ST. MARTIN PARISH, La. — A missing Louisiana girl is home with her family, and a registered sex offender is behind bars after a sanitation worker acted quickly on his feet during his Monday morning route.
According to the New Iberia Police Department, the 10-year-old girl, who was the subject of an Amber Alert issued late Sunday, was located safe in St. Martin Parish, and 33-year-old Michael R. Sereal was taken into custody in relation to her disappearance, The Advocate reported.
Good news - a missing Louisiana girl has been found safe this morning. Amber Alert canceled.
— Carlie Kollath Wells (@carlie_kollath) February 8, 2021
What we know: https://t.co/AQHFmDiliA #AMBERAlert pic.twitter.com/Q0wFxCpzCI
According to WVUE, sanitation worker Dion Merrick posted a live stream on Facebook saying he spotted the silver 2012 Nissan Altima referenced in the Amber Alert in a field while working his route.
“People act like they see stuff, but they don’t want to say nothing. But she’s safe now. Thank God man, because I got a little girl. I’m on my job doing what I got to do,” Merrick said into the camera. The video contains graphic language but can be viewed here.
Law enforcement officials can be seen in the video, surrounding the car and taking a man identified later as Sereal into custody.
An arrest warrant was later issued for Sereal for aggravated kidnapping, the TV station reported.
According to a listing on Iberia Parish’s registry, Sereal is a registered sex offender, convicted in 2006 of carnal knowledge of a juvenile, The Advocate reported.
Sereal is also being charged for failure to register as a sex offender, the newspaper reported.
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