Dayton arrest connected to 1998 Oregon girl's disappearance

DAYTON -- A Dayton man's arrest this morning is connected to the 1998 disappearance of a 14-year-old Oregon girl whose remains have been positively identified as those found in Glide, Ore. two weeks ago by a hiker.

Lyon County officers, accompanied by members of the Douglas County Oregon Sheriff's Office, Oregon State Police and FBI, arrested Dale Wayne Hill, 39, a convicted burglar, just before 10 a.m. on suspicion of failing to register as an felon.

Hill is the prime suspect in the disappearance of Stephanie Condon, 14, who went missing the night of Oct. 30, 1998, while she was babysitting.

Hill had once dated Condon's aunt and told authorities he stopped by the house where Condon was babysitting, but that he had nothing to do with her disappearance, according to published reports.

He was convicted of an unrelated series of burglaries shortly after her disappearance and served about six years in prison before being released in 2005. Hill was never charged in Condon's disappearance.

Her whereabouts were unknown until March 13, when a man was walking his dog on a remote forest road in Glide, Ore. found a human skull, according to the Douglas County Oregon Sheriff's Office.

During a press conference in Roseburg, Ore., this morning, Douglas County Oregon Sheriff John Hanlin confirmed that the remains were those of Condon.

Lyon County Sheriff's Capt. Rob Hall said Lyon County was alerted to Hill's presence in the community by Oregon authorities. A check of his status revealed he had failed to register as a felon, said Hall.

Officers contacted Hill at his apartment in the 300 block of Dayton Valley Road just before 10 a.m. and took him into custody without incident.

He had been living in Carson City on Corbett Street, but had recently moved to Lyon County, said Carson Sheriff Ken Furlong.

A cadre of Oregon officers that were at the Lyon County Sheriff's substation in Dayton this morning declined to comment on Hill's arrest, but one of the men confirmed they were members of the Douglas County Oregon Sheriff's Office, FBI and Oregon State Police.

Hill is being held on $1,132 bail. It's not clear if he will be charged with the disappearance and suspected murder of Condon.