EAST RIDGE, TN — Authorities say a missing 13-year-old girl from Lee County, Florida, was safely found in East Ridge after a license plate reader alert helped police identify a vehicle tied to the case. Investigators say the girl had been missing from her Fort Myers home since Sept. 18.
Lee County officials say the man found with the teen is 28-year-old Michah Mosier, who they now describe as a Tennessee resident. Mosier is being held in the Hamilton County Jail as investigators continue working to piece together how the girl ended up in East Ridge.
License plate readers led officers to the vehicle near an I-75 exit ramp
East Ridge police say the search accelerated after the FBI sent an Automated License Plate Reader alert about a vehicle believed to be carrying the girl. The license plate was detected at an intersection near an I-75 exit ramp, giving officers a precise area to search.
Within minutes, officers from East Ridge and Chattanooga were checking the area. Police say they were able to stop the vehicle quickly and safely, preventing the situation from continuing longer than necessary…