Police Locate Missing 14-Year-Old Oregon Girl In Martinez; 41-Year-Old Man Arrested
MARTINEZ (CBS SF) -- A Martinez man arrested after a missing 14-year-old girl from Salem, Oregon was found with him in his home had met the girl in an online chatroom, police said.
In a press release, the Martinez Police Department said the girl was a kidnapping victim and was rescued, indicating it received information about her location from Salem police.
She was found at the home of 41-year-old Blake Robert Johnston on Fountainhead Court in Martinez, police said.
Police Sgt. Dave Mathers said Johnston and the teen victim met on a social media chat site and had an online relationship for several months.
The girl's mother was unaware of the relationship, according to Mathers.
Parents were urged to talk with their children about their Internet use and their access to social media web sites.
Martinez Police said the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was asked to help with the case.
Salem Police Lt. Dave Okada told the Statesman Journal that officials believed the girl's disappearance was staged.
"But I can't really give any more details as it's still under investigation," Okada told the Journal. "There were rumors about the nature of her disappearance yesterday, and that's why we say it was staged."
Okada told the Journal there were indications that Nelson left of her own accord.
Johnston was arrested on a warrant from the Salem Police Department and was being held at the Contra Costa County Jail in Martinez.
According to police, the girl was being reunited with her family in Salem.
The investigation was ongoing.