A Lawrence County man who was found with a missing 14-year-old Erie girl at a state park in Ohio early Wednesday morning is facing a drug charge in that state as authorities in Erie continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the girl's disappearance.
John R. Wolfe, 20, of New Castle, was arraigned in Portage County, Ohio, court Wednesday afternoon on a fifth-degree felony count of possession of a controlled substance, according to online court records. Wolfe's bond was set at $100,000 and a bond hearing was scheduled for Friday afternoon, according to the court records.
A preliminary hearing for Wolfe is scheduled in Portage County on April 26.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol accuses Wolfe of being in possession of a controlled substance when he was taken into custody at West Branch State Park in Edinburg Township, Portage County, on Wednesday morning. The drugs Wolfe is accused of having were suspected Adderall, a sergeant in the Public Affairs Unit of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said in an email to the Erie Times-News Thursday morning.
Authorities found Wolfe and the 14-year-old girl at West Branch after first finding Wolfe's car at the state park, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Erie police. Police had been looking for the girl since early Tuesday evening, when Erie police said the girl's mother reported her missing and stated she hadn't seen her daughter since Sunday and suspected she ran away with a 20-year-old man.
Based on information that the pair may have gone to New Castle, Erie police asked the New Castle Police Department to check an address in the city, but learned from New Castle police the girl and the 20-year-old had left before police arrived, Erie police Deputy Chief Rick Lorah said Wednesday.
Information was released about the suspect's car, a tan Toyota Avalon, and the Pennsylvania State Police issued a Missing and Endangered Advisory on the girl Tuesday night. Hours later, according to Lorah, police in Pittsburgh reported they were in a pursuit involving the suspect vehicle.
Erie police learned early Wednesday morning that the Toyota Avalon was found at West Branch, and that the 14-year-old girl and Wolfe were located unharmed. Wolfe was taken into custody and the girl was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Lorah said Thursday that three Erie police detectives are following up on the girl's disappearance in Erie and are conferring with the Erie County District Attorney's Office in the investigation. No charges related to the incident had been filed locally as of Thursday.
Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNhahn.
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