Daniel Francis Gear, a 38-year-old man, allegedly kidnapped a 12-year-old North Carolina girl during a sleepover at her friend’s house, and she ran for her life after he forced her into the woods, until a passerby rescued her.
Gear now faces charges of first-degree kidnapping and assault on a female, court records say. Authorities accuse Gear of “terrorizing” the girl, pushing her to the ground, and “physically restraining” her after he took her from a home in Lillington, which sits about 30 miles southwest of Raleigh, arrest warrants say.
Jennifer Maxwell told local NBC affiliate WRAL that she was driving home from work Sunday afternoon on U.S. Highway 421 when she spotted a young girl suddenly emerge from the woods near the road.
“She kind of just dropped in the ditch and was just crying hysterically,” she told the outlet.
Maxwell turned around and pulled up to the girl.
“I rolled down my window, and I was like, ‘Baby, are you okay?’ And she was like, ‘No, I’ve been kidnapped.’ And I was like, ‘Are you serious?’ She was like, ‘Yes, I’m serious. I was kidnapped,'” Maxwell explained to the outlet.
The girl was barefoot and had scratches all over her body, Maxwell said.
Maxwell told the TV station that the girl said she was at a sleepover at her friend’s house when Gear woke her up. He allegedly told her to get into his truck, and they drove to a wooded area where “he made her get out,” Maxwell recalled the girl telling her.
“He just kept like kind of pushing her, grabbing her shoulder, pushing her, making her walk,” Maxwell recounted.
At some point, the girl escaped and ran toward the road, where Maxwell found her.
The good Samaritan then drove her to a police station, where she received help.
The incident sparked a seven-hour manhunt for Gear. Police eventually found him in a wooded area about 15 miles from the crime scene, local CBS affiliate WNCN reported.
Neighbors told the outlet that Gear’s niece, who lives at the home, and the victim are friends and live next door to each other.
Susan and Logan Powers said their 14-year-old daughter is also friends with the girl.
“It’s just, it was a sad, sad event. I feel for her parents,” Susan Powers said, per WNCN.
Gear remains a bit of a mystery to neighbors, Logan Powers told the outlet.
“Actually, to be honest, nobody really knew who he was,” he said. “I have a lot of neighbors, like, confused and didn’t know him by name. He never really came out of the house. He worked from home.”
The suspect remains at the Harnett County Jail on a $2.5 million bond. His next court date is set for Sept. 1.
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