RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – A man has been arrested after police say he was transporting a missing California girl to Utah.
A deputy with the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on a car on eastbound I80 near Mogul on Tuesday.
Police say that, during the stop, the driver, 20-year-old Christian Tellez and a 13-year-old girl were contacted by deputies who determined the girl had been entered as a missing person out of California.
Police say Tellez had transported the juvenile from California into Nevada and was traveling towards Utah.
Tellez was arrested on charges of felony first degree kidnapping of a minor, driving with a revoked driver’s license and not having proof of insurance.
“What began as a traffic stop quickly developed into a significantly more serious investigation,” said Sheriff Darin Balaam. “Our deputies recognized the circumstances they were dealing with and took the necessary steps to get this 13-year-old girl to safety. I am grateful for their diligence and, most importantly, that this young girl was safely recovered before she was taken any farther from home.”
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