Beach Park man charged with kidnapping 3 Ohio children
A Beach Park man has been charged with kidnapping three Ohio children after Lake County sheriff's police tracked them to a local gas station Saturday.
Michael Negron, 19, of the 10600 block of West Yorkhouse Road, had apparently befriended one of the children, a 12-year-old girl, on social media, authorities said.
He drove to the Middleton, Ohio, area on Wednesday and met up with the girl, her 14-year-old sister and their friend, a 15-year-old boy, sheriff's police said. Negron, who stayed in a hotel, left with the children Friday night, police reported.
The girls' parents called the sheriff's office at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. The parents had traced one child's cellphone to the 10600 block of West Yorkhouse Road and knew the vehicle was a Ford Mustang after one daughter texted a description, authorities said.
Sheriff's telecommuters searched a database and identified Negron as a suspect, then deputies began searching the area.
They found the Mustang with Negron and the children at a Beach Park gas station near Lewis Avenue and Wadsworth Road just before 1:30 p.m.
He is charged with kidnapping and three counts of child endangerment. The children initially were taken to the Lake County Children's Advocacy Center.
"Fortunately, the children have been reunited with their families," Sheriff's Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said Sunday.
It appears Negron got in touch with the 12-year-old using Fortnite, Snapchat and other social media platforms, officials said, and they had communicated for several weeks.
"It is an unfortunate reality, but there are predators among us who prey on children," Sheriff John D. Idleburg said in a statement. "Many of these predators use social media applications to initially meet a child and build trust with them. After that trust is built, they convince the child to meet.
"It is incredibly important to look at your children's electronics to see what applications they are using, who they are communicating with, and what they are saying. I am so proud of my staff for working together to quickly locate and rescue these children."
Negron was being held Sunday at the Lake County jail on $200,000 bail. His next court date is Feb. 15.
Covelli noted that the investigation is ongoing.