W-OLF
04-19-2006, 01:07 AM
ORANJESTAD, Aruba (AP) - A 19-year-old Dutch man is being held by authorities on suspicion of involvement in Natalee Holloway's disappearance, the Aruban prosecutor's office said Tuesday. The man, identified only by his initials, G.V.C., also is suspected of drug offenses. He was scheduled to appear before a judge Tuesday for the first time since his arrest.
"G.V.C. is suspected of criminal offenses that may be related to the disappearance of Miss Holloway and of offenses related to dealing in illegal narcotics," the prosecutor's office said in a brief statement.
The prosecutor's office had not previously disclosed why the man was held.
Holloway, then 18, of Mountain Brook, Ala., was last seen leaving a bar with Dutch teen Joran van der Sloot and two Surinamese brothers on May 30 - the final night of her high school graduation trip to the Dutch Caribbean island. The three local men were jailed but later released after a judge ruled there was not enough evidence to hold them.
Authorities arrested the 19-year-old man on Saturday and prosecutors have asked the court for permission to hold him for at least eight days while they continue their investigation. The judge was expected to rule on the request at a closed hearing in Oranjestad, the capital.
The teen's lawyers did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.
The announcement by prosecutors that someone was being held in Holloway's disappearance was the first major development in months in a case that has featured numerous false leads and the arrest of seven people who were later released.
Lawyers for van der Sloot and the two Surinamese brothers have said the new detainee had not previously been mentioned in connection with the case.
The detainee's name has been reported by some media outlets, but Aruban authorities have only released his age and initials.
Holloway has been the subject of intensive searches involving Dutch marines, the FBI and hundreds of volunteers.
credit BellSouth
"G.V.C. is suspected of criminal offenses that may be related to the disappearance of Miss Holloway and of offenses related to dealing in illegal narcotics," the prosecutor's office said in a brief statement.
The prosecutor's office had not previously disclosed why the man was held.
Holloway, then 18, of Mountain Brook, Ala., was last seen leaving a bar with Dutch teen Joran van der Sloot and two Surinamese brothers on May 30 - the final night of her high school graduation trip to the Dutch Caribbean island. The three local men were jailed but later released after a judge ruled there was not enough evidence to hold them.
Authorities arrested the 19-year-old man on Saturday and prosecutors have asked the court for permission to hold him for at least eight days while they continue their investigation. The judge was expected to rule on the request at a closed hearing in Oranjestad, the capital.
The teen's lawyers did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.
The announcement by prosecutors that someone was being held in Holloway's disappearance was the first major development in months in a case that has featured numerous false leads and the arrest of seven people who were later released.
Lawyers for van der Sloot and the two Surinamese brothers have said the new detainee had not previously been mentioned in connection with the case.
The detainee's name has been reported by some media outlets, but Aruban authorities have only released his age and initials.
Holloway has been the subject of intensive searches involving Dutch marines, the FBI and hundreds of volunteers.
credit BellSouth