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David Perry, suspect in Kelly Rothwell police cadet disappearance, has Elmira, New York home searched while under arrest

Posted in News Articles, tagged , , , , , , on April 10, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Elmira, New York — Police have searched the upstate New York home of David Perry, prime suspect in the case of missing police cadet Kelly Rothwell.

Perry was Kelly Rothwell’s boyfriend and detectives in Pinellas County say he is their prime suspect in her disappearance.

David Perry has been placed under arrest in New York on unrelated charges. And as Perry sits in jail, a state police car sits in front of his house in western Elmira.

That state police officer’s colleagues were busy inside the house Monday. Armed with a search warrant, investigators spent more than three hours at the house.

They left carrying four bags of evidence. They were filled mostly with paperwork; one envelope was marked “Receipts 2011.”

None of this is directly related to the disappearance of Kelly Rothwell.

Kelly Rothwell

She’s the Indian Rocks Beach police cadet who vanished last year after telling her best friend she was going to break up with Perry, her boyfriend.

Perry is locked up on charges he stole from the State of New York by getting disability payments he didn’t qualify for.

Investigators said the search focused purely on those charges.

During the search, a police dog and K-9 officer were behind the house. The police spokesman would not say why the dog was used.

Police entered Perry’s detached garage, got into his Honda Civic, and backed it up onto his gravel driveway for further searching.

Police could be heard hammering or pounding something inside the garage. The police had no comment about the sound.

What if officers searching for financial information stumble onto some evidence relating to Kelly Rothwell’s disappearance?

That wouldn’t necessarily be all good news. Officers would likely have to go get a new warrant to seize that evidence.

And if a judge rules that the new evidence was found in a way that’s illegal or unfair, he or she can ban that evidence from being used against Perry in court.

Police say they may be back at Perry’s home Tuesday.

He’s currently being held in a county jail in New York. If he pays his $25,000 bail amount, a veteran reporter in the area says he’d likely be transferred immediately to a jail in a different county where his bail has been already revoked.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/249977/250/Missing-Cadet-Case-Suspects-home-searched

Grayson Kamm, 10 News

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Timeline: What Happened to Kelly Rothwell?

Posted in News Articles, tagged , , , , , on April 27, 2011 |

With the 35-year-old police cadet missing without a trace and no leads to her whereabouts, Patch recreates a time line of her disappearance and the events that followed.

By Leigh Clifton | Email the author | April 6, 2011

It has been nearly a month since the Indian Rocks Beach resident Kelly Rothwell disappeared.

There have been no sightings, cell phone calls or credit card purchases that would suggest Rothwell is safe or even alive, since the 35-year-old Indian Rocks Beach woman dropped out of sight on March 12.

As family, friends, associates and police investigators hunt for Rothwell, Patch has created a timeline that marks her disappearance and the events that have followed.

It shows how quickly friends, her immediate family and investigators responded, when Rothwell — who has been described as dependable — disappeared.

Rothwell’s absence was first noticed when she failed to meet some friends from the police academy for a Saturday night out. She was not at her desk at the St. Pete Police Academy on Monday morning.

The timeline also shows how the departure of David Perry, Rothwell’s live-in boyfriend, for New York coincided with her disappearance.

Perry, a 46-year-old retired New York State prison guard, first refused to talk with investigators, but then said last week he does not know what happened to her.

1:30-3:38 p.m., Saturday, March 12th: Rothwell has lunch with friend Donna Scharrett at Chili’s Restaurant on Rt. 19, Clearwater. She leaves the restaurant,telling Scharrett she’s headed to her Indian Rocks Beach condominium to break up with live-in boyfriend David Perry. A time stamp on Scharrett’s lunch receipt shows the two settling up and heading out at 3:38 p.m. Rothwell drives away in her Subaru.

4:30-5:30 p.m., March 12th: Downstairs neighbor Ken Williamson and his wife hear a loud pounding noise on the floor of Rothwell’s condominium, which is directly above the unit where he and his wife live. The pounding sounds like something being dropped on the carpeted floor, Williamson said. It is followed by the sound of a vacuum cleaner running in Rothwell’s master bedroom.

6:30 p.m., March 12th: Rothwell is a no-show for a planned get-together at Caddy’s, on Sunset Beach, that include some of the cadets at the St. Petersburg Police Academy.

6:30 p.m., March 12th: Scharrett gets a text from Rothwell’s phone, advising that she will call later. Scharrett recalls there are misspellings, which are unusual for Rothwell.

Before midnight March 12th: Perry, Rothwell’s live-in boyfriend, leaves Indian Rocks Beach for Elmira, NY. Perry leaves behind many belongings.

