ARLINGTON — Police in Phoenix, Ariz., rescued an Arlington girl Friday on her first birthday after a 41-day national search.
The youngster allegedly had been taken June 12 by her father, who did not have custody, from the home the two shared with her mother, police said.
The man was driving his vehicle in Phoenix when an officer ran his license plate and learned the registered owner was being sought on a felony warrant for custodial interference. The officer identified the driver as the owner of the car and found the girl in a car seat. She appeared to be in good health and was turned over to Child Protective Services until her mother arrived.
The man was booked into jail pending extradition to Washington, police said
Sex offender notice: A registered sex offender has moved to North Whidbey Island, just outside of Oak Harbor, according to the Island County Sheriff’s Office.
Jason Isaac Topaum, 15, now lives in a supervised group home in the 3600 block of Brewer Lane, the sheriff’s office said. He is considered a high Level 3 risk to the community. State authorities initially rated him a moderate Level 2 risk to reoffend, but that was overruled by the Island County Sheriff’s Sexual Offender Review Board.
In June 1999, Topaum pleaded guilty to a charge of indecent liberties for sexually molesting five girls under the age of 12 in Skagit County, according to the sheriff’s office. He was sentenced to 36 weeks of confinement. In January 2000, he went to live in a supervised group home in Snohomish County. He completed both his juvenile probation program and treatment for sexually aggressive youth.
The sheriff’s review board raised Topaum’s risk level because of disclosures of other sexual assaults, the sheriff’s office said.
Topaum is described as an American Indian, 5 foot 8 inches and 244 pounds. He is not wanted by law enforcement.
The sheriff’s office is holding a meeting about Topaum and the state’s sexual offender program at 7 p.m. Wednesday for residents of the Sleeper Road neighborhood and all north Whidbey Island residents.
Fire district grant: Snohomish County Fire District No. 28, based in Index, has been awarded a $14,000 grant to convert a military cargo truck into a wildland firetruck. The grant is part of a federal program to aid rural volunteer fire departments. The money will be used to install a wildland fire pump and water tank on the military truck. The entire fire district has an annual budget of only $58,000, making the grant all the more significant.
From Herald staff reports
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