VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A 41-year-old man is in custody after he picked up a girl from school in Daytona Beach and tried to fly her to his home in Arizona, according to police.
Christopher Reed was arrested Friday in Charlotte, North Carolina with the assistance of the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Homeland Security and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
The 13-year-old victim and Reed had flown to Charlotte from Daytona Beach International Airport and were waiting on another flight when authorities found them, according to police.
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The victim was not harmed and will be heading back soon, police said.
Holly Hill police were first tipped off about Reed last September by the girl’s mother after she discovered her daughter and Reed had met on Instagram and were exchanging inappropriate photos with one another, police said.
Investigators said Reed had flown from Arizona to Daytona Beach on Thursday in hopes of meeting the victim in person. He eventually picked her up later from school, police said.
The girl’s mother called police after her daughter failed to come home or contact her.
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Daytona Beach police said they became involved after the victim failed to show up at her school.
Reed is being held on a kidnapping charge, with additional charges against him coming soon, according to police.