SANTA ANA, Calif. -- A convicted sex offender wanted for questioning in the disappearance of a 19-year-old college student has pleaded guilty to a drug charge in Florida and waived extradition to California, his attorney said.

John Steven Burgess, 35, has not been charged in the disappearance of Donna Jou and has refused to talk to investigators, but will return to California on a $1 million warrant for failure to register as a sex offender.

He pleaded guilty to a third-degree felony charge for possession of crack in Florida and waived extradition to California last week, said George Bird Jr., his attorney.

"He's just waiting for the police from Los Angeles to come pick him up," Bird said.

Jou was last seen on June 23 getting on the back of Burgess' motorcycle to head to a party at his rented house in West Los Angeles.

Jou, a biology student at San Diego State University, sent a text message to her mother the following day saying that her cell phone battery was dying, but she would be home soon. She has not been heard from since.

Two weeks after Jou disappeared, residents found a black plastic tool box in the street 1 1/2 miles from Burgess' house, authorities have said. The box contained a license plate, a pair of gloves, rope and a scrub brush. The license plate read SINJIN1, which authorities say represents Burgess' alias, Sinjin Stevens. Investigators also found a motorcycle helmet in the box.

Burgess was arrested late last month in Jacksonville, Fla., after police there say they spotted him trying to dispose of a bag of crack cocaine outside a Motel 6. They found his 1998 blue Ford Ranger truck several days later in the Jacksonville area, but his motorcycle is still missing.

Investigators initially sought two men as persons of interest. They now believe Burgess used the photo of another man while contacting Jou online.

Burgess was convicted of three counts of battery in 2002 and of performing a lewd act against a child the following year.