Beach Park man, missing teen located in southern California
A Beach Park man faces several charges involving a 15-year-old girl who was reported missing more than a month ago.
William P. Borland, 33, of the 39800 block of Torry Lane, was held Friday in the Orange County, California jail on charges brought by Westminster, California, police of: unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor; willful cruelty to a child likely to produce great bodily injury or death; child endangerment; possession of a controlled substance; possession of drug paraphernalia; and, possession of a falsified identification.
Information about the girl, who was reported missing Feb. 10 from Beach Park, and Borland's arrest early Tuesday at a Westminster hotel, were released Friday by the Lake County Sheriff's Office. Westminster is southwest of Anaheim.
According to Lake County Sheriff's Det. Christopher Covelli, the two met at a party in Beach Park.
“The investigation is showing they likely were staying in the area a couple of weeks before going to California,” Covelli said. The girl is in protective custody in California, he said.
“We don't have reason to believe she was taken against her will,” he added.
The girl, who was known to go missing in the past, was last seen by her family Feb. 9. She didn't have a cellphone with her and her family didn't know where she might have gone, police said.
Lake County authorities issued a bulletin with the girl's photo and identifying information, spoke with family members and acquaintances and entered her as missing in a national database to try and locate her, police said.
During the investigation, police were told by a possible witness that she may have seen the girl with Borland on Feb. 25. A member of Borland's family provided additional information to verify the girl was with him, according to police.
Covelli said police determined it was likely Borland was driving to California with the girl, and federal, state and local authorities in California were notified.
“They stopped at hotels. William did admit to having sex with the child,” Covelli said.
On Tuesday, Lake County police received information Borland was at a motel in Westminster and contacted local police for assistance.
“They were able to take him into custody as he was leaving his room without incident,” Covelli said. The arrest occurred just after 6 a.m. local time, he added. The girl was also at the motel.
According to police, Borland was in possession of methamphetamine, two loaded handguns and drug paraphernalia. Covelli said Borland could face additional charges in California. He also could be charged here, but it would be after the final disposition of the California charges, according to Covelli.
The investigation is open and the FBI has been notified, he added.