SHELBY, Iowa — The man who authorities suspect is connected to a series of kidnappings and sexual assaults in the Omaha area lives in a white, ranch-style home on the northwest edge of this quiet village.
There are flowers in the front yard, the lawn is mowed, and yellow ribbons are tied around two maple trees to celebrate a family member’s recent arrival from overseas.
Police said Todd A. Mills, 45, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of two counts of first-degree sexual assault, two counts of use of a weapon to commit a felony, one count of false imprisonment and one count of kidnapping.
One of the alleged assaults occurred in Omaha early last week, and the other occurred in September 2008.
Iowa authorities also are investigating whether Mills is connected to four other reported sexual assaults in the past two years.
In those cases, the women said they were abducted in Omaha, then driven to Council Bluffs. Some of the women in those cases were admitted prostitutes, authorities said.
“If it turns out to be (Mills) was involved in these Iowa cases, then I would characterize him as a serial rapist,” said Omaha Police Chief Alex Hayes. Authorities are checking Mills’ DNA to see if he might be linked to any other cases.
“We would like other victims to come forth if they may have been assaulted by this individual, whatever their lifestyle,” Hayes said.
News of the Mills’ arrest shocked many Shelby residents.
A local official described Mills as a 20-year veteran of Shelby’s volunteer fire department. He is a married churchgoer with five children, the youngest barely old enough for elementary school.
Mills’ wife and employer declined to comment. Neighbors also generally declined to speak. In a local cafe, a man urged customers to keep quiet.
Mills’ grown son and daughter were at home Wednesday afternoon, but they said little about their father or the investigation.
“We’ve got nothing to say on this,” said a man at the house who identified himself as one of Mills’ sons.
“As much as the police have emotionally distressed us on this. ... He’s a good guy, that’s all I have to say.”
Mills has had several contacts with law enforcement officers in Nebraska and Iowa, mostly for traffic-related violations.
The latest reported sexual assault occurred Aug. 2, when a woman said she was abducted from 24th and Evans Streets about 5 a.m.
Police said the 31-year-old woman was grabbed from behind by a man with a gun sticking out of his waistband. He was shirtless and wore a red bandanna over his head.
The woman told police that he forced her into a red four-door vehicle and drove to the city tree dump lot at 11th and Locust Streets, where he sexually assaulted her.
Her description of the attacker caught the attention of a member of Omaha’s sexual assault unit. It matched a person who was often seen loitering in parts of the city frequented by prostitutes.
Meanwhile, a former police officer called in a similar description of a suspicious person who had been stopped and questioned while loitering in similar areas.
That information led police Tuesday to Mills’ workplace, ACU Air Conditioning, 2450 St. Mary’s Ave. in Omaha. Police said Mills was taken to Central Police Headquarters for questioning and arrested.
Police said they found a handgun in Mills’ vehicle, and Iowa officers found other evidence during a search of his home in Shelby.
Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker said he is investigating whether Mills might be responsible for four reported sexual assaults in Iowa. Some of the women assaulted were admitted prostitutes, Danker said.
“We’ve been working with the Omaha Police Department very closely on this case, and the description of this individual is very similar to the man responsible for four assaults in our county,” Danker said.
The Iowa investigations involve four incidents where women were taken from Omaha to Council Bluffs. All four were left on River Road, near I-29 north of the city, Danker said.
Danker said DNA evidence his office received last week from the state crime lab in Ankeny found a match in two of the assaults.
One of the assaults was reported in December 2008, when a 38-year-old woman said she was abducted near 42nd and Leavenworth Streets in Omaha, Danker said.
The other incidents were June 10 of this year, when a 48-year-old said she was taken from 24th and Laird Streets; May 14, when a 33-year-old said she was abducted from 29th Street and Park Avenue; and Aug. 1, 2009, when a 44-year-old woman said she was taken from 24th and Binney Streets.
Detectives from both jurisdictions are asking that those who may have been the victim of a similar crime that went unreported contact investigators with the Omaha Police Department’s child victims-sexual assault unit at 402-444-5636, or Pottawattamie Sheriff’s Office at 712-890-2221.
World-Herald staff writers Kevin Cole and Jason Kuiper contributed to this report.
Contact the writer:
444-1068, johnny.perez@owh.com
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