Bentley

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The man accused of abducting and killing 10-year-old Jetseta Gage bound her feet and tied a plastic bag over her head before hiding her body in a cabinet, according to court documents filed Wednesday.

Roger Paul Bentley, 37, was formally charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping Wednesday through trial information filed by Johnson County Attorney J. Patrick White.

Bentley, of Brandon, will remain at the Linn County Jail until his April 14 arraignment in Johnson County District Court. Bentley still faces a child stealing charge in Linn County for allegedly taking Gage from outside her Cedar Rapids home on the evening of March 24. The abduction triggered a statewide Amber Alert.

According to the trial information: Bentley "sexually abused and seriously injured" the girl, "bound her feet, tied a plastic bag over her head resulting in death by asphyxia." Bentley then hid Gage's body in a cabinet in an abandoned mobile home at 4703 Orval Yoder Turnpike S.W. Authorities arrested Bentley there early March 25.

Peter Persaud and Quint Meyerdirk, Bentley's attorneys, could not be reached for comment. No one answered the phone at their office late Wednesday afternoon.

The tip that led to Bentley's arrest, within 11 hours of the abduction, came from an unnamed acquaintance. The unidentified "acquaintance" said she knew Bentley for about four or five years and showed him the land where the abandoned mobile home was located a "couple days" before the abduction, according to 911 call transcripts released Monday.

Gage

The mobile home belongs to a woman with a Florida address. Her phone number is unlisted.

Within minutes of receiving the call, deputies rushed to the mobile home, arrested Bentley and then sorted through the mess of debris, boxes and furniture inside before finding the girl's body, Johnson County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek said.

According to Iowa's Sex Offender Registry, Bentley was convicted in 1994 of lascivious acts with a 7-year-old child in Benton County. He was sentenced to five years in prison and served two.

Bentley's brother, James Bentley, 33, is awaiting trial on a felony charge that he molested Jetseta Gage between Jan. 1, 2002, and Nov. 17, 2004. Trena Gage, Jetseta's mother, and an unidentified minor child were subpoenaed March 16 for James Bentley's case, online court records show.

Roger Bentley made his initial appearance last week in Johnson County District Court. His bond was set at $2 million.

Iowa Department of Human Services officials have said the department would investigate the girl's abduction and death. The investigation is expected to be complete this month.

Reach Mike McWilliams at 339-7360 or mmcwilliams@press-citizen.com.