New Mexico man charged in case of missing girl

Sep. 27—A New Mexico man has been charged after allegedly taking a 12-year-old Hartsgrove Township girl to Texas before being apprehended by law enforcement, said Ashtabula County Sheriff William Niemi.

Joseph Doss Harvey Gunter, 41, of Albuquerque, was charged Monday through a criminal complaint issued by the U.S District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, in Cleveland.

He was charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of transportation with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. A decision on whether he will be charged federally in Texas or Ohio has not been made.

The girl was reported missing on Thursday morning after not returning from a walk she started at 8:30 a.m., Niemi said. Her parents reported her missing several hours later when she didn't return. She was last seen by a neighbor at approximately 9 a.m.

The sheriff's department and local volunteers searched the area for two days until a break in the case occurred on Saturday morning, when detectives learned she had social media contact with a man, Niemi said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation became involved after detectives received a description of the suspect's vehicl, which was found through a license plate recognition system in Kentucky.

They also were able to get a cell phone number of the suspect and it pinged in Gray County Texas, where he was stopped and arrested, Niemi said.

Gunter was detained and is in Randall County Jail, according to records from the Randall County Sheriff's Department.

Niemi credited quality police work by his detective department for a positive conclusion. He also urged parents to monitor their children's social media presence.

The girl was expected back in Ohio on Tuesday or today, Niemi said.