When the mother of a 15-year-old went to check on her daughter, her bedroom window was open and the screen was missing.
That was Thursday morning.
Nora Waskow, Calah Waskow’s mother, told police her daughter had run away from their Columbia County home before, police spokesman Major Steve Morris said.
“There was no indication of an abduction,” Morris said.
The Waskow family lives in Evans, which is a suburb of Augusta about 140 miles east of Atlanta.
Calah Waskow met 37-year-old Jason Johnson through his stepdaughter, who Morris said is about Calah’s age.
Initially, police recorded the incident as a case of a runaway juvenile, but when police learned more about Johnson’s background, an AMBER Alert was issued.
“Once we started investigating the matter and learned of Johnson’s background, it met the criteria,” Morris said.
By Friday, that alert extended into South Carolina, where Johnson is believed to reside. He had been arrested for simple battery and police believed Waskow was in danger, Morris said.
About 3:30 p.m. Saturday, officers in Sevierville, Tenn., spotted the tan 1998 Ford Crown Victoria with a South Carolina license tag reported in the AMBER Alert. The car was parked outside a Russell Stover Candies store on Winfield Dunn Parkway, according to a police report.
Dispatch confirmed to responding officers that Johnson had multiple warrants issued out of Columbia County, including aggravated child molestation, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, child molestation and enticing a child for indecent purposes.
When Johnson and Waskow walked out of the store, police detained and arrested him. Waskow was taken to a nearby medical center.
Johnson was booked into Sevier County jail on a charge of fugitive from justice. He is expected to be extradited back to Columbia County later this week, Morris said.
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