AMBER Alert Leads to Arrest After Child Found in Albert Lea
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A missing 7-year-old girl was found safe early Thursday morning after a traffic stop in southern Minnesota, with a 28-year-old man now facing charges.
The girl was at the center of an AMBER Alert issued out of Sherburne County after she went missing shortly after getting off a school bus around 4 p.m.
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Authorities say the 7-year-old girl was reported missing after she was last seen in Zimmerman. During the initial investigation, a black vehicle was reported to have been seen in the area following the school bus. Authorities said it was not immediately known whether that vehicle was connected to her disappearance.
A Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said dispatch first received a call reporting the girl missing at 6:31 p.m.
A “community notification” was issued by local authorities at 9:47 p.m. with a description of a black passenger car that was following her school bus. Investigators eventually ruled out any involvement of a black vehicle and an AMBER Alert was issued at 11:40 p.m. after information developed that the girl had likely had been abducted.
Investigators identified a white Dodge Ram pickup as a suspect vehicle and issued an emergency alert to law enforcement agencies at 12:38 a.m. Thursday, the sheriff’s office said.
Around the same time that last alert was sent—and about 130 miles south of Zimmerman—Albert Lea police spotted a vehicle traveling southbound on Interstate 35 that was believed to be associated. Officers located the vehicle in the Albert Lea area and conducted a traffic stop.
READ MORE > Sherburne County coverage
Police confirmed the girl inside the vehicle was the missing 7-year-old and said she was safely recovered at the scene. A 28-year-old man, Joseph Andrew Bragg, was taken into custody and is being held on suspicion of kidnapping. Formal charges have not yet been filed but are expected within the coming days. The Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office said Bragg has no known permanent address.
The girl was taken to Mayo in Albert Lea for a medical evaluation and was later reunited with her family. Authorities have not released details on her condition beyond confirming she was found safe.
“We want to thank the numerous law enforcement and first responders who assisted in the search,” the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office said in a written statement. “We also want to thank the hundreds of volunteers who came out to assist in the search.”
A search of state court records showed no previous criminal history for Bragg in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Star Tribune quoted a sheriff’s office commander who said Bragg was a stranger to the girl’s family. He said there was a “social media” tie but officials have not yet disclosed further information on the criminal investigation.
Albert Lea police were assisted during the incident by the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office and Mayo Ambulance Service. Further details regarding the AMBER Alert and the ongoing investigation are expected from the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office.
