OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The Bellevue Police Department (BPD) says a resident has been arrested after they found a missing out-of-state 13-year-old girl in his home. Nicholas James Avery, 34, has been booked for first-degree sexual assault of a child and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The BPD says they were alerted to the situation by police from another jurisdiction. They say they were told that the girl may be Avery's home in Bellevue. Upon making contact, they were able to locate the girl.
Police say Avery, who was arrested for child enticement in 2017, met the girl through various social media channels and made arrangements for a driver to transport her to Nebraska.
BPD says the two got in contact through social media. Avery then ordered the girl a ride from her home in another state, to Bellevue to meet with him. The use of social media in this situation is raising concerns for law enforcement. "It's very, very dangerous to get a ride with someone they don't know to a town, they are not familiar with to spend time with somebody they really don't know," says Lieutenant Andy Jashinske of BPD.
Others say parents need to monitor their kids social media use to help prevent things like this from happening again. "Sometimes when children are recording, or doing Facebook live videos they are inadvertently broadcasting their location so making sure that all of the security measures on those apps are as tight as possible," says Angela Roeber of Project Harmony.
Avery is currently being held at the Sarpy County Jail.
