ZACHARY — Zachary Police Chief Darryl Lawrence said Wednesday that what happened to a Zachary teenager should be a wakeup call for parents, even though she was found apparently uninjured.
Before she disappeared, the 17-year-old was communicating online with someone she thought was a peer, Chief Lawrence told UWK. She was trying to get a ride to Mississippi. Police suspect the truck driver she thought was another teenager picked her up and then took her in an entirely different and unwanted direction, he said.
“She was on social media talking to someone she thought was her age. Turns out it was a guy that’s actually 38-years-old,” Chief Lawrence said.
Police in Ardmore, Oklahoma, found the girl at a Love’s truck stop. Her parents were headed to pick her up Wednesday, Lawrence said.
He said he was grateful that police there responded immediately when they learned where she was.
“Once we contacted them, they dropped what they were doing and headed over to that Love’s station,” he said.
Lawrence said that as far as he knows, the teen didn’t have any injuries.
He said parents have to be vigilant about knowing what kids are doing online.
“We just have to tell people to, they just have to make sure that they monitor their kids, their social media posts and whatever they are doing on social media,” Lawrence said.
The man arrested, Michael D. Jay, will be booked with simple kidnapping, indecent behavior with a juvenile and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.
Lawrence said Jay will be returned to Zachary to face charges. He is from Kentucky and detectives are examining his background.
The teen was discovered to be missing from her home in Zachary around 7 a.m. Tuesday.
Download the Unfiltered with Kiran app from the Apple App Store and Google Play to stay updated on the latest news across the Capital area.
Support UWK and its mission to deliver The News You Deserve. Unfiltered. Become a monthly patron on Patreon today!
