SAFFORD, Ariz. — Authorities said a South Carolina man who was out on bond for kidnapping two sisters was arrested again for kidnapping a 12-year-old Arizona girl.
Graham County Sheriff’s officials said Betty Taylor went for a walk near her Safford home on March 20.
Six hours later when she hadn’t returned home, her family contacted authorities and a search began.
With the help of the FBI, sheriff’s officials say the missing girl was found Wednesday in South Carolina with 23-year-old Timothy Schultheis.
Authorities say Schultheis has been booked into a Beaufort County jail as he awaits extradition to Arizona.
Schultheis has been accused of kidnapping two young girls before, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office was contacted by authorities in Aiken County, South Carolina, on Sept. 18, 2020, about sisters aged 10 and 12 who were allegedly abducted from their home.
After identifying Schultheis as a suspect, deputies went to his apartment to talk to him. Sheriff's officials say deputies found the 12-year-old girl and learned that Schultheis had previously driven her 10-year-old sister back to Aiken County, where he dropped her off at a church close to her home.
The 12-year-old girl was evaluated at the hospital, where it was found that she had been sexually assaulted by Schultheis, officials said.
Schultheis was arrested and charged with criminal sexual conduct with a minor, officials said. BCSO said he posted bond and was released the next day.
As a condition of his bond, Schultheis was ordered to wear an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet. His electronic monitor was on his ankle at the time of his arrest Wednesday.
ORIGINAL STORY: 'We love you, come home:' 12-year-old Safford girl still missing 9 days after never returning from walk
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