Authorities were being in a position to locate a lacking 16-calendar year-outdated woman soon after she caught the attention of a driver by utilizing hand gestures popularized on the social media system TikTok.
According to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Business in Kentucky, the girl was inside of a silver-colored Toyota car when the driver saw her using hand alerts known on TikTok “to characterize violence at house — I want help — domestic violence.”
Right after recognizing what the alerts meant and seeing that the teenager “appeared to be in distress,” the driver called 911, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned in a assertion.
The notify led to the arrest of 61-calendar year-aged James Herbert Brick of Cherokee, North Carolina, Thursday afternoon even though driving close to a Kentucky interstate.
The teen found inside the motor vehicle Brick was driving had been reported missing by her mom and dad in Asheville, North Carolina, Tuesday morning, Laurel County Sheriff John Root claimed in a statement.
The girl also told authorities she experienced traveled with Brick by way of North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio, in accordance to the assertion.
Investigators also found a cell phone in Brick’s possession that “allegedly portrayed a juvenile female in a sexual way,” Root mentioned.
Brick is struggling with charges for illegal imprisonment and possession of content displaying a sexual intercourse overall performance by a minor in excess of the age of 12 but below age 18, in accordance to the sheriff’s business office. He’s currently being held at the Laurel County Correctional Middle on a $10,000 funds bond.
The sheriff’s place of work did not explain the sign employed by the teen, but a hand gesture to start with released by the Canadian Women’s Foundation past 12 months has been adopted by many globally who need to have to discreetly talk to for support or demonstrate they are in distress.
The gesture is a hand up, palm out, with the thumb tucked, then folding the fingers down.