North Carolina 7th grader texted 911 for help during kidnapping, suspect jailed under $1.5 million bond

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The man accused of the kidnapping and sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl was given a $1.5 million secured bond by a Wake County District Court Judge.

A Durham dad told CBS 17 his seventh grade daughter texted 911 for help. He said that’s what lead law enforcement officers to arrest 22-year-old Preston Baker.

Baker is charged with first degree kidnapping and statutory rape, after meeting the child on a messaging app.

The father, who CBS 17 has chosen not to identify due to what he said happened to his daughter, told CBS 17 his 12-year-old’s cell phone both put her in danger and saved her life.

He said Baker was talking to his daughter through the online social media platform, “Discord.”

The father said Baker sent the girl inappropriate photos and manipulated her to do the same.  He also said Baker threatened to share the photos with her family if the girl didn’t meet with him.

The father said his daughter sent photos out of fear.

“I just want my daughter to be able to get through this. And it was the worst day of my entire life. We’ve all had a really hard time with this and I’m in a state of shock right now,” he said.

In court Monday afternoon, details emerged about what happened leading up to Baker’s arrest.

“The defendant picked her up from an address in Durham and took her to the town of Newport, North Carolina, down near the coast, about 3 hours away, and had sexual relations with her. A traffic stop was conducted,” the District Attorney’s office said. “The defendant also confessed to the same- that that he had taken her and had sexual relations with the victim.”

As they got closer back home, the girl’s father said she texted 911 for help. He said she gave law enforcement officers updates on where she was, who she was with, and helped lead them to them.

“We’re getting updates via 911,” dispatchers said Saturday afternoon. “They’re now passing Jones Sausage.”

That’s where Wake County Sheriff’s Office arrested Baker.

Baker looked disturbed and near tears via video screen from jail during his court appearance.

His attorney stepped in to his defense.

“Three people in the courtroom today were present when she attended the Easter function at their house where she was there. The defendant met all of the family members. She posed, to each of them herein the courtroom today, that she was a 19-year-old student from East Carolina getting a teaching degree, ” the attorney said.

Baker’s attorney also told the judge, “This is not a random act. This is something, there’s a relationship there. Unfortunately, there is an age difference.”

Judge Mark Stevens countered, “I heard him say under 13. Under 13 is under 13. That’s like a sixth or seventh grader.”

The girl’s father told CBS17 after the court appearance, “If you look at her, she’s a 12-year-old girl. She’s five feet tall. She’s not developed. She’s obviously a child,” he said. “She’s never been mistaken for anything older than 12.”

The middle-schooler’s father also said they believed they were diligent about checking her phone, but added kids know how to hide things. The family was able to track the girl during some of the time she was gone through the Life 360 app.

He’s now encouraging parents to be more proactive in looking at their children’s devices.

Baker is due back in court in May.

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