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A Texas father heroically saved his daughter after she was kidnapped by a knife-wielding man on Christmas Day by tracking her phone, authorities said.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said the 15-year-old girl was kidnapped while walking her dog near her home in Porter, Texas, around 4:50 p.m. on Christmas Day. wrote on Facebook.
Authorities learned the girl “went for a walk with her dog and her parents became concerned when she didn’t return at her usual time.”
The worried father used her phone’s location to track her to a wooded area nearly two miles away, where she was found in a maroon pickup truck with a “half-naked” man.
The father helped his daughter escape and alerted law enforcement, who immediately arrested 23-year-old Giovanni Rosales Espinoza, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Espinoza was taken into custody without incident and charged with aggravated kidnapping and child molestation.
He is being held without bail at the Montgomery County Jail, authorities said.
Sheriff Wesley Doolittle said: “Christmas is a time of joy, but this man chose to ruin that joy by targeting children.”
“I am extremely proud of our deputies and detectives who work tirelessly to ensure this dangerous predator is quickly apprehended and kept off our streets. Rest assured that your Sheriff’s Office remains vigilant every hour of every day to keep your families safe.”
The Sheriff’s Department said the investigation is ongoing but no further information could be released at this time.