SAFFORD, AZ (3TV\/CBS 5) — <\/b> We\u2019re learning more about the man accused of kidnapping a Safford girl after she was found at his South Carolina apartment early Wednesday morning.
The young girl\u2019s father, Justin, says his daughter had gone for a walk last week but didn\u2019t return to Safford. He told Arizona\u2019s Family that authorities had found his daughter in South Carolina. The sheriff\u2019s office says Timothy M. Schultheis, 23, of South Carolina, was arrested early Wednesday morning.
Sheriff officials say that the girl had gone for a walk on Sunday, Mar. 20, around 11 a.m. but then didn\u2019t return. Officials say the family started looking for her around 6 p.m., but when they couldn\u2019t find her, Justin called deputies. \u201cWe\u2019ve gone over the stranger danger, the internet, and social media, been warning her,\u201d Justin previously told Arizona\u2019s Family reporter Amy Cutler. He had been searching for his daughter since that night. Justin says that he is planning to fly to South Carolina to reunite with his daughter.
\u201cWe were all in bed, about 2 o clock in the morning we heard the knock on the door and I opened it and there\u2019s 2 deputies out there. At first, my heart just sank,\u201d said Danny, the girl\u2019s uncle. \u201cWe\u2019re ecstatic. But at the same time, we\u2019re also nervous because we don\u2019t know what her condition is, but we are thankful she\u2019s alive and found.\u201d
The Beaufort County Sheriff\u2019s Office says they were alerted by the FBI after they suspected Schultheis of kidnapping a girl from Arizona. Schultheis was also listed as a wanted person by the National Crime Information Center. That\u2019s when deputies got a warrant for his arrest and another warrant to search his apartment. Authorities were able to enter the apartment where they found Schultheis and the girl. She was taken to the Savannah Memorial Hospital to be checked out. She has since been released, and Schultheis was taken into custody. A recent booking photo hasn\u2019t been released but Arizona\u2019s Family has obtained a previous mug shot for Schultheis.
Schultheis was out on bond and was wearing an ankle monitor when he traveled to Arizona and kidnapped the pre-teen, according to BCSO. Deputies say he had the ankle monitor on at the time of his arrest this morning.
\u201cThat is of critical importance to us–how does somebody who has an ankle monitor, out on bond, has that kind of freedom without being checked? And here we have another victim–another 12-year-old victim–and thank god she\u2019s unharmed,\u201d said Major Bob Bromage, a spokesperson for BCSO.
Schultheis has been booked into the Beaufort County jail on kidnapping charges. Graham County deputies say he will be extradited to Arizona. Records show that Schultheis was out on bond for multiple sexual assault charges involving minors in 2020.
Editor\u2019s Note: <\/b><\/i>This article was modified on March 30, 2022, to remove the identity of the 12-year-old girl. Arizona\u2019s Family will no longer reveal the girl\u2019s identity in an effort to protect her.<\/i>
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