The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Tuesday, January 01, 2019 03:01 PM
North Carolina 7-Month Old Found Safe As Sex Offender Father Arrested On Kidnapping Charges
The Danville Police Department in Virginia says in a Tuesday news release that Emma Grace Kennedy has been found in North Carolina and her father has been arrested.
According to Danville Police, an anonymous tip was called into a North Carolina 911 center at 11:55 a.m. The caller told dispatchers that 51-year-old Carl Ray Kennedy was at a residence in the 4000 block of Wells Lane in Randleman, N.C., with Emma.
A number of federal and state law enforcement officers responded to the residence, and Kennedy was taken into custody without incident. His car — the gold 2007 Suzuki — was there as well, and had been spray painted black.
A deputy with the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office rescued Emma from the residence.
"(He) entered the mobile home, saw the child and immediately grabbed her up," a representative with the Sheriff’s Office said. "He shielded her with great care. She had a great smile on her face and appears to be a good shape."
Emma was taken to a local hospital and is in good health; she's now in her family's custody.
Police said Kennedy took Emma from a convenience store in Danville on Sunday. Kennedy is registered as a sex offender in North Carolina
Virginia State Police had issued an Amber Alert saying the infant faced "extreme danger."
