Missing Louisiana girl found safe, kidnapping suspect arrested in Aransas Pass
Aransas Pass police arrested a 26-year-old kidnapping suspect on Tuesday after finding a missing Louisiana girl sleeping on a park bench.
The suspect, Joseph Phillips, had active warrants out of Vernon Parish, Louisiana, for contributing to the delinquency of a minor — a misdemeanor — and second-degree kidnapping, a felony.
Around 12:30 p.m., the police department received a tip from the Vernon Parish Sheriff's Department that a 26-year-old kidnapping suspect was possibly traveling through the area with a missing 14-year-old girl. The suspect allegedly attempted to use a debit card at a Murphy's gas station around 9 a.m.
A citizen called the Aransas Pass Fire Department to report a suspicious man in his 20s and a young girl at a Little League park. According to a release, the caller said the girl looked "out of it" and was sleeping on a bench, and the man had a large cut on his leg.
Officers found the girl lying down under a park bench with two motorcycle helmets next to her. She was identified as the missing girl.
Officers saw the man leaving on a purple motorcycle, and he was detained following a traffic stop. Police identified him as Phillips.
Texas Child Protective Services was notified to continue the investigation and return the girl to her home.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Missing teen found, kidnapping suspect arrested in Aransas Pass
