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Police Pinpoint Source of Huisentruit's Diary Leak

By Becky Ogann

MASON CITY (AP) - Investigators say they have identified a former police chief's wife as the person responsible for sending a copy of a missing television anchor's diary to the Mason City newspaper.

Authorities say Cheryl Ellingson, wife of former Chief David Ellingson, admitted she sent the journal to the Globe Gazette. It had belonged to 27-year-old Jodi Huisentruit who disappeared on her way to KIMT-TV in June 1995.

The newspaper received a copy of the 84-page journal in a large envelope with no return address and a June 4 postmark from Waterloo.

Police officials say that when David Ellingson resigned he inadvertently took a copy of the diary. They say his wife found the copy as they were preparing to move and decided to share it with the Globe Gazette.

Investigators say no laws were broken and no charges will be filed.
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Friday, Aug 1 at 5:56 PM adam butler wrote ...

the killer is keith dwayne nelson he mundered her and blood on jodi's clothes was found in the ford encloine van he dropped her body in minnesota. he was capered in 1999.

Tuesday, Jul 1 at 10:09 AM LMK wrote ...

To DEATH PENALTY: There is a HUGE difference between a joint and a journal. One is illegal, one is not.

Tuesday, Jul 1 at 10:08 AM LMK wrote ...

Haha, I must laugh at some of you who think there was an illegal act that took place in this. If an officer leaks information to his wife or media, yes, he can get canned from the job, but there are no legal actions that can be taken against either of them. It is not a matter for the Patriot Act. It violates nothing, but leaves the public to decided the morality and ethical issues of it. Everyone has every right to know what Jodi may have said in her diary in the fact she could implicate someone

Monday, Jun 30 at 10:59 PM Fuming Mad wrote ...

How come my comment that I submitted Friday night (6-27-08) still has not made this board? Is someone practicing censorship? Hmmmmmm, its a MYSTERY!

Monday, Jun 30 at 6:44 PM Amber wrote ...

I see the point I was making with my comment was missed. Yes, it would've been equally tragic if she had not been young or beautiful. Maybe people should channel the energy they put into criticizing unimportant things into something a little more productive. I was simply saying its a very sad situation. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Jodi, and I pray they get some answers to all of this someday.

Monday, Jun 30 at 12:23 PM To Texas wrote ...

I'll tell you what, I will retake 'Eng 101' after you get ypurself a copy of Hooked on Phonics!

Monday, Jun 30 at 12:18 PM Caroline wrote ...

Amber, woud the situation be less tragic had the victim not been young and beautiful?

Monday, Jun 30 at 12:13 PM wow wrote ...

Man, I bet if they had a more competent police chief they would have found Jodi by now. Yes, my comment is cold, but if you think about it, it's the truth....mishanding evidence, etc etc. If the chief did this with the case, I wonder what ELSE he did....(meaning, how much more info he withheld/mishandled)

Sunday, Jun 29 at 9:50 PM Hate No It Alls wrote ...

what kind of looser has time to sit here and argue with some idiot about something that their oppinion doesn't matter anyway. Go use your time to help cleanup in C.R.

Sunday, Jun 29 at 8:57 PM SMQB wrote ...

Dave-it doesn't matter whether he was the POLICE CHIEF or not, he should not have kept a copy for himself and allowed a civilian (his wife) to have access to it. It's wrong and unethical. Get a grip and read up on case law.

Sunday, Jun 29 at 4:22 PM Dan wrote ...

Jack Go back to law school. It was a COPY of the transcript. The diary ITSELF is evidence. Its called "real evidence." The copy is not. Under these set of circumstances the evidence is not "tainted" and would be admissable.

Sunday, Jun 29 at 4:07 PM DAVE wrote ...

The orgininal is in Des Moines. It is in the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations. The Police Chief had a copy of the diary, because HE IS THE POLICE CHIEF!!!! or should I say was. I don't believe she should have sent a copy to the newspaper, but that won't make the evidence inadmissiable, for the simple reason that it is a copy and nothing more. I don't believe the diary will be the case breaker anyways. You people watch way to much Law and Order and CSI.

Sunday, Jun 29 at 1:30 PM DEATH PENALITY wrote ...

IT WAS ILLEGAL I SAW USE THE DEATH PENALTY ON HER, WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO OWNED A JOINT IN JAIL FOR 20 YEARS, I SAY STEALING EVIDENCE IS A CAPITAL OFFENSE!

Sunday, Jun 29 at 9:32 AM Carson's Mom wrote ...

This is absolutely ridiculous! There should be a public outcry against the PC's wife. No charges have been filed? Are you kidding me? Why not? Being married to the PC shouldn't mean a free ticket to do whatever you want with EVIDENCE! Is there a lawyer out there that can answer this question: isn't this action (sending evidence to the media without permission when you shouldn't even have access to that evidence in the first place) a felony? Where's the justice? Nice job Blackhawk County

Sunday, Jun 29 at 12:00 AM Amber wrote ...

To the spelling criticizer - I think you are losing sight of what's really important, which is the fact that a beautiful young has been missing for 13 years. And her family may never know what happened. It's too bad these message boards are used for voicing such pettiness.

Saturday, Jun 28 at 11:31 PM Jack wrote ...

