A 41-year-old man who had been sought for being with a 14-year-old runaway girl from Hollister is now in custody, according to a police captain.
Police arrested San Francisco’s Clint Wageman at about 3:30 p.m., said Capt. David Westrick with the Hollister Police Department.
Westrick said the missing girl is safe and that San Francisco police arrested Wageman in the Bay Area.
Police had feared Wageman was with the runaway and Saturday released a statement asking for the public’s help in finding them.
According to a police statement, several tips from citizens led officers to focus efforts in the San Francisco area.
The California Department of Justice, the Unified Narcotics Task Force and the Hollister Police Department were in San Francisco conducting surveillance when the girl was located by San Francisco police officers.
At about 2:30 p.m., a citizen got in contact with San Francisco police and said he had seen a man and a young girl that matched the description of the girl and Wageman. The citizen pointed out an apartment where police officers knocked on the door and found them.
It started when her grandmother, who is her legal guardian, reported the girl as a runaway Thursday. The grandmother reported to police that the teenager had never gone missing and that she was concerned she could be with Wageman, a family friend and distant relative.
His last known address was in the 100 block of Sixth Street in San Francisco. Police had reported he was no longer at the address and his cell phone number was recently disconnected.
Police noted that recent Internet searches on the girl’s home computer revealed she was looking at apartments for rent in the Oakland area.
This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information regarding this incident is requested to contact Officer Rudy Rodriguez at 636-4330. Persons wishing to remain anonymous may call WeTIP at (800) 78-CRIME.
Editor’s note: The teenager’s identity has been removed due to changing circumstances in the case.
