A couple accused of luring and abducting a special needs teen with autism from Arkansas is out of the Pierce County Jail after making the $15,000 bail. Their release happened one day after an elaborate operation to rescue the teen in the Eatonville area.
On Thursday, Pierce County Sheriff's deputies were among a number of agencies, including the FBI, investigating the case of a missing 18-year-old female with autism. Mississippi County Sherrif's detectives from Luxora, Arkansas were able to determine that in the minutes before her disappearance, the victim received and replied to a text from, a Washington state phone number, according to a press release.
The investigation uncovered that a 50-year-old man from the Eatonville area had contacted the teen online. The same man reportedly tried to befriend over 8,000 children via social media.
According to detectives, the man, Khanh Tan Le, and a 28-year-old woman, Katherine Michelle Jones, reportedly flew from Washington to Tennessee using fake ID's, then drove to Arkansas where they lured the teen. Then they drove to Washington state.
Pierce County Deputies found them in a cabin in the Eatonville area. The teen was returned to her family in Arkansas. Le and Jones were arrested on the warrant. Bail was set at $15,000 each. They were able to bond out.
A source at the Pierce County Prosecutor's office tells KING 5, before Friday's bail hearing, no official details from Arkansas beyond the scant information in the warrant were made available.
James Lynch, a spokesperson for the Pierce County Prosecutor's Office, said in a statement Monday:
"When the deputy prosecutor who made the bail recommendation reviewed the case all we had was the warrant and a document that showed there was no criminal history. What we didn't have was the investigative reports to reveal the details about the case that would have led to the prosecutor asking for higher bail. And, as of 8:10pm, we still don't have that information."
Scott Ellington, the Prosecuting Attorney from Arkansas said in a statement:
"It appears they do things a little differently in Washington state. We were surprised to learn they had been released on such a low bond before our officers could get out there and interview them. We are proceeding with the extradition process and will let the case run its course. I want to add that Pierce County Sheriff's Department has been more than helpful in locating the subjects and serving our warrants without incident."
On Tuesday, Pierce County Deputy Prosecutor Jason Ruyf defended the handling of the case.
"My understanding is our office asked for more than $15,000 (bail). The court imposed $15,000."
He also says that Arkansas authorities failed to offer evidence to hold the suspects without bail.
"We still don't have it today, we've requested it," he said, adding the office could still go back and ask for a higher bail, or for the suspects to be taken back into custody. Ruyf says he's not concerned about the suspects being a flight risk.
"I believe the Sheriff's Department is taking this seriously."
Le and Jones are due back in court on March 23.
