EAST RIDGE, Tenn. — UPDATE: Authorities in Lee County, Florida, say the man found with a missing teen girl in East Ridge after a vehicle was flagged by license plate readers is a Tennessee resident.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office says evidence from their investigation into the 13-year-old’s disappearance led them to track 28-year-old Michah Mosier.
LCSO says the girl had been missing from her home in Fort Myers, Florida, since September 18.
We are working to determine where specifically Mosier is from.
He is currently in the Hamilton County Jail.
Depend on us to keep you updated as we continue to learn more.
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A license plate reader alert allowed East Ridge and Chattanooga Police to help the FBI find a missing Florida teen on Monday.
ERPD says FBI investigators sent an Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) alert that a vehicle carrying a 13-year-old girl from Lee County, Florida, had been flagged in East Ridge.
The license plate was detected at an intersection near an I-75 exit ramp.
ERPD says within minutes, officers from East Ridge and Chattanooga were searching the area.
They were able to safely and quickly stop the vehicle.
Inside, officers found the missing girl and a 28-year-old man who was not related to her.
The man was arrested without incident.
East Ridge Police Chief Clint Uselton says this case is a reminder of how impactful ALPR technology can be for law enforcement.
“Within minutes of identifying the suspect vehicle in our community, the immediate, coordinated response of our officers led to a missing child being safely removed from a dangerous situation, Chief Uselton says.
The multi-state investigation remains active.
Depend on us to keep you updated.