EMMET COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) — An Iowa man accused of talking to a child online and then travelling to Harbor Springs to take that child out of state is charged with several counts of criminal sexual conduct, according to the Emmet County Sheriff’s Office.
William Joseph Gatchel, II, age 24, of Grimes, Iowa, is charged with:
- Three (3) counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct – Third Degree (Person 13 through 15)
- One (1) count of Children Accosting for Immoral Purposes
Deputies say the investigation began when law enforcement was alerted that a minor child had not arrived at school. The sheriff’s office and the Harbor Springs Police Department launched an immediate search, which led investigators to discover that Gatchel had been communicating online with the minor for an extended period.
Authorities allege Gatchel traveled to Harbor Springs and took the child out of Emmet County. Within roughly three hours of the initial report, law enforcement located Gatchel and the minor in Minooka, Illinois. The child was safely returned home, and Gatchel was taken into custody…