OHIO — A Seville man has been arrested after removing a 3-year-old girl from her home without permission on Wednesday, according to the Medina Police Department.
Police said the child was reported missing from her home on Hunter Road in Lafayette Township Wednesday afternoon. Later that day, authorities confirmed she had been found safe.
In a press release Wednesday evening, police said a “family acquaintance” was arrested in connection with the disappearance. Officers began searching the home and surrounding area using K-9 units, drones, all-terrain vehicles and social media alerts. The Medina County Child Abduction Response Team was also activated shortly after the search began.
After what police described as an “extensive two-hour search,” calls to the Medina Police Department and Medina County Sheriff’s Office reported that the girl had been seen at a home on Buffham Road in Westfield Township. Officers and deputies went to the residence and found her unharmed. She was taken to Medina Hospital as a precaution and later reunited with her father.
According to police, family acquaintance Randy Lawrence Kerley is accused of unlawfully entering the home and removing the child without permission. He has been charged with burglary and kidnapping and is currently being held at the Medina County Jail.
