The 30-year-old man at the center of an Amber Alert in Wisconsin last week is now being held in the Ashland County Jail, records show.
According to authorities, two children, ages 3 and 6, were found with the suspect. Both children were examined in hospital before being reunited with their families.
“A lot of times in law enforcement we don't get good news, you celebrate the victories,” Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said.
Gage Ryon Ackley-Dechant of Drummond, Wisconsin, was formally charged Thursday. A future court date has not been set at the time of this publication.
As previously reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, the alert issued Wednesday came after the Barron County Sheriff's Office received information from the Ashland Police Department around 3:30 p.m. that day that the two children had been abducted and possibly could be near Haugen.
The criminal complaint states that Ackley-Dechant is the biological father of one of the children and has “a stepfather-like relationship” with the other child. It goes on to say that the mother told police on Wednesday that she had asked Ackley-Dechant to return the children after they had been with him since September 20. The document goes on to say the mother asked Ackley-Dechant to do this on Tuesday, and he allegedly told her in a text message that he had “business to take care of” that day around 5 p.m.
The mother told police she sent several follow-up messages that went unanswered, and at 8 p.m. that same day, the mother said both children needed to be returned. Ackley-Dechant refused to respond, according to the complaint.
Police found the children at a gas station in the Barronett area and arrested them. On Friday, Ackley-Dechant was returned to Ashland County to face two counts of interference with child custody.
If convicted, Ackley-Dechant faces a maximum sentence of 16 years in prison and a fine of up to $35,000.
The search involved Barron County Sheriff's deputies, the Washburn County Sheriff's Office, the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
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