10 a.m., Sunday March 13th: Bill Nobles, a police cadet and classmate of Rothwell, calls Scharrett, asking if she has seen Rothwell, who did not show up for the party at Caddy’s.

10:15 a.m., March 13th: Scharrett tries Rothwell’s cell phone several times, with no answer. Scharrett is worried about her friend’s safety, since Rothwell had disclosed that she and Perry have had “domestic” problems. Scharrett calls Nobles back, and he advises her to call the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and ask for a “House Check” for her friend. She contacts the Sheriff’s Office, which dispatches a patrol car.

11 a.m., March 13th: Scharrett hears back from the Sheriff’s Office that no one is at the condominium and that vehicles belonging to Perry and Rothwell are not in their assigned parking spaces at the condominium complex.

Noon, March 13th: With the help of neighbors who have a key, deputies enter Rothwell’s condo and find no one at home.

Early afternoon, March 13th: Rothwell’s green Subaru is found a couple miles from her house, parked near a Holiday Inn.

9 p.m., March 13th: Homicide Detective Michael Bailey, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, goes to Scharrett’s home and takes a statement from Rothwell’s best friend.

Monday, March 14th: Rothwell does not show up at the St. Pete Police Academy. Prior to this, she has never missed a day of class.

March 14th: David R. Perry, Perry’s 21-year-old son, shows up at the condo and tries to remove a cardboard box, which detectives take into their possession and have at this time.

March 15th: Florida detectives make contact with Perry in Elmira, New York, but the retired corrections officer refuses to talk with investigators or to allow New York police to search his car.

Monday, March 21: Nancy Rothwell, Kelly’s mother, meets Scharrett at her daughter’s condo. She tries to assist in the search for her daughter.

Tuesday, March 22: William Constantine, a close friend of Scharrett, meets Nancy Rothwell at Kelly’s condo. Constantine is a psychic and medium who offers his assistance at no charge to the Rothwell family.

Wednesday, March 23rd: TV’s Nancy Grace interviews Rothwell’s neighbor, Ken Williamson, her sister Kristen and psychic William Constantine. The case starts to get national attention.

March 24th: Perry surrenders his car to New York detectives. Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office executes a second search warrant of the Indian Rocks Beach condominium that Rothwell shared with Perry.

10:30 a.m., Sunday, March 27th: Detectives with Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Homicide Division, learn David Perry has returned to Florida and is cleaning out a storage locker at a local storage facility. They approach him and ask him to provide a DNA sample. Perry refuses.

Friday, April 1st: New York attorney Thomas Reilly tells the Associated Press that his client, David Perry, did nothing wrong and does not know the whereabouts of Kelly Rothwell. He also asserts his client’s right to refuse to speak to police.

April 1-3rd: Perry is seen driving a gray rental car near his home at 1708 W. Church St., in Elmira, NY.

Wednesday, April 6: Kelly Rothwell is still missing. Friends and loved ones keep vigil for Rothwell via the Facebook Page titled: “Help Find Kelly Rothwell.”

Wednesday, April 13: St. Pete Police Academy is scheduled to graduate its spring class of recruits. Rothwell’s name is listed among the students, with the notation: “Not in attendance.” There will be a candlelight vigil and prayer circle to honor Rothwell following the 6 p.m. graduation ceremony.

http://largo.patch.com/articles/timeline-what-happened-to-kelly-rothwell-2

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ONLY on 10: Teams head to Fla. to look for missing cadet

Posted in News Articles, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 27, 2011 |

Apr 26, 2011

St. Petersburg, Florida – Her story has captured the attention of the nation.

Missing police cadet Kelly Rothwell is the subject of a massive search across the country. The 35-year-old disappeared without a trace on March 12th. She was last seen at a Clearwater Chili’s having lunch with her best friend. Kelly was on her way to the Indian Rocks Beach condo that she shared with her boyfriend, David Perry, to break up with him.

No one has seen her since then.

Detective Michael Bailey tells 10 News, “She could be anywhere in the United States, obviously, between Florida and New York. That’s an area David Perry is familiar with. Probably not a bad idea to check it out.”

Kelly’s ex-boyfriend, David Perry, is a retired corrections officer who detectives say fled to New York right after she went missing. He hasn’t helped in the search, detectives say.  In addition, he has not provided any DNA samples that they requested.

He won’t even do an interview or provide them with a timeline as to Kelly’s last whereabouts.

Kelly’s story has gained so much attention that the National group Cue Center for Missing Persons, out of North Carolina, is getting involved. They are bringing search teams and dogs to find her.

Group Founder Monica Caison says, “I was born and raised in the area and am familiar with the area. I can’t wait to start looking at some areas.”

