Columbia, Elkridge Teens Charged in Child Endangerment Case

An Elkridge teenager is in jail after allegedly attempting to bring an underage New York girl he met online back to Maryland, according to Channel 10 News in Rochester. 

Travis Kuhne of Elkridge, 18, was charged with endangerment of a child and unlawful possession of a weapon, reported the Ithaca Journal.

Kuhne had been in an online relationship with a 16-year-old girl from upstate New York since January, according to MSNBC, when he and two friends from Columbia allegedly picked up the girl from school Monday morning.

The two Columbia teenagers who accompanied Kuhne—Elliot Johnson and Djakarta Hall—were also charged with endangerment of a child because they were allegedly accomplices and didn’t try to stop him, according to Channel 10.

Faculty alerted police that the 16-year-old was missing at 8:30 a.m. on April 2, according to the Messenger Post.

New York State Police issued an amber alert at 9:50 a.m.

With help from the girl’s bus driver, who overheard a phone conversation that morning, troopers conducted a 10 a.m. traffic stop on the New York State Thruway that resulted in the arrest of the three Howard County teenagers, reported the Messenger Post.

Kuhne was charged with reckless endangerment of a child and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon for having a switchblade; both are misdemeanors.

The three 18-year-olds were taken to Steuben County Jail, where they are being held on $500 bail, reported the Ithaca Journal. As of Tuesday morning, Steuben County police said all three were still in jail. The girl was reportedly charged with possession of marijuana.