Man charged with kidnapping after Fairfield County girl, 5, found in car on Kentucky interstate

COLUMBUS (WCMH) – A Fairfield County man has been charged with kidnapping after a 5-year-old girl was found nearly 300 miles away and across state lines.

According to the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a house fire on 7200 block of Pleasantville Road northeast of Lancaster. Upon arrival about 6 a.m. Monday, deputies learned that a 5-year-old girl was missing.

The girl’s father told authorities that she was last seen the night before when she went to bed. He was awakened by another adult who was in the home attempting to extinguish the fire. Three other adults, including 38-year-old John Beckman, were in the home when the girl went to bed.

The girl was not found around or near the residence, and it was learned that she could be with an acquaintance of the family. Several agencies, including the Lancaster Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Kentucky State Police were able to locate the girl near Louisville, Kentucky, at 10:16 a.m.

The girl was found by the Kentucky State Police on Interstate 65 south, near Elizabethtown, during a traffic stop when deputies located Beckman’s vehicle.

Beckman was arrested and charged with kidnapping. Prosecutors in Fairfield County requested a bond amount of $2 million. Court documents did not yet confirm a judge’s ruling.