DENTON COUNTY, Texas — A semi-truck driver based out of southeast Dallas has been arrested and charged with kidnapping after detectives found a missing Little Elm teen in the cab of his vehicle, officials announced.
Richard S. Laird, of San Antonio, has been charged with aggravated kidnapping and served with nine additional warrants for sexual assault of a child, the Little Elm Police Department (LEPD) said.
According to LEPD, a 16-year-old girl was reported missing from her home on Feb. 12 in the South Paloma Creek area.
During an extensive search that included foot patrols, drones and tracking dogs, police said the canines tracked the missing teen to a location not far from her home and lost the scent. LEPD said from there, detectives believed she got into a vehicle, so they issued a missing/endangered persons bulletin to law enforcement agencies across the country.
Late Feb. 13, Little Elm detectives received a phone number the missing teen had been in contact with up until the time she had reportedly left her home.
Through phone records, cameras and various other investigative tools, detectives said they were able to identify the suspect as Laird.
LEPD said Laird had been in communication with the teen online before she disappeared.
On Valentine’s Day, LEPD detectives along with the Dallas Police Department were able to locate the semi-truck operated by Laird in Dallas and found the missing teen inside the truck’s cab, officials say. As authorities were assisting the teen, Laird returned to the vehicle and was taken into custody.
Laird is currently being held in the Denton County jail and has a $500,000 bond. He has not yet been arraigned.
The teen was reunited with her family after being examined and medically cleared.
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