A man has been arrested after allegedly kidnapping a 13-year-old girl and taking her to a motel in Plainfield against her will, police said.
The Plainfield Police Department said they were called to a home in Moosup Village on a report of a missing girl. Responding officers searched the home and neighboring area but were unable to find her.
After speaking to people at the scene, police believed the girl was taken from the area by a man who was later identified as 22-year-old Connor S. Tidd, of Quincy, MA.
Investigators learned that Tidd took the girl to Elite Inn on East Main Street in the Moosup section of town. Officers tried to make contact with the man, but he didn't respond to officers.
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Police forced entry into the hotel room and found the missing girl in the bathroom. Tidd was also inside the room, and was trying to escape officers, according to authorities.
"He looked young. When I saw him come out, he looked shock," said Steven Robichaud, who works at Elite Inn. "Surprised. Very surprised."
"I took my dogs out and police were searching the area and they were searching the rooms, everyone's room. And there was one that left, that person didn't come to the door," Robichaud continued.
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Search and seizure warrants for Tidd's car and hotel room were executed, and officers found several pieces of evidence establishing probable cause for sexual and narcotic-related crime, police said.
Tidd was arrested on risk of injury to a minor and interfering charges. On Wednesday, he was charged with additional crimes including sex assault, kidnapping, enticing a minor, illegal distribution of a controlled substance, and more.
He was held on a $500,000 bond, appeared in court on Thursday and posted bond.
“We just ask everybody to remember that everyone’s entitled to be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt, because of our constitution,” Attorney Mathew Olkin, who is representing Tidd, said.
“And just as a matter of basic fairness, I think everyone should be entitled to that presumption that people should withhold their judgements until Connor’s had a chance to tell his side of the story and when that happens, I believe people will see the case differently,” he added.
