Monroe police searched for a missing girl. They say they found her with a sex offender.
.png "Monroe police said they found a man who is a registered sex offender with a missing 14-year-old girl on Thursday.")
A man that Monroe police say is a registered sex offender was arrested on Thursday after he was allegedly found with a 14-year-old girl who had been missing since Halloween.
Stephen John Miller, 45, was arrested and charged with felonious restraint, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and traffic violations, the police department said in a press release.
The girl was reported missing from the 300 block of West Windsor Street.
Court documents said Miller restrained the girl and put her in his vehicle, a 2017 green Kia Soul, and drove her to another location.
Police said Miller was also charged with failure to change his address, which is required by North Carolina state law.
The law says any person required to register as a sex offender must register within three business days of release from imprisonment, or immediately upon conviction if the person wasn’t imprisoned.
A registered sex offender who moves to North Carolina from another state has to register within three business days of establishing residency, or if the person has been present in the state for 15 days —whichever comes first.
The SBI says on its website that some registered sex offenders must register with their local sheriff’s office and can be charged with a felony if they don’t.
Miller was processed at the Union County Detention Center, police said. Release from jail was not authorized, according to a court document.
This story was originally published November 15, 2024 at 10:14 AM.
