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A teenager from North Carolina, who had been missing for a month, was found on Sunday night in Florida during a routine traffic stop alongside a 37-year-old man.
Joshua Magraff, the man in question, was taken into custody and now faces multiple charges. He was released on a $9,000 bond in Putnam County, located between Gainesville and St. Augustine, as confirmed by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. It remains uncertain whether he will face legal repercussions in North Carolina as well.
The 16-year-old girl’s disappearance was reported by her mother on February 16. Florida deputies stopped Magraff for speeding near Crescent City on Monday night and questioned him about his young passenger. Initially, Magraff claimed she was his 16-year-old cousin, and later described her as just a friend.
The sheriff’s office reported, “When deputies questioned why he was spending time with a 16-year-old, his story changed again, claiming he believed she was 19.”
The teenager initially provided deputies with several fictitious names and birth dates, even one that suggested she was 12 years old. Concerned for her well-being, a deputy separated her from Magraff by placing her in a patrol car. It was then that she revealed her true identity. Deputies subsequently verified that she had been reported missing.
Multiple news agencies reported that the girl’s mother said she knew Magraff, but the sheriff’s office release on the case plainly says that “The mother stated she did not know Magraff.”
Magraff told the deputies he and the girl had come to Florida “to play gambling games,” and the deputies found $1,900 in counterfeit bills in his car, along with synthetic marijuana, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.
Magraff was charged with interference in child custody, possession of synthetic marijuana, possession of counterfeit money, deliquency of a minor, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The state Department of Children and Families took custody of the teen to arrange reunification with her mother.