Cops Search Home Of Missing Girl's Uncle

(CBS/ AP)  The investigation of the disappearance of a 12-year-old girl zeroed in on her uncle Monday, with police searching his home while he was being arraigned on sex charges in an unrelated case.

Michael Jacques, a registered sex offender who was one of the last people seen with Brooke Bennett before she vanished, pleaded not guilty to a charge of aggravated sexual assault and was held in lieu of $250,000 bail.

Jacques attorney, L. Brooke Dingledine, called the evidence against him in that case "very sparse."

Col. James Baker, the head of the Vermont State Police, called Jacques a "person of interest" in Brooke's case at a Monday press briefing. He said investigators began focusing on Jacques based on information developed over the weekend through computer forensics.

The other girl, a relative of Jacques', says he assaulted her over a five-year period, beginning when she was 9 years old and ending a few weeks ago, Orange County State's Attorney Will Porter said.

Authorities released an affidavit in which State Police Detective Sgt. William Jenkins said the girl told police that when she was 9 or 10, she was told - by telephone call and in a note left under her pillow - that she had been selected for enrollment in a "program for sex" and that Jacques was to be her trainer.

The girl, identified only as "A.R." in court papers, said she was told two other girls also were in the program. "The first who does it lives and the second gets her throat cut," she told police, according to the affidavit.

According to the affidavit, the girl said she met two other men besides Jacques who were affiliated with the program. But it didn't specify whether the girl said she had sex with the other men.

Baker said police were investigating whether the alleged sex ring actually existed or whether it was a ruse Jacques allegedly created to intimidate the girl into having sex with him.

"The State Police would like to speak with any child or teenager who may have had contact with Michael Jacques," Baker said.

At the home of Jacques, 42, in Randolph, Vermont State Police called in state police from Connecticut and Massachusetts and used a helicopter and dogs to search the area.

Jacques, who is married to a sister of Brooke's mother, dropped Brook off at a convenience store in Randolph on Wednesday.

She had told family members she was going to meet a friend and visit a hospitalized relative of the friend but police believe that was a lie. Investigators believe Brooke may have been bound for a meeting with an unknown individual with whom she had been communicating through an online social networking site.

"I am hoping and praying that she was not talking to anybody regularly," Brooke's mother, Cassandra Gagnon, told CBS' The Early Show.

Surveillance video showed Brooke and Jacques leaving the store and going in separate directions.

Brooke, who just finished seventh grade, has not been seen since.

Her sister, Savanna Andress, expressed her pain over Brooke's disappearance. Fighting back tears, Savanna told The Early Show, "She's my other half. And I'm starting to go crazy without her. She makes me happy when I need her, and I need her now."

The prosecutor had argued against the judge's decision to grant bail.

Jacques has 1993 convictions for kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault and there is "a threat of prejudicial violence to this particular juvenile complainant," said Porter, in arguing for no bail. "Her personal safety was threatened."

He also noted the serious nature of the crime, which could lead to a life prison term, and said Jacques had violated the terms of his probation.

[jnorthrup982]

What is wrong with everyone? It took the cops a week to find out the uncle was a registered *** offender? I feel so sorry for the girl to have such an ignorant family. If that was my daughter within the hour of her disappearence I would have been at that man''s house pounding on the door. I guess it takes a real mom and dad to figure out a *** offender will always be a *** offender, and to not let their children around them.

[ilhuskers]

I just cant say how sorry Sherry and I feel about this. But this is only one more of the hundreds to come if our lawmakers dont give these sick deranged people in prison and keep them there. Take note of the Ken Snider case in Fairbury Nebraska. He not only molested two girls but two that the state let him and his wife adopt. Now its being pushed under the table and a few weeks ago he was convicted and it didnt even make the local news paper. What kind of msg is that to others. I talked with the people involved and it was clear they didnt want to put this man away were he belonged. Feel free to e-mail me at [e-mail] for more info.

[cdee12120]

This story blows my mind... Vermont who would ever think...Watching this excerpt on CBS morning this morning, I could only think the sister seemed the most conscious.. the parents seemed sedated..
What is so upsetting is that the two men in custody are the mother''s husband and the maternal aunt''s husband... didn''t these women see any perverse behaviour from these men...they were both attracted to deviance...makes you question there father or stepfather''s behaviour...
Child *** rings in Vermont who would ever guess...internet porn should be removed entirely from the internet... let the perverts go back to the seedy adult book stores and get there porn in a brown paper bag...where there is a public shame to this behaviour...I am not at all a conservative...I vote democrat 9 out of 10 times but common moral sense is not that difficult...the internet porn has gotten so out of control that Jethro in the back woods wants a piece of the action.... Every man involved in this child *** ring should receive twenty five years to life without the possibility of parole...in the correctional institutions population..not protective custody where they can compare notes on child perversion....

[ilhuskers]

I just cant say how sorry Sherry and I feel about this. But this is only one more of the hundreds to come if our lawmakers dont give these sick deranged people in prison and keep them there. Take note of the Ken Snider case in Fairbury Nebraska. He not only molested two girls but two that the state let him and his wife adopt. Now its being pushed under the table and a few weeks ago he was convicted and it didnt even make the local news paper. What kind of msg is that to others. I talked with the people involved and it was clear they didnt want to put this man away were he belonged. Feel free to e-mail me at [e-mail] for more info.

[formrusmcsgt]

"I am hoping and praying that she was not talking to anybody regularly," Brooke''s mother, Cassandra Gagnon, told CBS'' The Early Show.
---
Why doesn''t she KNOW?

[megamanx1-2009]

Do I really need to put up the statistics about how many white children have been killed in the us and how many black children. Statistically people, they report about white children getting killed more, because MORE WHITE CHILDREN GET KILLED! it''''s a simple fact.


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Posted by ccdsswrkr08 at 04:45 PM : Jul 01, 2008

there are 40 million+ black people in the U.S. Roughly 12% of the 300 million population. So by your math I should see 12% of the coverage of black abducted/missing kids.

I see MAYBE 1% on national T.V....

Is that biased??

[megamanx1-2009]

Let''''s just say, there may be a tragedy here. (Regardless of color) and that more than likely it will end badly with the family having lost not only a daughter but an uncle as well. "


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Posted by toldyouso12 at 03:33 PM : Jul 01, 2008

Easy to say when you are on the good side of it. Plus, you are completely missing the point. I never said anything about who committed the crime, I was saying the crime itself is not reported unless it''s a young white girl. I''m not talking about the criminal, i''m talking about lack of coverage for the victim.

"there are 300 million people in the US and most of them are white, in every town on every day, a crime is committed--don''''t expect there is fairness in reporting tragedy"

Posted by toldyouso12 at 03:33 PM : Jul 01, 2008

Well at least you admit there''s biased coverage....

[ccdsswrkr08]

iCi2i

Oops sorry. that was my mistake. I should have read your post more thuroughly. And I agree. Brand em, remove the parts, stable their eye lids open, torture as much as possible.

[ici2i]

. They deserve it, (heck they deserve alot worse)

Posted by ccdsswrkr08

Please re-read my posts! I didn''t say instead of registering, I meant that marking them in addition to registering would improve visibility and public knowledge. I also like the idea of removing the parts that drive them to be predators in the first place including between the legs and in the mind rendering them impotent and incapable. Anything to keept these creeps away from a child. Whatever we do, don''t ask the clergy what they would do....just plain too conservative for these conversations.

[ccdsswrkr08]

Do I really need to put up the statistics about how many white children have been killed in the us and how many black children. Statistically people, they report about white children getting killed more, because MORE WHITE CHILDREN GET KILLED! it''s a simple fact.