What was initially a routine service call for Hamilton County sheriff's deputies in Cincinnati turned into a multi-state investigation of a sex offender and a reunification of a missing girl with her family.
Dispatchers received the initial call Thursday of a female panhandler at the Speedway gas station at 12006 Montgomery Road.
Deputies then discovered the 17-year-old girl was reported missing from Houston, Texas, on Nov. 1.
Upon further investigation, deputies determined the girl was in the company of Brandon McClerkin, 31, a registered sex offender from Texas, according to a Hamilton County Sheriff's Office news release.
McClerkin was arrested and faces possible charges of interference with custody, a fifth-degree felony, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He will be transported to the Hamilton County Justice Center, where he will be held pending arraignment.
The sheriff's office said the girl will be reunited with family as soon as arrangements can be made.
