Missing 15-year-old girl, man located in Portland
Charles Fontenot
PORTLAND - A 15-year-old girl discovered missing from her home in New Sharon was located Wednesday evening, after she and the 30-year-old man she was traveling with were taken into custody.
Opal Swearingen, 15, of New Sharon, was reported missing on June 12. In the course of the missing person investigation, police said they believed Swearingen was in the company of Charles Fontenot, 30, of Lewiston. Before Wednesday evening, they were reportedly last seen together in the Lewiston area.
An arrest warrant was issued for Fontenot in June, charging him with sexual abuse of a minor and criminal restraint.
Franklin County Sheriff's Department Lt. Niles Yeaton released a brief statement Thursday, announcing that both Swearingen and Fontenot had been located and taken into custody in Portland. No other details were available at this time, Yeaton added.
"We wish to thank all the law enforcement agencies that assisted in the safe return of Opal," Yeaton said in the release, adding that the department wanted to thank the National Center For Missing And Exploited Children for their "prompt response to getting the information public."
Yeaton did later say that Fontenot spent the evening in the Cumberland County Jail and was picked up today by FCSD Det. David St. Laurent and Maine State Police Det. Randall Keaten to be transported to Franklin County Detention Center for processing.
Swearingen was returned to the custody of state, Yeaton said. She had been in a foster home prior to her disappearance.
More information will be posted about this when it becomes available.
Pictures of Opal Swearingen and Charles Fontenot, issued in June by the Franklin County Sheriff's Department.
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Thank God she was found safe. You never know what can happen!
Glad Opal has been found and hope she is okay. Hope they keep the predator locked up.
I am glad she has been located safely also, and please everyone keep praying for her healing recovery. She may not realize it but she was taken advantage of and she did not deserve to be abused ever by anyone.
You usually know exactly what is happening.
Regardless of anything else, Opal is a kid.
That she was in foster care tells me she did not have a good stable life and that made her easy prey for someone like Fontenot. I hope she finds a good home with caring people before it's too late for her.
Shame on you for posting this young victims photo. It's understanding that you posted her photo while she was missing, but now that she's been found remove the photo. Poor girls been through enough.
Tony In Wilton, I agree with you
Just because she is a teen in state custody does not mean she had no clue as to what she was doing. Children is state custody are placed in homes where people want to care of them and the fact that the foster parents reported her missing right away shows they care for her. Teens in state custody have a high rate of running away because they dont want to follow the rules or because they want the freedom. As a foster parent there are safety rules that need to be followed including making good choices for your foster child.
Oh, I thought I read that she WASN't reported missing right away. My mistake.
@former...
At 15 she probably did know what she was doing. I didn't mean to imply feeblemindedness. But, even so called adults make poor choices. poor choices have consequences. If you're a kid, that becomes a mitigating factor.
Way too much "it's either black or white and no in between" today.
What a good looking young girl. I hope she can find some positive influences in her life so that she may have a bright future.