A police dog in San Bernardino County, California helped find a 16-year-old girl who was reported kidnapped and held in the woods Monday, according to local police.
It all started when the girl’s grandmother called 911 around 1:15 am and reported that her granddaughter had been kidnapped by a man after she heard them get into an argument, Officer Gil Flores of the San Bernardino County’s Sheriff’s Department said.
WATCH: Dog saves owner from bear attack in Prince George
When police were searching for the girl — who is not being identified because she is a minor — they received another call from a neighbour saying they “saw a male holding a flashlight and dragging a female off into the woods by her hair,” Flores said in a statement.
Police went to the location and saw fresh prints and drag marks in the dirt. They found the girl’s purse close by. That’s when they called in Deja from the K9 unit.
The dog smelled the purse and started running to the forest.
“She took us through the woods. We popped out onto a street and we started going through a mountain neighbourhood and started circling around a house,” Officer Josh Stone told CBS.
The 16-year-old girl and a suspect were found inside the residence, police say.
Logan Padberg, 18, was arrested and charged with kidnapping, domestic battery and unlawful sex with a minor.