A traffic stop in Flowery Branch Wednesday turned into a multi-state investigation, with a Louisiana man being arrested on charges of abducting a North Carolina girl.
Hall County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Derreck Booth said deputies pulled over a BMW 528 on Interstate 985 Southbound just south of Spout Springs Road around 3:00 p.m. Wednesday after spotting the driver using his cell phone.
That driver, Kenton Jesus Enamorado Ventura, age 18 of West Monroe, Louisiana, was also charged for driving without a valid license.
"During the stop, deputies noticed a passenger in the vehicle with Mr. Ventura, she was a 12-year-old girl from Leicester Township, North Carolina," Booth said. "Deputies spoke with both Ventura and the girl and they notified investigators when each individual in the car had differing accounts about their relationship with one another."
Booth said investigators reached out to authorities in Buncombe County, North Carolina and Ouachita Parish, Louisiana. The investigation determined that Ventura had met the girl online, communicating with her for roughly a year.
"Investigators believe that he drove from his residence to Louisiana to North Carolina and picked up the victim from her home at about noon Wednesday, the same day as the traffic stop," Booth said. "The two were believed to be heading to Ventura's home."
Booth said the girl's father was contacted and he was not aware she had left their home. She has since been returned to her family.
Ventura remains in the Hall County Jail as of Friday afternoon facing traffic violations, with a hold from Buncombe County, North Carolina. Booth said authorities there are now handling the abduction investigation and any charges that may be filed related to that alleged crime.
