Man accused of taking Michigan teenager held on immigration charges
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Posted 7:02AM on Thursday, July 11, 2002
APPLING - A man accused of spiriting a 13-year-old girl away from her Michigan home is being held on immigration charges because he is in the country illegally, authorities said Wednesday. <br>
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Antonio Mendoza was arrested at his mobile home on Tuesday and was being held in the Columbia County Jail. <br>
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The arrest ended a three-day search for the girl, who officials say is from Traverse City, Mich., and was involved romantically with Mendoza. Because of the her age, officials said they expected charges of kidnapping and sexual exploitation to be filed. <br>
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``No child that is 13 years old can make decisions about where she wants to live and what kind of activities she can engage in,'' said Robert Birdsong, senior resident agent for the Traverse City office of the FBI. <br>
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The girl's parents are arranging her return, he said. <br>
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Birdsong said Mendoza spent the past year working in the Traverse City area as a migrant worker.