Former Tri-Cities middle school guard accused of kidnapping student. FBI helped find her
A West Richland man is in jail, accused of kidnapping a 14-year-old girl he knew from a former job as a security guard at her middle school in Kennewick.
Kennewick police said Thursday that Anohelico T. Caulder, 26, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree kidnapping and booked into the Benton County jail early in the morning July 4.
Detectives are continuing to investigate the circumstances related to the incident, according to a Kennewick police report.
The girl was reported missing June 25 after leaving home and not contacting family, police said.
On Wednesday, July 3, police learned that she had been with Caulder and located him at his new workplace in Kennewick, police said. But the girl was not with him or at the home he shares with his wife.
The FBI helped determine that the girl was dropped off by Caulder in Gresham, Ore., on Tuesday, according to Kennewick police.
The Gresham Police Department found her about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday.
According to Kennewick police, she had asked Caulder for a ride from Washington to Oregon so she could catch a train to California. Caulder also gave her food, money and personal items.
The girl also had been given a cell phone, according to a Kennewick police report, which did not say who gave her the phone.
In addition to being accused of kidnapping, Caulder also may face a gross misdemeanor charge of harboring a runaway, according to Benton County jail information.
This story was originally published July 4, 2024 at 2:39 PM.