FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) — A 16-year-old girl from Fayetteville, North Carolina, was found on Christmas Day by deputies after she was reportedly lured across state lines and taken to Kentucky.
Zackary Jones, 34, had been in communication with the teen through Facebook, where he claimed he was 19 years old, according to Deputy Ron Luster of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office in Kentucky. She was reported missing on Dec. 8 to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to Jones’ home after receiving a call from his mother, Luster said. She called to report an altercation between her son, Zackary, and “his girlfriend.” When deputies arrived at the home in the Kings Mountain area of Kentucky, they found Jones and his mother, but no one else.
Jones lied to deputies, saying she was not there, Luster said.
Luster said deputies deputies found cocaine while looking for the “girlfriend” in the house. Jones attempted to quickly dispose of the drugs in a wood stove in his bedroom. After that, Jones was arrested and placed in a cruiser.
Deputies returned to the home to continue searching for the girl. They found a trap door hidden beneath a rug in Jones’ bedroom, the sheriff’s office confirmed.
Upon opening the trap door, authorities said they discovered a girl, later identified as the 16-year-old reported missing on Dec. 8 in Fayetteville.
The girl told deputies Jones had picked her up in North Carolina and brought her to Kentucky. Since his arrest, deputies said Jones has admitted to doing drugs with her and having a sexual relationship with her. Deputies said she appeared “very high” at the time she was found.
In addition to the drugs found at the house, deputies said a weapon was seized. Jones, before his arrest, had reportedly told the teen multiple times that he would “take a 22-pistol and kill her,” according to the sheriff’s office.
In Kentucky, Jones is facing 10 third-degree charges of rape and 10 third-degree charges of sodomy. He is also charged with using an electronic device to entice and lure a minor across state lines.
Additional charges for Jones include assault, strangulation, unlawful transaction with a minor (illegal sex act), unlawful transaction with a minor (illegal controlled substance), possession of a controlled substance (cocaine), and resisting arrest.
Nexstar’s WNCN spoke with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office to ask about charges Jones may be facing in North Carolina. As of Thursday at 4 p.m., no charges are pending.
