Williamson, age 41, was arrested today on a charge of Failing to Register as a Sex Offender in the State of Vermont," a MPD press release said. "Mr. Williamson is wanted in Florida for violating that state's sex offender registration law. Florida authorities will not extradite him. He is classified by the State of Florida as a Sexual Predator. His prior record involves sexual activity with young children."
Authorities determined there was no connection between Williamson and the Garza disappearance. MPD reported interviewing two people who were on campus during February break with no discernable connection to the College. The agency later found the two had no relevant information to the case.
"America's Most Wanted," a long-time television show that airs on Fox, featured the Garza case on its Web site and could profile the case in future episodes. "The Lineup," another Fox program, interviewed Garza's mother, Natalie, for a recent program.
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