This whole case is very strange. Not only her disapperance but this diary, what in God's name is it doing out of an evidence bin and in possession of a ex police chief's wife? That evidence is now inadmissible. This does make me think that Jodi's disappearance was not that of a stranger or serial killer but someone there in Mason City that knew her and had some sort of relationship with her that led to her demise out of anger or frustration.

Saturday, Jun 28 at 10:34 PM Mark wrote ...

Cheryl Ellingson is a nut. What kind of idiot would do that sort of thing. She should be arrested right along with her husband for this. I am glad her husband was given the choose to quite or be fired. He was a worthless Officer. She needs to have her head examined and move out of this area. We don't need their kind around here.

Saturday, Jun 28 at 7:50 PM A charge suggestion wrote ...

How about the former police officer be charged with taking evidence? How did he get by with taking that? No one noticed?

Saturday, Jun 28 at 7:13 PM Anonymous wrote ...

Why was this even in a place where she could access it, was it not supposed to be evidence. This insane intrusive woman should be put behind bars for tampering with evidence and obstructing justice!

Saturday, Jun 28 at 7:08 PM Texas wrote ...

She did not file for copyright laws. anyone can print something someone writes unless they pay money to have it copyright. Some you people in Iowa need to go back Eng 101 in highschool....

Saturday, Jun 28 at 3:19 PM Rose Williams wrote ...

I think that the real copy of her journal will eventually come behind the copy that was sent. Becuse someone had to have made the fake,maybe this mystery will be solved and soon.

Saturday, Jun 28 at 9:20 AM bob wrote ...

shame on this woman !!! why ??? why would anyone in their right mind do such a thing !??? She is a criminal and so is her husband as far as I'm concerned !!!

Saturday, Jun 28 at 9:02 AM SMQB wrote ...

Her diary was evidence. The PC should not have kept a copy for his own use. It should not have been in an area where civilians could have gotten it. The newspaper did the right thing by calling the police. This entire thing stinks. What else did the PC keep for himself?

Saturday, Jun 28 at 8:19 AM Larry wrote ...

I am so so sorry for my spelling. I guess I should be beaten to with in 1 inch of my life. I can't think of any thing worse than misspelling a word. Shame om me. Thank you very much for your comment.

Saturday, Jun 28 at 8:03 AM Anonymous wrote ...

Used to live in Mason City. Chief Ellingson was not a good Chief of Police. He was given a choice - resign or be fired. He should have never had a copy in his possessions to begin with. Too bad his actions resulted in this. Not every officer is a bad cop but there are ones here and there that are. And unfortunately, they make it tough for those that do a great job. Chief Ellingson really should be ashamed of his actions.

Saturday, Jun 28 at 3:54 AM Bridge For Sale wrote ...

This police CHIEF "inadvertently kept" evidence when he resigned?!? Do they have no controls on the handling of evidence? Isn't stealing evidence from an ongoing case illegal? If her body ever turns up now, they won't be able to prosecute anybody because of their mishandling of evidence! And how well does this police dept handle evidence in other cases?

Friday, Jun 27 at 11:29 PM Anonymous wrote ...

Lets get the people from CSI involved. They can solve a triple homicide and insurance fraud within an hour.

Friday, Jun 27 at 10:59 PM JC wrote ...

As the article states it was a copy of the diary. Not the original. Where is the original and why is there a copy or more floating about.

Friday, Jun 27 at 10:41 PM Adam wrote ...

Don't be so naive. The family doesn't have closure yet. Anything that keeps her name in the headlines could result in them becoming closer to solving the mystery. Sure the diary leak doesn't help the case directly, but now her name is in the news again and people are thinking about it. If Cheryl Ellingson was a smart women she would have scanned every page of the diary and leaked it on to the internet as a PDF document, instead of sending it to a newspaper that reported it to the police.

Friday, Jun 27 at 10:22 PM Anonymous wrote ...

How could no laws be broken by sending someone else's diary to a newspaper - presumably to be published? Doesn't the author of a nonpublished diary hold copyright? Under copyright law? And what about violation of privacy? Isn't reading someone's diary without permission analagous to being a peeping tom? The police may have had permission to read it to search for clues - but a police officer's wife? And a newspaper's staff?

Friday, Jun 27 at 9:39 PM burn the bit** wrote ...

she has wounded the family of Jody again. Why don't they arrest that .... and show the whole world that it is wrong to hide evidence. Maybe Jody was involved with her husband and she killed Jody??? Maybe???

Friday, Jun 27 at 8:32 PM To Larry wrote ...

I don't know what comunism is, but communism starts when people don't know how to spell properly. Actually, Larry, I suggest you apply for a job at KCRG, you seem to have as good of a grasp of the English language as 3/4 of the people they have writing copy for them.

Friday, Jun 27 at 8:06 PM confused wrote ...

Why in the world would this lady do this? It is cruel, irresponsible, wrong, deceiving, misleading. I feel bad for Huisentruit's family if the appearance of this journal copy created any kind of hope... This lady and her husband should be ashamed!

Friday, Jun 27 at 7:04 PM Anonymous wrote ...

I am sure if it weren't a former policeman's wife they would cook up some charges.

Friday, Jun 27 at 6:49 PM Larry wrote ...

Isn't it about time our government quits hiding every thing from the American people. That's how comunism starts.

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