Kidnapping ruled out in Texas case involving 15-year-old girl

Police in Lubbock, Texas, have ruled out kidnapping and abduction charges in the case of a 15-year-old Amarillo girl, but are considering sexual assault charges because of her age, authorities said on Monday.

The girl was taken from Amarillo and held in a Lubbock house where she was sexually assaulted by adult males until she escaped on Friday and contacted authorities, police Sgt. Jason Lewis told the Los Angeles Times by telephone. Detectives from the juvenile division are investigating the case and have determined the girl was not abducted, he said.

“She appears to be a runaway from Amarillo who was partying with some guys,” Lewis said of the preliminary investigation. “It doesn’t look like she was held against her will.”

The girl has returned to her parents, he said.

It was originally reported that police were seeking a second girl, also said to have been held against her will. But authorities now believe there was no second person held in the house, Lewis said.

The name of the girl is being withheld because of her age, Lewis said.

Police said they were investigating up to five adults for possible sexual assault charges in connection with the case.

Amarillo is about 120 miles from Lubbock.

The girl contacted police on Friday after she said she crawled out of a window. Police and a SWAT team raided the house on Saturday.

ALSO:

Cleveland bodies found: Suspect to be charged Monday

After ‘Justice for Trayvon’ rallies, protesters defend Zimmerman

Facebook users rally around Mass. cop who leaked Tsarnaev photos