Caison loves her career with the group that’s been around for 17 years.  It is her passion. She says the key to cracking this case is to keep Kelly’s story in the spotlight, and one way to do that is a website.

The website will be up and running by the end of the week. It’s called “Help find Kelly Rothwell.”

Caison says, “It gives us a place where people can send messages to the Rothwell family, as well as tips or leads.”

This weekend, a vigil is being organized for Kelly, not in Florida, but in Elmira, New York, her ex-boyfriend’s hometown. Kelly’s friends and family are hoping that the vigil brings more attention to her case and could encourage Perry to talk.

Detective Bailey says, “Elmira is a small town. I’m certain because of coverage, everyone is aware of the case, so it’s important for them to see that a lead may come from that.”

It could be that lead that allows detectives to find Kelly Rothwell in Pinellas County.

Detectives have also confirmed to 10 News that they are putting together billboards next month with Kelly’s information.  It could help jog someone’s memory. They are also continuing to speak with Kelly’s classmates at the police academy, where she was at the top of her class.

If you know where Kelly is or have any information on her disappearance, there’s a reward of up to $1,000 waiting for you.

You can remain anonymous.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/189062/250/ONLY-on-10-Teams-head-to-Fla-to-look-for-missing-cadet

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Neighbors Plan Vigil For Kelly Rothwell

Posted in News Articles, tagged , , , , , , on April 27, 2011 |

Published: 4/26

Elmira, N.Y. – As authorities continue the search for Kelly Rothwell, many Elmira neighbors are hoping to shed some light on the situation.

Kelly Rothwell is the girlfriend of David Perry.

The former Elmira man is a person of interest in her disappearance last month.  After she went missing, in Florida, Perry returned here to Elmira.

This on going situation has touched a number of neighbors here in the southern tier.  Some are planning a candle light vigil this weekend.

JoLynn Morgan is planning the vigil.  She said, “It’s a family event.  We have candles, bring candles, bring your good vibes and wishes for the Rothwell family.  We’re trying to bring Kelly home.”

Morgan says along with the candle light, there will be poems read.  She says there will also be a prayer reading lead by a local pastor.

If you’re interested in participating in vigil, you’ll need to head to Eldridge Park, this Saturday, April 30th.  It starts at 7:30 p.m. at the carousel.

David Perry is not considered at suspect in the Kelly Rothwell missing persons case, just a person of interest.

So far, he has refused to be questioned by authorities.

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TV’s Nancy Grace Explores Case of Missing Police Recruit Kelly Rothwell

Posted in News Articles, tagged , , , , on April 27, 2011 |

March 24, 2011

Neighbor Ken Williamson tells Nancy Grace he heard loud thumping noises on the floor above his head between 4p.m.- 5p.m. Saturday March 12th, which was about an hour after she was last seen in public.

TV talk show host Nancy Grace interviewed family, neighbors and a friend of missing St. Petersburg police cadet Kelly Rothwell on her HLN News show Wednesday night.

Grace called the mystery a “bombshell” and told viewers that Rothwell had disappeared into “thin air.”

Ken Williamson, a neighbor of Rothwell and her live-in boyfriend, David Perry, told Grace that on Saturday, March 12th,  he and his wife Mary heard loud thumping sounds coming from the upstairs condo where Rothwell and Perry lived.

“It sounded like four or five loud thumps, like some kind of heavy object, something with some substantial weight to it, was either slammed or dropped on the floor,” Williamson told the talk show host.

“My wife heard them at first. Of the four or five, I heard at least two.”

The Williamsons’ downstairs master bedroom is directly above Rothwell’s and Perry’s master bedroom; Williamson said that he was in his own master bedroom when he heard the thumping on the floor directly above his head.

Then Williamson said he heard vacuuming. It was something that he didn’t feel was unusual in that Perry often vacuumed several times a day.

Williamson considered going up to the apartment but did not think it was a good idea since he and Perry did not have a warm reationship.

“I thought about going up there and checking on things, maybe asking Dave if there was something wrong, after I heard the loud thumping noises,” he said.

“But when I heard the vacuum going, I figured to leave well enough alone. He never answered his door when somebody knocked. He also never answered his phone, so I didn’t go up there.”

Police continue to search for the 35-year-old police cadet, reported missing on Sunday, March 13 by a friend. David Perry went to New York the same weekend that his girlfriend disappeared. He refuses to discuss her whereabouts with police.

In a taped interview, Mary Williamson told producers she was afraid of Perry. Her husband recounted two separate incidents where authorities were called because of confrontations with Perry. In one case, Williamson filed a complaint with police, claiming that Perry stomped on his floor so hard that Williamson’s ceiling fan crashed to the floor.

