COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio man was charged after the disappearance of a 13-year-old girl in west Columbus prompted a statewide Amber Alert on Friday.
According to Franklin County Municipal Court records, the teen’s father said his cameras caught his daughter taking her cat and leaving their house on South Huron Avenue at 5:08 a.m.
The father said the school bus did not come until 6 a.m. to pick up his daughter to go to school. He told police that he contacted the middle school she attended and learned that she had not arrived.
Detectives contacted the school counselor and learned that the girl was in contact with 48-year-old Shane Smith, who was her stepfather. According to court records, Smith was going to pick her up and take her to another state to start a new life as a couple.
An Amber Alert was issued for the girl at 3:40 p.m. An arrest warrant was also issued for Smith, who was charged with kidnapping.
The alert was canceled around 6:20 p.m. after family members told 10TV that the girl was found safe at her grandmother’s house in Springfield.
Authorities found the vehicle involved in the Amber Alert, a white 2004 Ford Ranger, in Clark County. It is unclear whether Smith was taken into custody.
