HOCKING COUNTY — An abducted 12-year-old girl was rescued after a crash over the weekend.
Deputies in Hocking County were called to a crash on US-33 on April 5, according to our news partners at WBNS.
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The sheriff’s office identified the driver as 45-year-old Virgil E. Larson Jr., who is a registered sex offender.
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Officials said he was accompanied by the 12-year-old.
Deputies became suspicious of the circumstances, the sheriff’s office said, and further questioning and investigation revealed that the girl had been reported missing from her home in North Carolina the previous evening.
Investigators believe that Larson lured the girl with a fake scenario on social media, where he portrayed himself as a boy around her age.
The victim was taken to an area hospital for evaluation.
Larson was arrested and booked into the Southeast Ohio Regional Jail.
He faces charges of kidnapping and resisting arrest.
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