A Tennessee man charged with the rape of his 14-year-old adopted daughter was apparently caught after the girl had incriminating evidence against him.
ABC 6 reports that 41-year-old Randall Pruitt is behind bars on one count of rape after authorities found “explicit photos and videos” on the teen girl’s cellphone. His first court hearing is scheduled for February 5.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the teen disappeared from her Madisonville home on January 13. Authorities found her Thursday night in Wisconsin, hours after Pruitt was arrested. Monroe County Sheriff, Tommy Jones, said that the girl was in good health and had shelter and food during the time she was away from home.
“She is safe, she is in custody so that’s a very good ending to this,” MCSO officials added. “She’s doing fine.”
Prior to finding her, police said one the girl’s two cellphones pinged in Corbin, Kentucky. Corbin is around 130 miles from Madisonville.
The teen girl is the eldest of four children. Pruitt indicated earlier this week that she was homeschooled, while the other three children attended public school. The family recently moved to Madisonville from Lawrenceville, Georgia.
Jones said additional people are involved in girl’s disappearance and more people are expected to be charged in the case. He added that no additional information is available yet, due to the integrity of the investigation.
Pruitt, who appeared on several news outlets earlier this week to plead for the girl’s safe return, remains at the Monroe County jail without bail.
Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
[Feature Photo: Randall Pruitt/Police Handout]