Detectives with Davidson and Alamance County Sheriff's Office receive national award for recovery of kidnapped teenager in 2021

It is often said that being in law enforcement is a thankless job. But recently law enforcement in Davidson and Alamance counties were nationally recognized for their efforts in the safe recovery of a Denton teenager who was kidnapped last year.

On May 25, officers with Davidson County and Alamance County Sheriff’s offices were recognized by the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children. Every year, the NCMEC gives out two Heroes’ Award honoring people who go above and beyond to help protect children.

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This year Lieutenant Jonathan Todd and Sergeant David Blake from the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office as well as Lieutenants Jaleesa Alston and Zachary Ray from the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office were recognized with one of these awards.

Cpt. Mike Burns, head of the criminal investigation unit with the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, said the department was very excited and pleased to be recognized by the award for their work during the case.

"This case could have been handled differently and the outcome could have been very different. But our people realized early on that something didn’t add up. It was our ability to coordinate with other state, local and federal agencies that ended up getting her home safely...Most cases don’t end up with the same outcome, we were very fortunate,” said Burns.

"We are extremely proud of our part in this investigation. We don’t view ourselves as doing anything special, this is what we do every day. To be able to receive a national award is an honor,” said Byron Tucker, public information officer for the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office.

Law enforcement officers from Arkansas, where the victim was located, were also recognized, including Lonoke Detective Cody Carpenter, who was shot multiple times during the arrest of the suspect, along with fellow Lonoke officer Brandon Ray. Carpenter recovered from his wounds and was present to receive his award.

Also recognized were Assistant Special Agent in Charge Justin Heinrich from the NCSBI; FBI Special Agent Emily Keller; and Corporal Mark Blackerby from the Arkansas State Police.

More: Missing Denton teen found safe, kidnapping suspect dies

In February of 2021, Davidson County Sheriff’s Office began the investigation after a 14-year-old girl disappeared from her home in Denton. It was discovered that she had been communication with a 38-year-old man through multiple social media platforms and had left with him in a vehicle.

The two-week investigation led detectives down the rabbit-hole of online messaging apps, which uncovered multiple victims in Davidson and Alamance County who had been in contact with the suspect, who had a known history of the sexual exploitation of children.

The teen was recovered in Arkansas after two officers with the Lonoke Police Department recognized the vehicle that the suspect was thought to be driving parked at a McDonald's. During the arrest, the Lonoke Police officer was shot, but later recovered.

More: Is your child safe from online predators? What you might not know can surprise you.

The suspect, identified as William Robert Ice, 38, of Mercer County, Pennsylvania, was found inside the vehicle with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound and later died.

Burns said this case was a good example of how important it is to work with other agencies and organizations quickly and the importance of exchanging information.

He said the investigation included using the state alert system when the teen was first abducted, the cooperation with the school system since the victim had been using her school-issued laptop to communicate with the suspect, and collaboration with the SBI, FBI and Arkansas law enforcement.

“Although we are one jurisdiction, people that commit crimes don’t stop at the county line,” said Burns. “Without the effort of everyone involved, I don’t believe the outcome would have been the same. Just because they are law enforcement several states away doesn’t mean we can’t work together.”

Tucker said Alamance County investigators were able to assist the Davidson County Sheriff’s Department and the SBI in identifying the suspect and a possible location.

“We discovered through our special victim's unit, that the same individual had reached out to some young ladies in Alamance County and were communicating with him. Through them and our forensic technology we were able to get an idea exactly who he was and where he might be,” said Tucker.

More: Investigation into missing Denton teen leads to more potential victims

Davidson County Sheriff’s Detectives said once they had identified the suspect, a slew of new potential victims came to life.

Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson said 10 other middle-school-aged teens from both Davidson and Alamance counties had recently been in contact with the suspect through social media apps.

“Not only did we assist Davidson County with their investigation, but we also prevented potentially similar circumstances in Alamance County,” said Tucker. “Everything just aligned; we used all the tools we had at hand and lent all the resources we had. It is a prime example of agencies working together to get a predator off the street to have a successful ending.”

In addition to the kidnapping, Ice was also wanted on charges of sexually assaulting a different 14-year-old in Pennsylvania, according to the Mahoning County Human Trafficking Task Force.

“There is no question in my mind that we had a very capable group of folks working on this case,” said Burns. “It was nice to get the award because they don’t often get the recognition they deserve. It shows appreciation for law enforcement and the investigators who worked tirelessly to return her alive. We beat the odds and it's an accomplishment some officers never see in their entire career.”

The other NCMEC Heroes’ award was given to members from the New York State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations. After receiving a tip from NCMEC about possible child sexual abuse in their jurisdiction, this team quickly developed information and within hours, they’d located and arrested a suspect, who they would later find out had planned on abusing multiple children that same night.

General news reporter Sharon Myers can be reached at sharon.myers@the-dispatch.com. Follow her on Twitter @LexDispatchSM.

This article originally appeared on The Dispatch: Local officers get national award following 2021 kidnapping case