A man accused of kidnapping three teenage girls from a North Carolina psychiatric treatment facility was arrested after authorities said they found one of the missing teens, a 13-year-old, inside his car.
The teens went missing from the Cornerstone Treatment Facility in Wadesboro on January 19, when police initially said they left the property “without authorization,” according to a Thursday, January 22 news release.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by Us Weekly, Zaire Witherspoon, 26, of Monroe, took the girls — ages 13, 16 and 17 — from the facility “without the consent” of their parents or legal guardians.
He is accused of causing, encouraging and helping their escape, the arrest warrant says.
On Tuesday, January 27, the Union County Sheriff’s Office announced in a news release that all three girls were located after authorities first rescued the 13-year-old.
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Following a tip that the girl had been with Witherspoon, deputies started to keep an eye on his home in Monroe, according to authorities.
After deputies watched him leave his house in a car, they followed Witherspoon to a local convenience store, the sheriff’s office said. There, they rescued the missing girl and took Witherspoon into custody.
Witherspoon’s court-appointed defense attorney did not immediately return Us Weekly’s request for comment on Thursday, January 29.
In an interview with investigators, Witherspoon “admitted to taking the 13-year-old and two other juveniles from a foster home in Wadesboro,” the sheriff’s office said.
Detectives and agents with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation then found the second teenage girl in Scotland County, according to authorities.
The third teen was ultimately found in a different location, Robeson County, the Union County Sheriff’s Office said.
Witherspoon had revealed the other two teens’ locations, WSOC-TV reported.
Criminal charges against Witherspoon include three counts of kidnapping and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, court records show.
“We will not tolerate anyone who preys on children, and we’ll continue to work hand in hand with our law enforcement partners to make sure our communities stay safe,” Union County Sheriff Eddie Cathey said in a statement.
It is unclear why Witherspoon took the girls from the psychiatric treatment facility, as authorities have not specified a potential motive.
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The Cornerstone Treatment Facility said in a statement to WSOC-TV that the three teens “launched an elaborate plan to distract employees while they walked through the front door” of the center, resulting in the center’s “first overnight escape since its inception 17 years ago.”
“A staff member located outside immediately intervened and alerted staff inside for assistance, and the Wadesboro Police Department was notified,” the facility said.
“Staff continued to search for the escaped residents until they entered a wooded area that wouldn’t allow the facility’s vehicle to enter. However, all three individuals were found safe and unharmed and returned to appropriate residential treatment facilities,” the facility added.
Witherspoon is being held in the Anson County Detention Center on a $500,000 bond, according to authorities.
