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FROM STAFF REPORTS

Police continued Wednesday to gather evidence for possible charges against an Ark City man in connection with the disappearance and death of Jodi Sanderholm.

Officials had not confirmed by Traveler press time that the female body found Tuesday in rural southeastern Cowley County was Sanderholm, but sources familiar with the investigation said it appears to be that of the missing 19-year-old college student.

Authorities said they are preparing charges against a "known suspect" in custody, pointing fingers to but not naming a man police and others have described as "a groupie" of the Cowley College Tigerette Danceline, of which Jodi is a member.

The man has been in custody on unrelated charges since last weekend after police located him for questioning in the Sanderholm case.

Police are not ruling out the possibility that multiple people were involved.

"The Arkansas City Police Department is following up on any information they receive that another individual an/or individuals may have also been involved in Jodi Sanderholm's disappearance," a press release issued Wednesday morning states.

The state Attorney General's office has agreed to assist in pending prosecution of the case, county officials said.

The female body was found by trackers from Ark City and Burden fire departments early Tuesday morning in southeastern Cowley County, about eight miles from the Cowley State Fishing Lake, police said.

At about 4:30 p.m., searchers pulled Jodi's black Dodge Stratus from near a boat launch.

She and her car had been missing since about 1 p.m. Friday.

An autopsy of the body is scheduled for today in Wichita and will be attended by detectives from ACPD and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Searchers used sonar to locate Jodi's car just a few feet from the lakeshore, said Tim Miller, founder and director of Texas-based EquuSearch.

"We verified the license plate number and went ahead and hooked the cable on the pickup to the front axle of the car so it wouldn't drift off," he said. "Law enforcement then came out and took underwater photos, and then we recovered the vehicle. "

He complimented local law enforcement for asking for help and working hard.

"I've been on the other side of that fence when my own daughter was killed," he said.

The suspect

Police have been questioning a young adult who worked at Subway -- the location where Jodi was last seen.

Police began questioning him shortly after Jodi's disappearance and placed him in custody on outstanding charges that included bond revocation for theft and impersonating a police officer. His bail is $33,000, sheriff officials said.

Both of those incidents took place the weekend before Jodi's disappearance on Friday. The man was arrested Sunday, Dec. 31, for allegedly stealing cash from a woman's purse in Winfield, Police Chief Jerry DeVore said.

The next day, he was arrested for impersonating a police officer and disorderly conduct -- both misdemeanors -- in Ark City while trying to gain entry into a home. Police said he worked for Morris Bail Bonds, but a person who answered the phone there told the Traveler he did not.

The man was not placed in jail Jan. 1 because he complained of chest pains and was taken for medical treatment.

His next encounter with police was last weekend after Jodi's disappearance, when they re-arrested him for the impersonation charge and a disorderly conduct charge.

On Monday, an Ark City woman filed a restraining order against the man. She claims he had been stalking her by sitting outside family members' homes for hours and text messaging her every day. She also said the man threatened to pick her up for Morris Bail Bonds.

She said she was "scared, nervous, terrified" for her young daughter and "I cannot go anywhere alone. He always finds me."

The woman wrote in her complaint that the man worked at Subway. A female who answered the phone there Tuesday said that he did work there.

The man has faced other minor charges dating back to 2004, including pending charges from November 2005 on burglary, theft and illegal possession of several substances, court records show.

He received a diversion on disorderly conduct and obstruction of the legal process charges from June 2005, records show. It is not clear if he successfully completed the diversion program.

He was given probation for reduced charges after being arrested for criminal damage to property and theft in early 2004. He violated probation and was taken into custody February of 2005, records state.

Efforts to reach his family at their address in Ark City have been unsuccessful.

Interim Ark City Police Chief Sean Wallace said the investigation continues and that if anyone has any information they believe might be helpful they can call (620) 441-4444 or 1-800-KSCRIME.

He also implored the media and others to stay away from the crime scene to not taint the investigation.

County Attorney Chris Smith said Wednesday that he was working closely with Ark City police but could not predict when charges would be filed.

"The case has not been turned over to the county attorney's office yet," he said Wednesday morning.