A 13-year-old girl reported missing early Sunday morning in South Dakota was found hours later in Wyoming, and her alleged abductor was arrested.

Sean Payne, 33, is a registered sex offender in Nebraska, where he is also wanted on multiple charges, including domestic violence assault, assault by strangulation or suffocation, terroristic threats, and probation violation, the Meade County Sheriff’s Office said.

The girl was reported missing at 7:30 a.m. The Wyoming Highway Patrol located the child and the suspect in the area of Rawlings, Wyoming, just before noon — and just before an Amber Alert was to be issued — and took Payne into custody after short pursuit.

“The amount of resources that came to bear on this case in a short amount of time is once again a testament to the working cooperation between agencies across the state,” Meade County Sheriff Pat West said. “Saving a young child from a wanted predator is a win for us today.”

Payne is expected to remain in custody in Wyoming while deputies continue the investigation. He is likely to face charges in both South Dakota and Wyoming, in addition to the Nebraska charges.

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[Featured image: Pixabay]