LEWISTON, Maine — UPDATE (Wednesday, March 24)
The Lewiston Police Department said a 15-year-old girl, who was missing since last Thursday, was found late Tuesday night in Nebraska with a 23-year-old man.
Police said arrangements are being made to bring the teen back to Maine to reunite her with her family.
The teen and 23-year-old Taylor Hauke, of Vacaville, California, were found together at a rest area on Interstate 80 in Nebraska.
Hauke is being held in Nebraska pending criminal charges, police said.
Lewiston Police Lt. David St. Pierre told NEWS CENTER Maine the investigation is still on-going and said, "it is too early to tell if there was any type of abuse or additional crimes" Hauke could be charged with.
At this time, St. Pierre said Hauke is being held at the Lincoln County Jail in Nebraska where he has been charged by the Nebraska State Police with “Child Abuse and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor.”
Lewiston police said the combined assistance from the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office, the Vacaville (Calif.) Police Department, the Oakland (Maine) Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, California’s Attorney General’s Office, and the Nebraska State Police, was "vital" in finding the girl.
