Runaway Idaho Teen May Be Traveling To Yellowstone With Wanted Man

A runaway Idaho teen may be en route to Yellowstone National Park with a wanted man.

According to KTVQ Billings, citing a story from KBOI, 14-year-old Anni Gwin of Jerome, ID may be in the company of 43-year-old Charles McLaughlin, who has a felony warrant out for his arrest for “failure to appear and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.” Another warrant has been issued for his arrest, this one charging him with second degree kidnapping, KMVT reports.

According to The Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Gwin and McLaughlin may be traveling in a black 2002 Chevy Impala with Idaho license plate 2TZ7538.

Anyone possessing information on either Gwin or McLaughlin are encouraged to call the Jerome Police Department at 208-324-4328.

According to Magic Valley News, Gwin was first reported as missing last week. She was last seen around 2 a.m. Monday, August 1, in the company of McLaughlin, who hails from Silver Springs, Nevada. From Magic Valley:

“There’s no reason to believe she was forcibly abducted, and this doesn’t meet the criteria of an Amber Alert,” Jerome Police Chief Dan Hall said Wednesday, [August 3]. “But obviously she’s in danger being out of the control of her parents and with somebody of McLaughlin’s age.”

[…]

Gwin was last seen wearing an orange sweatshirt over a pink T-shirt, her family told police. She has at least two piercings in her bottom lip, a tattoo of three small music notes behind her ear and a tattoo of a large treble clef on her forearm.

She’s also travelling with a brown puppy.

[…]

McLaughlin was due in court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing on a felony charge, but he failed to appear and a judge issued a no-bond bench warrant for his arrest. Court records also show a sealed case for McLaughlin, meaning there could be a warrant on other charges.

Court records obtained Wednesday by the Times-News show McLaughlin’s felony charge for which he was due in court Wednesday stems from a July 20 incident involving Gwin.

According to a sworn police affidavit, Gwin sneaked out to be with McLaughlin that night and had sneaked out to be with him at least once before.

According to Magic Valley, McLaughlin was initially arrested “on suspicion of lewd conduct with a minor,” but was only charged with “attempted destruction of evidence. Jerome officers reported McLaughlin was “sweating heavily and … appeared very nervous” during the encounter.