Schmidt Alive! Arrest sought

SCHMIDT

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 1/22/2011 at 10:07:18

Bellevue Herald-Leader, April 6, 1978

SCHMIDT ALIVE!
Arrest sought

Jackson County attorney Tom Peckosh confirmed Tuesday that evidence had been found that Leonard Schmidt of Bellevue voluntarily disappeared and was not the victim of foul play. Schmidt had been missing since June 1, 1976, when he left work at the now defunct Bellevue Ford Company for lunch and never returned. Schmidt’s car was discovered the next day abandoned on a gravel road near the Mississippi River north of Bellevue. Officials at that time speculated that Schmidt had either drowned or fallen victim to foul play. Officials dragged the river near there and scoured the woods with blood hounds looking for the man or his body. Evidence uncovered at that time indicated that Schmidt had left his car and got into another vehicle nearby. That was the last that was seen of Schmidt in this area. But according to Peckosh, a recent check of Schmidt’s social security records indicated that he had traveled from Iowa to California. Peckosh explained that there is a relatively new Federal law that under certain circumstances, allows us to get social security information. It is connected with tracing down fathers who aren’t supporting their families. He said his office took a stab at that and that information was obtained indicating that Schmidt’s social security number had been used for a short period of time in Roseville, California during the summer of 1976. Roseville is near Sacramento in northern California. He was at this one place for a couple of weeks Peckosh said. Peckosh stated that to confirm it was Schmidt using the social security number, he requested and received a sample of the handwriting of the person using the number in California. We sent it to the BCI lab and in their opinion it was the same party, he said. But he noted that, since that time, no further evidence of Schmidt’s whereabouts has been discovered. Peckosh said that the social security evidence was enough to convince him that Schmidt was indeed alive and had abandoned his family. On the strength of that evidence, Peckosh last week filed charges of desertion against Schmidt and a warrant for his arrest was issued Monday. That was the first legal action taken against Schmidt. With the warrant on record, should Schmidt be arrested in California or even stopped for a routine traffic check and recognized, he would be arrested and held for Iowa authorities. Peckosh said in an interview Tuesday that he was not interested in punishing Schmidt. I’d just really like to get him back for his family, Peckosh said. Under the Iowa code section with which Schmidt was charged, he could be sentenced for up to one year in the penitentiary or for six months in the county jail. If he just pulled stakes it’s a bad deal for the family, Peckosh said. He should have at least told them he was leaving.