PORTER, TX - On Christmas Day, a Texas father heroically saved his teenage daughter from being abducted by a knife-wielding man after he tracked her cell phone to find her location.
The girl, 15, had been walking her dog near her family's home around 4:50 p.m. when she was allegedly abducted, according to a Facebook post from the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office (MCSO). Authorities learned that the girl "had taken her dog out for a walk and when she did not return at her usual time, her parents became concerned."
Using her phone's location, the father was able to track her to a wooded area nearly two miles away from the family's home, where she was found inside a maroon-colored pickup truck with a "partially nude" man, police said. The father helped his daughter escape and then called the police, who responded and immediately arrested the alleged suspect, 23-year-old Giovanni Rosales Espinoza.
Espinoza was taken into custody without further incident, according to the Independent. He has since been charged with aggravated kidnapping and indecency with a child. He is being held at the Montgomery County Jail with no bail, authorities said.
"Christmas is a day meant for joy, but this man chose to shatter that joy by targeting a child," Sheriff Wesley Doolittle said.
"I am incredibly proud of our deputies and detectives who worked tirelessly to ensure this dangerous predator was swiftly apprehended and is now off our streets. Rest assured that your Sheriff's Office remains vigilant every hour of every day to keep your families safe."
The investigation remains ongoing, but no further information has been released as of this writing. If anyone has any information about this case, they are encouraged to call 936-760-5876 and reference case number 25A410316, or call Multi-Crime Stoppers at 800-392-7867.
The girl, 15, had been walking her dog near her family's home around 4:50 p.m. when she was allegedly abducted, according to a Facebook post from the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office (MCSO). Authorities learned that the girl "had taken her dog out for a walk and when she did not return at her usual time, her parents became concerned."
Using her phone's location, the father was able to track her to a wooded area nearly two miles away from the family's home, where she was found inside a maroon-colored pickup truck with a "partially nude" man, police said. The father helped his daughter escape and then called the police, who responded and immediately arrested the alleged suspect, 23-year-old Giovanni Rosales Espinoza.
Espinoza was taken into custody without further incident, according to the Independent. He has since been charged with aggravated kidnapping and indecency with a child. He is being held at the Montgomery County Jail with no bail, authorities said.
"Christmas is a day meant for joy, but this man chose to shatter that joy by targeting a child," Sheriff Wesley Doolittle said.
"I am incredibly proud of our deputies and detectives who worked tirelessly to ensure this dangerous predator was swiftly apprehended and is now off our streets. Rest assured that your Sheriff's Office remains vigilant every hour of every day to keep your families safe."
The investigation remains ongoing, but no further information has been released as of this writing. If anyone has any information about this case, they are encouraged to call 936-760-5876 and reference case number 25A410316, or call Multi-Crime Stoppers at 800-392-7867.
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