A Jennings man has been arrested after a missing teenager from Tennessee was found in a tent in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. The 14-year-old girl was safely located and the 28-year-old suspect, Alexander Materne, was taken into custody, as disclosed by multiple reports. The Jennings Police Department first got wind of the situation when they heard Materne might be involved with the missing teen, WDSU reported.
According to KPLC, Materne met the girl online and picked her up from her Tennessee home with the pretense of her staying with him in Louisiana. The girl was found in a tent supplied with food, and water near where Materne was apprehended. Despite the family's claim that Materne no longer lived at the Jennings address, he returned there to celebrate Christmas, and the police made contact with him on Christmas morning.
Materne admitted to the authorities that he had engaged in sexual intercourse with the girl at his home in St. Rose before taking her to the makeshift campsite. He was taken to the police station for an interview, where he revealed the location of the teen in Tangipahoa Parish, according to WDSU. Following his arrest, Materne was booked into the Tangipahoa Parish Jail on several charges, including Contributing to the Delinquency of a Juvenile and Aggravated Kidnapping of a Child. St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives have also secured arrest warrants for Human Trafficking and Carnal Knowledge, both felonies.
The teen, who spent approximately two days in the tent, was taken to a local hospital and has since been reunited with her family. Jennings Police Chief Danny Semmes said Materne "agreed to show investigators where the girl was," leading them to the secluded site 42 miles from his home, WWLTV reported. The authorities' swift response ensured the girl's safety and Materne's apprehension.
