Teen with Gwinnett ties found safe; adoptive father charged with rape

Randall Pruitt faces a rape charge in connection with the disappearance of his 14-year-old adoptive daughter, authorities said.

Credit: Monroe County (Tenn.) Sheriff's Office

Credit: Monroe County (Tenn.) Sheriff's Office

Randall Pruitt faces a rape charge in connection with the disappearance of his 14-year-old adoptive daughter, authorities said.

A Tennessee teenager with Gwinnett County ties has been found safe, and her adoptive father has been arrested on a charge of rape, authorities said.

The 14-year-old girl was found in a residence in Wisconsin, the Monroe County (Tenn.) Sheriff's Office told news station WATE in Knoxville.

Details about her rescue, including where in Wisconsin she was found and how she got there, have not been released. However, WATE reported an FBI tip led authorities to the location where the teen was located.

"She is safe, she is in custody, so that's a very good ending to this," Monroe County Sheriff Tommy Jones said. "She's doing fine."

Authorities did not say why the teen was in Wisconsin, but they said she was “fleeing from a bad home situation.”

The girl's three siblings are safe as well, according to officials.

She was last seen Jan. 13 at her home in Madisonville, Tenn., which is near Knoxville, the FBI said in an earlier statement. She lived in Lawrenceville for many years before moving to Tennessee in December.

Randall Pruitt, her adoptive father, was arrested Thursday afternoon. He is being held in the county jail. The rape charge is related to the case, according to WATE.

The investigation is ongoing.

Editor's note: An earlier version of the story named the girl. Her name was removed to protect her privacy in light of the rape charge.

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