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Former Marine Arrested, Accused of Luring 12-Year-Old
Aired July 16, 2003 - 14:27 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, an ex-U.S. Marine is in police custody in Germany. Thirty-one-year-old Toby Studabaker is accused of running off with a 12-year-old British girl after conducting a yearlong relationship with her on the Internet.
Jim Boulden joins us now from Leigh, England with the latest -- Jim.
JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this has been an extraordinary last few hours here in the small town of Leigh outside of Manchester. At lunchtime the police came out here to tell us they had no idea where Toby Studabaker and Shevaun Patterson (sic) were. Yet a few hours later to say that Shevaun had, in fact, been found. And then at 3:00 this afternoon, Shevaun came to this police station and was reunited with her family.
It seems that she flew from Studgard, Germany to Amsterdam and then on to Manchester. The police were able to pick her up at the airport and bring her here. It was a very, very joyful time. The mother and the father, after meeting her for an hour and a half, met with the press. And this is what the mom had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOANNA PENNINGTON, GIRL'S MOTHER: I was hoping and praying that it was a phone call that we really wanted to hear.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And did you just beg her to come back at this point?
PENNINGTON: Well, she knew she -- she wanted back so -- yes, yes. She was -- it was a good phone call. The best one I've had, actually, ever. Ever. Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOULDEN: Now British police believe that Pennington and Studabaker were probably still together as of this morning and at some time split up. And then Studabaker was arrested on the streets of Frankfurt. Now we're told that he called the FBI in Detroit this morning and somehow from that they got to a joint operation between the FBI, the German police and the British police and he was arrested. And he was arrested on an international arrest warrant for abduction because, of course, Pennington is 12-years-old and he, of course, as we know, is 31-years-old, and they met on the Internet in chat rooms over a year ago. And then on Saturday, she left her home here, telling her parents that she was going to go meet friends. She took her passport and some clothes and the police say met Studabaker at the airport in Manchester. Nobody knew where they were until this afternoon.
PHILLIPS: Jim Boulden, live from Leigh, England, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired July 16, 2003 - 14:27 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, an ex-U.S. Marine is in police custody in Germany. Thirty-one-year-old Toby Studabaker is accused of running off with a 12-year-old British girl after conducting a yearlong relationship with her on the Internet.
Jim Boulden joins us now from Leigh, England with the latest -- Jim.
JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this has been an extraordinary last few hours here in the small town of Leigh outside of Manchester. At lunchtime the police came out here to tell us they had no idea where Toby Studabaker and Shevaun Patterson (sic) were. Yet a few hours later to say that Shevaun had, in fact, been found. And then at 3:00 this afternoon, Shevaun came to this police station and was reunited with her family.
It seems that she flew from Studgard, Germany to Amsterdam and then on to Manchester. The police were able to pick her up at the airport and bring her here. It was a very, very joyful time. The mother and the father, after meeting her for an hour and a half, met with the press. And this is what the mom had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOANNA PENNINGTON, GIRL'S MOTHER: I was hoping and praying that it was a phone call that we really wanted to hear.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And did you just beg her to come back at this point?
PENNINGTON: Well, she knew she -- she wanted back so -- yes, yes. She was -- it was a good phone call. The best one I've had, actually, ever. Ever. Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOULDEN: Now British police believe that Pennington and Studabaker were probably still together as of this morning and at some time split up. And then Studabaker was arrested on the streets of Frankfurt. Now we're told that he called the FBI in Detroit this morning and somehow from that they got to a joint operation between the FBI, the German police and the British police and he was arrested. And he was arrested on an international arrest warrant for abduction because, of course, Pennington is 12-years-old and he, of course, as we know, is 31-years-old, and they met on the Internet in chat rooms over a year ago. And then on Saturday, she left her home here, telling her parents that she was going to go meet friends. She took her passport and some clothes and the police say met Studabaker at the airport in Manchester. Nobody knew where they were until this afternoon.
PHILLIPS: Jim Boulden, live from Leigh, England, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
