A Louisiana man accused of kidnapping a 12-year-old North Carolina girl has been arrested after Georgia officers discovered the pair during a routine traffic stop.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office reported that 18-year-old Kenton Jesus Enamorado Ventura was stopped on Interstate 985, about one mile south of Spout Springs Road, around 3 p.m. on Wednesday, July 10.
According to deputies, detectives were notified after Ventura and his passenger, a 12-year-old girl from Leicester, provided different explanations of their relationship. After working with Buncombe County and Louisiana officials, Hall County investigators believe Ventura met the child online and chatted with her for approximately a year over WhatsApp, a popular messaging software.
According to Hall County investigators, Ventura drove from Louisiana to North Carolina to pick up the kid from her house around noon on Wednesday, and the two were on their route to Ventura’s residence in West Monroe, Louisiana.
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The girl’s father had no idea her daughter had left, according to the sheriff’s office. Hall County officers returned the girl to her father and arrested Ventura for driving infractions. According to the department, Ventura was released from detention on July 28 and will be transferred to Buncombe County.
According to WLOS, Ventura is being jailed on a $500,000 secured bond for felony child kidnapping.