Cops: Dad, others halt sex offender taking girl at church

A father and other parishioners rescued his 4-year-old girl from a registered sex offender who tried to kidnap her from Santa Cruz Catholic Church, a Tucson police spokesman said Sunday night.
The child's father and the others held the man, who did not resist, until police arrived and arrested him, said Sgt. Mark Robinson.
Arrested was John Drusts, 56, who lives near South Campbell Avenue and East 36th Street.

Robinson said Drusts was booked into the Pima County Jail on suspicion of kidnapping, failure to register his address, as is required of convicted sex offenders, and on suspicion of failure to carry identification, also required of convicted sex offenders.
He was being held without bail pending an initial court appearance in the case.

Robinson said Drusts had been living in Tucson for more than a year without registering as a sex offender.
He had come here from Phoenix, Robinson said.
The state Department of Public Safety sex offender Web sight does not list Drusts as an absconder, listing an address in Phoenix for him that last was verified in October 2006.

Robinson said Drusts, who had gone before to the church at South Sixth Avenue and West 22nd Street, and was familiar with its layout, went there Sunday morning.

About 11 a.m., Robinson said, Drusts made his way to the church cafeteria, where he pushed the little girl's 7-year-old brother aside, then picked up the girl and made his way toward another area of the church and to a door leading outside.

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