Dad, son charged in kidnapping

[Ban Hammer 13,351]

TORONTO -- A father and son have been charged in the alleged abduction of a 14-year-old girl who was found sexually assaulted in an Edmonton drug house.

The Port Perry teen was reported missing by her grandparents Oct. 1 after she boarded a plane to Edmonton with a 22-year-old man she had met on the Internet, Durham Regional Police Det.-Sgt. Herb Curwain said last night.

With help from Edmonton police and Children's Aid, the teen was found in a "known drug house" later the same week, along with her supposed boyfriend, who she said she was planning on starting a life with, Curwain said.

The officer said there was no evidence the girl was being sold into the sex trade but he can only imagine what fate she may have faced had she not been found quickly.

"Could this have been one of those cases? Yes, it could have but I think we got there before it could happen," he said, adding he's seen more cases of girls lured into the sex trade by their so-called boyfriends in the last five years than he did in the previous 25. "It's the Internet. If these (victims) want to talk to Billy Bob, they'll talk to Billy Bob."

Investigators are working with the teen to ensure she doesn't find herself in a similar situation again.

"Clearly, she was vulnerable to an individual like this guy, your typical (alleged) predator on the Internet," Curwain said.

Tyler James White, 22, was charged with abduction of a person under 16, sexual interference and sexual assault.

White's father, Steven White, 54, of Stouffville, was charged with accessory after the fact to abduction and obstruct police.

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