A suspect has been arrested by Texas police after a "brave" kidnapped girl fled her captors and hid in a Lowe's store, authorities said.
A Texas man has been charged with trafficking and sexually assaulting a child after police say a kidnapped teenage girl was able to escape by hiding in a Lowe's store and asking employees for help.
Willie R. Thompson is being held in lieu of $50,000 for both felony counts at the Travis County Correctional Complex in Austin, according to online records.
He has not entered a plea, according to court records. His arrest was announced Tuesday by authorities. He has an initial court appearance scheduled for Aug. 23, court records say.
"Mr. Thompson is presumed to be innocent unless the state can prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt," his public defender, Jane Deniz Kadirhan, tells Inside Edition Digital Friday. "We are looking forward to the truth coming out."
Austin police held a press conference this week to praise the girl, saying she devised her escape after being abducted by three suspects.
“She made a plan," said Officer Callie Wolfe. "She convinced them to let her go into the store. She said she needed to use the restroom,” Wolfe explained. “Once inside the store, she ran to the back of the store and found a place to hide."
The girl asked employees for help, and a 911 call was placed for assistance, police said.
Officers found the teen inside a Lowe's home improvement store, and she was able to provide descriptions of her alleged abductors, two of whom were in the parking lot and another who was in the store, officers said.
“I think this little girl was very brave, and she did everything that she was supposed to,” Wolfe said. “She made a plan. She executed that plan, and then she gave us all the details we needed, so when we made it to Lowe’s, we could make immediate action.”
The child's mother had reported her missing on July 21, police said. Three days later, the girl was found in the Lowe's store. The girl has been reunited with mother, police said.
"I’m glad that they’re together now,” Wolfe told reporters.
The investigation is ongoing, officers said. Thompson is the only suspect arrested thus far.
Related Stories
