During a routine traffic stop, North Carolina authorities made a significant discovery when they pulled over a vehicle and found a 16-year-old missing teen girl who had been reported missing by Florida police just hours earlier.
Nash County deputies initiated the traffic stop on I-95 after observing a white Audi with Florida license plates committing a traffic violation, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office.
Upon questioning the driver, identified as 40-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Vazquez, deputies became suspicious and developed reasonable grounds to suspect criminal activity, as stated in the press release.
With Vazquez’s consent, deputies proceeded to search the vehicle and noticed that the 16-year-old female passenger had been reported missing by the Coral Springs Police Department a mere five hours prior to the traffic stop.
Authorities safely rescued the teenager, who had allegedly met Vazquez online. She was subsequently transported to the Wake County Juvenile Detention Center, from where her family later retrieved her.
Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone emphasized the importance of monitoring children’s social media activities, stating that such incidents often begin with individuals preying on vulnerable minors. He expressed concerns regarding the older suspect taking advantage of the 16-year-old and transporting her north, noting that this was not in her best interest or that of society.
Former Riverside, Illinois, police Chief Tom Weitzel commented on the significance of traffic stops in apprehending criminal suspects. While some cities, like Chicago, aim to reduce traffic stops in various situations due to concerns of unconscious bias and excessive use of force, Weitzel highlighted that traffic stops often lead to the arrest of individuals with active warrants or the recovery of illegal firearms.
Vazquez has been booked into the Nash County Detention Center, where he is currently held on a $505,000 bond. He faces charges including felony possession of synthetic cannabinoids, possession of marijuana paraphernalia, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor after authorities discovered THC pens in his vehicle.
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Weitzel emphasized that the officer’s traffic stop was pivotal in uncovering these offenses, highlighting the potential consequences of limiting proactive traffic stops.
