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Iowa Girl's Death Ruled A Homicide
Sex Offender Accused In Abduction Could Face More Charges
Mar 28, 2005 8:29 pm US/Pacific
IOWA CITY, Iowa
(CBS)
More charges could be filed Monday against a registered sex offender accused of abducting a 10-year-old Cedar Rapids, Iowa, girl, whose body was found at a dilapidated mobile home in a remote area.
Roger Paul Bentley, 37, was being held on $1 million bond. He is charged with child stealing for the abduction of Jetseta Marrie Gage, who was taken from her home Thursday night.
Her body was found Friday inside the mobile home where Bentley was arrested. An autopsy showed she died of asphyxiation. Her death was ruled a homicide, but no other details were released.
Johnson County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek said charges related to Gage's death could be filed against Bentley as early as Monday.
On Saturday, Pulkrabek said Bentley could be transferred to Johnson County, but officials at the Linn County jail said that Bentley was still in custody there Sunday evening.
Bentley made his initial court appearance on the child stealing charge Saturday morning in Linn County District Court.
He was arrested Friday morning after someone who had heard the Amber Alert saw him or his pickup truck at the mobile home and called police.
When deputies arrived, they were unable to see inside the mobile home and knocked on the door. Bentley answered and did not resist arrest, Pulkrabek said.
He said there are no other suspects in the case.
Gage's mother, Trena Gage, said she did not know Bentley was a registered sex offender.
The state's Sexual Offender Registry said Bentley was convicted in 1994 of lascivious acts with a child. He served two years of a five-year sentence.
He was at the Gage's house Thursday night, replacing the transmission in the family's minivan.
"She was just a really friendly, nice little girl and always says hello and out playing," neighbor Rob Johnson told CBS affiliate KGAN.
"We didn't know her personally but I do know that the tragedy has hit everybody in this neighborhood," said another neighbor, Ron Carr. "All the parents and everything is talking like we're going to be keeping a very close eye on our kids this summer."
Trena Gage said she met Bentley through his younger brother James. She said she and James Bentley dated about five years ago.
James Bentley also is in jail awaiting trial on a charge of second-degree sexual abuse.
Trena Gage was attending classes at Hamilton College the night her daughter was taken. Her mother and 7-year-old son were home at the time.
Police say Trena Gage's seven-year-old son saw his sister get in the truck with Bentley, minutes after the children's grandmother, Teresa Gage, told them it was about time to go to bed.
(© 2005 CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. )
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Roger Paul Bentley