A 59-year-old South Carolina man is facing charges related to the kidnapping of a teenager. It is alleged that he was involved in the internet solicitation of a minor after police received a telephone call from a girl reporting that she was being held against her will. The initial charge against the man was contributing to a minor’s delinquency, but a warrant for kidnapping has since been added.
According to investigators, the girl ran away from the home of her parents in another state. The arrest warrant alleges that the accused man encouraged and assisted the girl in leaving her parental home. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the teenager and the accused man met online. It is also alleged that he drove to her state to collect the girl before bringing her back to South Carolina.
When the girl phoned the police, deputies went to the house she described and saw the girl through the window. However, the accused man allegedly claimed that there was no one except him and his wife in the house. When police detained him, he apparently admitted having the girl in the house. She was released and called her parents.
Any South Carolina resident who is accused of internet solicitation of a minor will likely be focusing on defending the charges. Any charges involving minors can have severe consequences if the prosecution obtains a conviction. With the support and guidance of an experienced criminal defense attorney, the accused individual’s legal rights can be protected and a defense strategy based on the circumstances of the case can be formed to contest the prosecution’s case.
Source: live5news.com, “Man now faces kidnapping charges in case of runaway juvenile“, Michael Clark, Sept. 27, 2016
