The new focus of an investigation into poisonous letters sent to Barack Obama and two other government officials slipped away from police surveillance in Mississippi on Wednesday, the Associated Press reports.
Federal and local law enforcement in Mississippi are searching for James Everett Dutschke, 41, who has been under investigation since the FBI dropped charges against their first suspect, Paul Kevin Curtis.
Dutschke, who has not been charged in the ricin case, is currently the subject of a child molestation investigation by the Tupelo Police Department and the Lee County Sheriff’s Department, according to the Mississippi Clarion-Ledger.
Authorities searched Dutschke's home in Tupelo, Miss. Tuesday, as well as a home in nearby Ozark, Miss. where they believed he had been staying on Wednesday, according to AP.
Although Dutschke was at home when authorities searched his house on Tuesday, police believe he has disappeared and a friend is "helping him to lay low," AP reports.
During a court hearing on Monday, Curtis' lawyer accused Dutschke of framing Curtis for mailing the ricin-laced letters and said that the two men were rivals who had been feuding on Facebook.
Dutschke defended his innocence in a video posted Tuesday from his home and said, "I barely know the guy [Curtis]." While he and Curtis had argued, he told USA Today they were not rivals.
SEE ALSO: FBI Now Investigating Politician Who's Also An Accused Child Molester In Ricin Case
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