DECORAH — A missing little girl from South Carolina who authorities say was taken by her parents last month in violation of a safety plan has been found in the Decorah area.
Two-year-old Dakota Ray’s parents — William Ray, 44, and Jessica Ray, 36, formerly of Camden, S.C. — are being held on theft charges in the Winneshiek County Jail.
Details about their arrest in Iowa weren’t immediately available.
“Dakota Ray has been located and is currently safe in child protective custody in the state of Iowa,” Camden police in South Carolina said in a news release.
According to the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office, the family was spotted Thursday at the Decorah Walmart. A short time later, witnesses saw them traveling north of town in a gold-colored Ford van.
Winneshiek deputies stopped the vehicle on Quarry Hill Road, and all three were in the van.
William Ray was arrested on felony theft, fifth-degree theft and driving charges. He also was detained on warrants from South Carolina, according to the sheriff’s office.
Jessica Ray was arrested on a fifth-degree theft charge.
Authorities began seeking the parents in April after they were accused of violating a South Carolina Department of Social Services safety plan by taking the child. The child had been placed in the custody of an uncle pending the outcome of a Social Services investigation.
Authorities said the couple took the child and left Camden in a van that William Ray earlier had used as collateral for a bail bond.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children put out a notice about the Rays, and the three were spotted Monday in Iowa.
During the Decorah traffic stop Thursday, William Ray had a suspended South Carolina driver’s license, and there was no registration or proof of insurance for the van. officials said. He was detained on a charge of second-degree theft because the van had been reported stolen.
The fifth-degree theft charges stem from a purse that was discovered in the van. The purse — along with ID cards, Social Security cards and gift cards inside — had been reported stolen from Le Mars, court records state.