HARBOR SPRINGS, Mich. — Authorities say an Iowa man is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly communicating online with a Michigan child and then traveling to meet and take the child across state lines.
According to the Emmet County Sheriff’s Office, 24-year-old William Joseph Gatchel II, of Grimes, Iowa, is charged with:
- Three counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct – Third Degree (Person 13 through 15)
- One count of Children Accosting for Immoral Purposes
Deputies say the case began when a report came in that a minor had not shown up for school in Harbor Springs. A rapid search by the Emmet County Sheriff’s Office and Harbor Springs Police Department led investigators to uncover an ongoing online relationship between Gatchel and the child.
Authorities allege Gatchel traveled from Iowa to Harbor Springs and took the child out of Emmet County. Within approximately three hours of the initial report, investigators located Gatchel and the minor in Minooka, Illinois. The child was safely recovered and returned home…