Mary Williamson also was shown visibly upset and expressing worry that Rothwell was no longer alive. Grace also talked with one of Rothwell’s sisters, Kristen.

The TV show also had numerous photos of Rothwell that seemed to be from family photo albums, showing the young woman happy and smiling, on vacation and with relatives.

The show also had a video of Rothwell training as a recruit. Another video, taken from a store surveillance camera, showed her at Publix buying groceries on Saturday, March 12. No one has been able to trace her movements after that.

Grace also had nationally known psychic William Constantine as a guest, but cut him off twice as the program went to commercial. Constantine told viewers that he felt that Rothwell had been hit in the head and that some sort of serious altercation had taken place in the master bedroom. Constantine, who visited Rothwell’s Indian Rocks Beach condo, said he  smelled some sort of strong disinfectant cleaning solution when he went inside.

Constantine, in an interview after his appearance on the Nancy Grace show, said that the talk show host apologized and has offered to have him back on the show Thursday night at 8.p.m. He said that producers expressed interest in continuing to follow the case.

http://largo.patch.com/articles/tvs-nancy-grace-explores-case-of-missing-police-recruit-kelly-rothwell-2

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Missing Since March, Kelly Rothwell Honored by Fellow Police Cadets at Graduation Ceremony

Posted in News Articles, tagged , , , , , on April 27, 2011 |

April 14, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG – An empty chair with yellow sunflowers marked the seat that Kelly Rothwell would have taken, as Cadet Class 177 of the St. Petersburg Police Academy graduated Wednesday evening.The cadets were given their badges and certificates for completion of the academy program, as a crowd of law enforcement dignitaries and family members watched. The mood was positive but took a decidedly somber tone as the program began with a tribute to Rothwell, who has been missing since March 12.

Rothwell’s family, friends and investigators worry that she may be the victim of foul play. It is uncharacteristic of Rothwell not to stay in contact with loved ones, yet alone miss a day of police training school. Yet she is gone without a trace, and there has been so indication the 35-year-old has used her cell phone or credit cards.

She was last seen at a Clearwater Chili’s restaurant.

A lone bagpiper walked slowly down the aisle toward the dais where police chiefs from Tampa Bay municipalities sat with Academy Director John Dressback and coordinators Joe Smith and Lauren Dupont Wednesday.

Seated in the front row and escorted by cadets from class 178 were fraternal twins Lindsay and Lauren Rothwell, Kelly Rothwell’s sisters, and Donna Scharrett, Rothwell’s best friend.

Scharrett has been the most vocal local advocate for keeping the disappearance of her best friend in the public eye. The Rothwell sisters flew down to Florida from Baltimore Tuesday evening to attend the graduation and to receive a plaque honoring Rothwell’s achievements at the academy.

As the cadets entered into the large room and marched down the aisle, each carried a single orange Gerber Daisy and placed it in a vase at the front of the podium. Rothwell’s favorite color is orange, and the crowd was peppered with people wearing orange as a tribute to honor her.

The St. Pete Police Color Guard presented the colors, then John Dressback addressed the crowd and spoke of how this class, 177, had to endure more than any other class during its time at the academy.

“No Class,” he said, “has had to endure the loss of three veteran police officers and now one of their own, Kelly Rothwell, is missing. We’ve had a tough time here, but it has made us stronger, more determined and closer as a family, because that’s what we are.”

Dressback spoke fondly of Rothwell, whom he cited as a leader among her cadet class. Cadets Richard Bishop and Bill Nobles, with whom Rothwell was very close, came to the stage to speak of Rothwell.

Both men held back obvious emotion as they asked Rothwell’s sisters to the stage to accept a plaque from the cadet class. The plaque, designed from black granite in the shape of a police badge, paid tribute to Rothwell.

Part of the message stated: “We will never stop looking for you… Can’t stop, Won’t Stop.” Bishop and Nobles then presented the vase of orange Gerber Daisies to the sisters. They also presented them with a smaller plaque, with Rothwell’s name and her favorite saying; “When You Allow Yourself to Listen, Your Dreams Unfold.”

After the ceremony, the crowd went outside and was given candles to light as Rothwell’s plaque was placed against the flag pole, a flag pole that, as a cadet, Rothwell had taken on as her responsibility, leading the ceremony of raising and lowering the American flag for the cadet class.

As family and friends gathered around, the candles were placed around the plaque, the dying light of the day reflecting in the dark granite.

It was a silent prayer from the Cadet Class 177 to a fellow cadet… one who is still missing.

