Arrest Made In St. Paul Abduction
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- A man was arrested Monday night in connection with the abduction of a 7-year-old girl Sunday night in St. Paul.
With help from Spring Lake Park Police and the Anoka County Sheriff's Office, St. Paul Police arrested a 48-year-old man at about 6:30 p.m. Monday. Authorities say the man was found in his garage of his residence in the 500 block of 78th Ave. NE in Spring Lake Park hiding underneath his car. He is identified as John Craig Heuer.
At about 6:30 p.m. Sunday, witnesses told police that the man identified as Heuer asked a girl if she wanted to see his puppy at a laundromat near Rice St. and Larpenteur Ave. in St. Paul. He allegedly took the girl into his vehicle and drove off. The girl's sister ran to tell their parents. The abduction prompted an amber alert and subsequent search for the girl.
An hour-and-a-half later, she was found in a park in Spring Lake Park.
Heuer was arrested for criminal sexual conduct, and formal charges are expected to be filed in the next few days. He is currently being held in the Anoka County Jail.
"A very dangerous individual is off the street," said St. Paul Police Chief Tom Smith. Smith added that this was a unique case where the original 911 call came in, and about a day later, police arrested the person they believe is responsible for the abduction.
The case remains under investigation by the St. Paul Police Department, Spring Lake Park Police and the Anoka County Sheriff's Office.
