LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas State Police have now located a 30-year-old man who was believed to have been traveling with a missing 16-year-old girl whom he met online.
Authorities found and detained Adrian Garces on Tuesday. Later that same day, police completed an independent search and found the teen.
Garces is under arrest in Texas and charged with interference with custody, and he's now awaiting extradition back to Arkansas.
Investigators said Garces met the 16-year-old online, raising concerns about internet safety, especially regarding what our kids are accessing.
The James H. Penick Boys and Girls Club has a checklist of procedures they review to ensure students are safe while online. Teen Center Director Makayla Green says, "Safety is always important."
"Every time we come to the computer lab, we remind the children not to get on any websites, Facebook, Instagram, or any type of social media," Green said. "Our computer system already blocks out everything they probably want to get on, but can't, just for their safety."
Green said they're constantly monitoring the children and teens to be aware of suspicious activity.
"As we know, Little Rock has a lot of kidnappings, a lot of sexual assaults... we make sure that they don't communicate with other people because of their safety and our safety," Green said. "We want to make sure that all our children are safe and not communicating with anyone that they shouldn't be communicating [with]."
Kennedy Woods, a student who attends the Boys and Girls Club, said she loves computer time and that they trust her a lot.
"You can be free and do what you want... but not something inappropriate," Woods said.
While safety is always the top priority, Green appreciates the computers as they help the kids learn and have fun with friends, adding that the club offers them a safe place to do both.
"It's a great opportunity for them to come here to use our computers," Green said. "It's totally safe. They have ways to access games, school games... homework help."
This conversation is also happening on the national level. Early Tuesday, the U.S. Senate voted in favor of a law that creates safeguards for kids on social media platforms.