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Missing woman honored at St. Pete police academy

Posted in News Articles, tagged , , , , , , , on April 27, 2011 |

The sisters of Kelly Rothwell, Lauren, left, and Lindsey, take part in a candlelight vigil held after the graduation ceremonies for her cadet class.

April 13, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG – Kelly Rothwell was supposed to graduate from a St. Petersburg College police academy on Wednesday night.

Instead, her family and friends gathered outside the college’s Allstate Center and held a candlelight vigil in her honor.

Rothwell went missing one month ago, and no one has seen or heard from her since.

Lindsay Rothwell, Kelly’s twin sister, said she has no idea what happened to her.

The graduating class presented a plaque in Kelly Rothwell's memory to her family.

“We hold onto hope always,” Rothwell said. “Because she will come home. Somehow or another, she will come home.”

“I just wish that the person that might be responsible for all this would cooperate and talk to help all of us out,” Rothwell said.

On March 12, Kelly Rothwell told a close friend over lunch that she was going to break up with her live-in boyfriend David Perry, 46, a former New York state prison guard.

Perry was located by authorities in New York shortly after Rothwell was reported missing. He has refused to answer detectives’ questions about Rothwell and has also refused to take a DNA test.

Rothwell, 35, of Indian Rocks Beach was a police academy recruit since November. She had not missed a day until she was reported missing.

Rothwell’s mother, Nancy, said in March it was out of character for Rothwell to not contact family or friends for a long time. She said her daughter is a private person, so she didn’t share any concerns with her regarding any troubles she may have been having with Perry.

The missing woman’s sister said it has been hard.

“Every time you hear a phone call, you think it might be her or knock on the door,” Lindsay Rothwell said. “It’s heartbreaking.”

Anyone with information about the case should contact the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office at (727) 582-6200. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477) or go to http://www.crimestoppersofpinellas.org.

News Channel 8 reporter Peter Bernard contributed to this report.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2011/apr/13/132212/vigil-for-missing-woman-tonight-at-st-pete-police-/news-metro/

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Sheriff’s Office Executes Second Search Warrant at Kelly Rothwell’s Condo

Posted in News Articles, tagged , , , , , , on April 27, 2011 |

March 26, 2011

Calling the case of missing police cadet Kelly Rothwell suspicious, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s office executed a second search warrant Thursday at the Indian Rocks Beach condo, where Rothwell lived with her boyfriend David Perry.

Rothwell, a police cadet training in St. Petersburg, was reported missing March 13. She was last seen March 12, when she was on her way to break up with Perry, according to her friend Donna Scharrett, who first contacted police.

Det. Mike Bailey also released new information Friday about attempts by investigators to meet with Perry, who has refused to talk with detectives.

Bailey said that Perry, who left for New York the weekend Rothwell disappeared, has consented to have his vehicle searched by detectives there. He also is providing a timeline of his activities through a spokesman for his attorney.

Bailey said that Perry consented to only give information on three hours of that timeline. According to Bailey, it is unclear at this time whether or not Perry has, in fact, hired an attorney.

“The information we have received via email about Perry’s limited cooperation is from an attorney spokesperson. We are not aware if he has actually hired an attorney to represent him,” Bailey said. “Our question remains that we are left to wonder is why he would need an attorney if he has not been charged with any crime. We just don’t know.”

Bailey said that the Florida investigation included processing Rothwell’s car, found at a Holiday Inn two miles from her house. Bailey declined to say if any substantial evidence pertaining to Rothwell’s disappearance was found.

Detectives interviewed friends, family and neighbors of Rothwell and Perry.

Bailey confirmed that on March 14 David Perry’s son, David Perry Jr., showed up at the condo and tried to remove a cardboard box, which detectives took into their possession and have at this time.

Bailey has declined to describe the contents of the box. Perry Jr., who lives near Indian Rocks Beach, then left Florida and returned to Elmira, New York. Bailey said that Perry Jr. just returned to Florida.

Perry Sr. has been unavailable for comment.

The last time anyone heard from Rothwell was March 12, when she had lunch with Scharrett at a Chili’s restaurant. Scharrett said that Rothwell told her she planned to end her relationship with Perry.

Rothwell had planned to move in with friends in the Palm Harbor area. Scharrett said that Rothwell had described Perry’s behavior as very controlling and possessive, and that he had been reading her emails.

Scharrett asked deputies to perform a welfare check at the condo. Neither Rothwell nor Perry were inside the condo, and both of their cars were gone. Most of the furniture and belongings were undisturbed.

http://clearwater.patch.com/articles/sheriffs-office-executes-second-search-warrant-at-kelly-rothwells-condo

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