A missing Alabama girl has been located in Kentucky, and the 43-year-old man she was with has been charged with kidnapping and rape.
The 14-year-old girl was reported missing from her home in Phenix City on Tuesday, police said, according to WTVM. She was believed to be with someone she’d been chatting with online named Arnold Carpenter, according to information from her family. Arnold Carpenter’s profile photo appeared to be a teenage boy.
Lee County Sheriff’s investigators, working with family members, located the teen at a fast food restaurant in Richmond, Kentucky. The sheriff’s office contacted FBI agents and Richmond Police, who responded to the restaurant and located the girl and Arnold Carpenter, who was actually 43. He was arrested and charged with kidnapping a minor, first degree sexual abuse, and second degree rape.
The sheriff’s office said the girl is currently in the custody of the Kentucky Department of Human Resources, while Carpenter is being held without bond in Richmond awaiting extradition to Lee County, Alabama, where he will face more charges.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lee County Sheriff’s Office at 334-749-5651 or Central Alabama Crime Stoppers at 334-215-STOP (7867)
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[Featured image: Arnold Carpenter/Richmond Police Department]