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ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) -- A Louisiana man accused of taking a 12-year-old North Carolina girl from her home is in custody after deputies in Georgia found the pair during a routine traffic stop.
The Hall County Sheriff's Office said 18-year-old Kenton Jesus Enamorado Ventura was stopped along Interstate 985, about one mile south of Spout Springs Road, at about 3 p.m. on Wednesday, July 10.
Deputies said after Ventura and his passenger -- a 12-year-old girl from Leicester -- gave inconsistent accounts about their relationship, investigators were alerted.
After working with Buncombe County and Louisiana authorities, Hall County investigators believe that Ventura met the girl online and that the two communicated for about a year using WhatsApp, a popular messaging app.
Hall County investigators said initial details indicate Ventura drove from Louisiana to North Carolina to pick up the child from her home at about noon on Wednesday and the two were headed to Ventura's home in West Monroe, Louisiana.
The girl's father was unaware that she had left, according to the sheriff's office.
Hall County authorities released the child to her father and arrested Ventura for traffic violations. The department says Ventura was released from its custody on July 28 for transfer to Buncombe County.
According to the Buncombe County P2C, Ventura is being held on a $500,000 secured bond for a felony abduction of children charge.
"We appreciate the assistance provided to us by the sheriff deputies in Hall County, Georgia," Buncombe County's Major John Ledford said in a written statement Wednesday. "Their willingness to follow up on their suspicions and conduct a thorough investigation was pivotal to reuniting the victim with her family. The Buncombe County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division continues to investigate this case and prepare it for prosecution. Therefore, we have no further comment at this time."
