A woman from South Carolina has been detained in connection with the kidnapping of a 14-year-old girl reported missing in Pine City on Tuesday.
According to the Chemung County Sheriff’s Office, Leann J. Sherbert, 37, of Woodruff, South Carolina, was arrested on a charge of second-degree kidnapping, a class B felony, for her alleged involvement in the event.
According to deputies, on Tuesday, October 1, at about 2:30 p.m., the Chemung County Sheriff’s Office Southport resident deputy was dispatched to a Southport home for a report of a missing 14-year-old girl. Following an initial inquiry, deputies claim they discovered that the girl had been in communication with a 15-year-old boy from South Carolina over social media for several months.
On the same day, deputies say the 15-year-old boy was driven to the girl’s house in Pine City by his mother to pick her up. After the two arrived from South Carolina, authorities say the girl stole out of her house without her parent’s knowledge or consent and fled in the vehicle, which was heading south.
The investigation into the incident was subsequently turned over to the Chemung County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division, which began working with New York State Police, Amber Alert, and the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program. Deputies claim that at this point, it was discovered that the boy and his mother were returning to South Carolina with the girl.
Further inquiry revealed that the three were discovered at a rest stop in Virginia, and the girl was safely recovered with the assistance of the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies also said that the 15-year-old boy’s mother was taken into custody, and Augusta County Child Protective Services was contacted to assist with the boy’s placement.
Sherbert is currently in custody at the Augusta County Jail, awaiting extradition to Chemung County, where she will face the abduction accusation.