Hospital may give suspect an alibi in Vegas

Keith Paul

Thursday, Aug. 24, 2000 | 11:23 a.m.

An ex-convict charged with snatching and molesting an 8-year-old California girl earlier this month may have been in a San Jose, Calif., hospital on or near the date when 7-year-old Las Vegan Karla Rodriguez was last seen.

Curtis Dean Anderson, 39, was charged Aug. 12 with kidnapping and 10 other crimes including sexually assaulting an 8-year-old Vallejo girl. Metro Police started looking for links between Anderson and Rodriguez's disappearance after investigators discovered he registered in Clark County as an ex-felon in March.

Metro Police are working with California authorities to determine if Anderson was in Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose on Oct. 20, the date Rodriguez failed to return home. But hospital officials, citing a California law, refuse to say if Anderson was a patient unless police get a warrant.

Vallejo Police and the FBI are seeking the warrant as they compile a time line of Anderson's whereabouts from the time he was released from prison early last year until he registered as an ex-felon in Clark County in March 2000.

"We don't have anything that places him in Las Vegas (on Oct. 20), but we also don't have anything to say he wasn't there either," Lt. JoAnn West, Vallejo Police spokeswoman, said.

In September Anderson was in a motorcycle accident, and his injuries required several visits to the hospital, said Terry Thornton, California Department of Corrections spokeswoman. What is unknown is whether hospital visits in October included Oct. 20.

Detective Roberto Juarez, of Metro's missing persons unit, said he was disappointed the California hospital was not being more cooperative.

While police have found no connections between Anderson and Rodriguez, the California case and Rodriguez's disappearance "are quite similar, enough for us to take a solid look at Mr. Anderson," Juarez said.

Anderson has been in prison 10 times in the past 14 years for convictions and parole violations, California prison officials said.

He was released most recently early last year on a "high-control level," which required a monthly visit to his parole officer, an unannounced home visit from his parole officer and a third check, Thornton said.

Anderson was not allowed to leave the state without permission until he completed his parole in November.

Rodriguez was last seen playing with friends a few blocks from her home near the corner of Sixth Street and St. Louis Avenue the evening of Oct. 20. Rodriguez's mother last saw her as the 7-year-old walked to school that morning.

The 8-year-old Vallejo girl was abducted Aug. 10 as she walked home from school and was found Aug. 12 after police said she escaped from being held captive in shackles in Anderson's van.

Anderson pleaded not guilty last week during a court hearing to the charges in connection with abduction of the California girl.

Police are also investigating Anderson in connection with the Dec. 9 disappearance of 7-year-old Xiana Fairchild, who was last seen on her way to school in Vallejo.