Sex Offender Jailed In Ashley Tucker's Disappearance

JOLIET, IL - Shortly before midnight, the Joliet Police Department issued a follow up press statement announcing that 42-year-old Joliet convicted sex offender Peter Zabala is now in custody for questioning related to the mysterious Oct. 13 disappearance of 25-year-old Ashley Tucker.

“I want to personally thank all of the citizens of Joliet and our media partners for their assistance in taking a known dangerous felon off the streets. This is a perfect example of when everyone in the City of Joliet works together of what can be accomplished in a short period of time," interim chief of police Al Roechner said in a press statement.

Police Sgt. Darrell Gavin told Joliet Patch that Zabala was taken into custody in the Joliet area.

Zabala had been in custody for four hours on Oct. 5 when the Will County Sheriff's Department picked him up on four counts of domestic battery. Zabala, who resides in the 100 block of Girard Boulevard, was given a $5,000 bail at the time, county jail logs reflect.

"I also want to thank each and every member of our department for their non-stop work ethic, and continuous dedication to protecting and serving the residents of our great city. We will continue in our efforts to find the truth as to what happened to Ashley, and will not stop until we can finally bring this investigation to a successful conclusion," Chief Roechner said. "Working with the community for a safe city, means more to us than words. It was proven today, and as we move forward we hope to continue to follow the example set by our citizens and our media partners for many more successful outcomes."

On Monday morning, Chief Roechner told Patch that officers arrested Zabala in the 1000 block of North Hickory Street. Besides the warrant for failing to register as a sex offender, Zabala was charged with two counts of resisting arrest and one count of unlawful restraint. Police say he was detaining a woman at the residence at the time of his arrest.

Roechner said Sunday night's arrest is a great example to illustrate how the community's partnership with the police force can make a tremendous difference. He said the department was bombarded with leads about Zabala's whereabouts throughout the day and one of those calls to detectives led to Zabala's hideout.

Zabala is "a violent criminal offender," the chief said.

Now, the detectives remain focused on finding Tucker and solving her disappearance. Roechner acknowledged that no one has seen or heard from her for the past 10 days. There have been no calls made from her phone and no activity on her credit and debit cards.

Roechner declined to disclose whether Zabala cooperated and gave the police detectives an interview after his arrest Sunday night. At the moment, Zabala has not been charged with any criminal offenses in connection with Ashley Tucker's disappearance and possible slaying.

"We are still working some leads. Our guys have been out on the street. We're getting closer, but we're not there yet. I believe we'll get there," Roechner said.

According to Joliet Police, Zabala was arrested around 9:15 p.m. on a warrant for failing to comply with the sex offender registration act and for questioning into the disappearance of Ashley Tucker.

"We still would ask if anyone comes into contact with Ashley Tucker, to please call 911 immediately. If anyone has any information on Ashley Tucker’s whereabouts or information pertaining to this case, to please call Joliet Police Detective Tizoc Landeros at 815-482-5625, or the Investigations Division at 815-724-3020," Roechner's statement urged residents of Joliet.

EARLIER PRESS STATEMENT

Around 1 p.m., the Joliet Police Department issued a press release Sunday afternoon seeking help finding person of interest Peter Zabala in the Oct. 13 disappearance of 25-year-old Ashley Tucker.

"Zabala is a person of interest in the disappearance of Ashley Tucker," Joliet Police announced earlier in the day.

The news release issued on Sunday afternoon indicated that "the investigation has led detectives to believe that Zabala was the last known person to see Ashley Tucker prior to her disappearance, within the vicinity of where some of her items were located. Zabala also exhibited suspicious activity before and after Ashley was reported missing."

Police said that they have made numerous attempts to find Zabala for questioning, but he continued avoid them. Zabala and Tucker knew each other, Joliet Police told Patch on Sunday.

"Detectives know Zabala is aware of the attempts to locate him, but has purposely evaded contact. Zabala knows he has an active Will County Warrant for failing to comply with the sex offender registration act. We ask if anyone comes into contact with Peter Zabala or Ashley Tucker, to please call 911 immediately. If anyone has any information on Peter Zabala or Ashley Tucker’s whereabouts, please call Joliet Police Detective Tizoc Landeros at 815-482-5625, or the Investigations Division at 815-724-3020.

Mugshot of Peter Zabala via Joliet Police