HAMILTON COUNTY, Fla. -- The man linked to the brief disappearance of a Lee County Girl on Tuesday is being held in the Hamilton County Jail, waiting to be brought back to Southwest Florida.
Paulo Pedro-Tomas was named in an Amber Alert issued Tuesday morning for 14-year-old Jessica Matias-Francisco after she vanished from her home on Tyrone Avenue.
Lee County detectives were provided with possible vehicle information and determined that the suspect was traveling northbound on Interstate 75.
Then, minutes after the alert was issued, FHP troopers found the pair during a traffic stop in Lake City, Florida.
Jessica was safely returned to her family.
Further investigation determined that Tomas removed the victim from her residence without the consent of her family and was attempting to bring her to Alabama. As a result, a felony warrant was obtained for Paulo Mateo Pedro Tomas for Interference with Custody.
