Court Documents: Man Accused of Kidnapping Bakersfield Girl Promised to Marry Her

A man from Colorado, Joshua Stehle, stands accused of abduction and sexual contact with an 11-year-old girl from Bakersfield, California. It is alleged that he met the girl online, communicated with her for several months, and subsequently travelled to California to abduct her. Along with the abduction, he reportedly gave the minor a “promise ring” and expressed his intention to marry her when she reached the legal age. The girl and Stehle were intercepted in Utah as they traveled eastwards on Interstate 70 in a pickup truck.

Stehle, 29, is currently in custody in Salina and awaits extradition to Kern County, California. Charges in suspicion pressed against him include kidnapping, child abduction, false imprisonment, child molestation, and contacting and arranging to meet a child for sex acts. Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood speculated that Stehle was potentially transporting the girl to his residence in Thornton, Colorado.

The victim, whose identity isn’t revealed due to the sensitive nature of the crimes, was reported missing by her family members at around 5:30 a.m. last Sunday. Despite extensive searches in the area, the deputies were unable to find her whereabouts until some of her friends gave critical leads. It appeared that the girl had confided in her friends about dating a man who wished to take her away and marry her, leading to an investigation into her computer.

Further investigations revealed frequent communication between the victim and Stehle over Snapchat, which her phone records confirmed. A major breakthrough came about when detectives linked the Snapchat communication to a specific Colorado-based number with a 720 area code. A records check identified the number as being associated with Stehle, and also provided details of his vehicle – a Chevy Silverado, complete with license plate details.

Having secured a general whereabouts of Stehle’s location, the detectives traced his number to Baker, California. Noting the trajectory of travel towards Utah on I-70, Kern authorities engaged with law enforcement agencies in Utah. The latter soon located the vehicle near Salina with Stehle and the abducted girl inside, leading to his arrest. Moreover, Stehle was found in possession of a firearm. The girl confided that her compliance during the journey was partly out of fear of what Stehle could do with the weapon.

She further reported that Stehle had taken her cellphone and discarded it en route to prevent them from being tracked by the authorities. He reaffirmed their relationship during the journey, placed a ring on her finger, and reiterated his intent to marry her. They later made a brief stop in Utah where the alleged sexual contact took place. The Kern County Sheriff’s office has since conducted an interview with the suspect, though the details of the conversation have been withheld.