Norfolk, Va. - The father of a teenager missing in Norfolk was arrested over the weekend on six felony charges.
Wesley Hadsell, 36, is charged with four counts of obstruction of justice, one count of breaking and entering, and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.
The arrest happened the same day police received a tip and searched a three-mile radius along South Battlefield Boulevard in Chesapeake for his daughter, Anjelica "AJ" Hadsell, who hasn't been seen since March 2nd.
AJ disappeared from her home in the Tarrallton area of Norfolk. She was home for Spring Break from Longwood University. Investigators previously said they do not believe foul play was involved in her disappearance.
Police aren't saying what the tip was, or if Wesley Hadsell's arrest has anything to do with his daughter's disappearance.
The charges do, however, stem from an incident that occurred between March 6th and March 8th, just days after AJ disappeared.
Wesley Hadsell's sister, Wendy Hadsell-Stokes, spoke to NewsChannel 3 Monday about her brother's arrest and her niece's disappearance.
"When you have an arrest and everybody wants to deal with that and I understand that, but at the same time, you can't always just focus on one thing. AJ is still out there somewhere we have got to find her," she says. "I guess that's what bothers me is that everyone is passing judgement on him being a bad father. I never once saw him be a bad father to his kids."
When asked if she thought her brother had anything to do with AJ's disappearance, Wendy replied, " I want to believe he hasn't. He's my brother, I've known my brother all of his life. I've never known him to hurt anyone."
NewsChannel 3 has learned this isn't the first time Wesley Hadsell has been in handcuffs.
According to a 2005 press release from the Delaware County Sheriff's Office in Ohio, Hadsell was indicted for rape, kidnapping, assault and domestic violence.
The press release says the then 27-year-old was indicted on those charges just before his then estranged wife went missing. Those charges were later dropped.
Then a year later in 2006, the U.S. Attorney's Office confirmed Hadsell was arrested again, sentenced to 54 months in jail for a bank robbery in Fredericksburg.
Add that to other convictions NewsChannel 3 found both in North Carolina and Williamsburg. He was convicted on several different charges dating back to 1998, including Burglary and Felonious Restraint. According to court documents, in 1998, when Hadsell was 19-years-old, he was convicted of running away with a 15-year-old girl, who was his girlfriend at the time.
NewsChannel 3 had the opportunity to ask Hadsell questions about his criminal past and how some may believe he had something to do with AJ Hadsell's disappearance.
"I don't know where my daughter is, I don't have any information about this case as far as I can bring closure to this case. My past is my past. Everyone that knows me knows my past."
We asked him what he would say to AJ, and he broke down saying he'd tell her he loved her and that her family loves her.
The public defender would not allow Hadsell to discuss his current charges and why he's in jail right now. We asked him if he was a suspect in the case and he says he did not know.
If you have any information regarding AJ Hadsell's whereabouts, call Norfolk Police at (757) 664-7026.
RELATED:
Tip leads to new search for missing teen Anjelica Hadsell in Chesapeake
