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Accused Kidnapper Pleads Not Guilty, Sister Says He Was On DrugsBy Jeff Raasch, ReporterRelated Content
CEDAR RAPIDS - Keith Elson Jr., accused of kidnapping a Cedar Rapids convenience store clerk, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday morning. His sister tells TV9 that he was high on drugs at the time of the alleged kidnapping.
Elson, 54, is accused of taking a 19-year-old store clerk at knife point from the Kwik Shop at 1001 First Ave. SW, in the early-morning hours of May 17. Police found the clerk and Elson inside his apartment about seven hours after the abduction. The victim told police Elson sexually abused her after he kidnapped her from the store, according to a search warrant. Moments after Tuesday’s brief arraignment, Elson and his sister, Vickii Hochstetler, talked as they sat on a bench outside the courtroom. Hochstetler said Elson “doesn’t remember a thing,” about the kidnapping. She said he was high on crack cocaine and had taken multiple medications that morning. He had written letters to his siblings, apologizing for his problems, and scrawled a message about ending his life onto a wall in his apartment, Hochstetler said. During their conversation, Hochstetler said her brother was concerned that the drugs he bought might have been laced with something else. He was eager to know exactly what was in his system. “Something just snapped,” said Hochstetler, still emotional from the conversation. “He’s not a violent person, only when he’s on the drugs.” During the arraignment, Elson spoke only a few words to Judge Thomas Koehler. Dressed in an orange jumpsuit and shackled at the ankles and wrists, his bearded face did not show any clues about what he was thinking. “Yes, sir,” said Elson, when Kohler asked him if his name was correct and if he was indeed pleading not guilty. Elson also waived his right to a speedy trial, through his attorney, Brian Sissel, of the Linn County Public Defender’s office. Hochstetler sat near the victim's mother. Hochstetler said she knew their family, but not the victim, before the kidnapping. Hochstetler said Elson was abused as a child and she believes that sent her brother down a dangerous path. She warned him that she would cut all ties with him if she knew he was back on drugs, and recently she stopped answering his calls. A week later, he was arrested on the kidnapping charge. Elson’s trial date has not been set. If convicted, he faces a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole. More Good Stuff |
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