A man arrested Monday in Richfield after an AMBER alert was issued in the alleged kidnapping of a 5-year-old California girl has been returned to Riverside, Calif.
Charles William Mix, 48, arrived at Ontario International Airport about 7:20 p.m. Tuesday, escorted by Riverside police. He was taken to the Riverside Police Department to talk with investigators, Riverside police spokesman Felix Medina said.
Mix is accused of taking Anabella Clark early Monday from the Riverside home where he lived with Anabella and her father. Mix was arrested by Richfield police about 4 p.m. Monday after he and the girl were seen in a residential neighborhood in the south-central Utah town, according to a Richfield police statement.
About 1 p.m. Tuesday, Mix appeared in Richfield's 6th District Court for an extradition hearing, Sevier County Attorney Don Brown said. Mix did not ask for an attorney.
"He waived his rights to extradition and agreed to voluntarily return to California," Brown said.
The district attorney in Riverside County had issued a warrant for Mix's arrest, charging him with child abduction, kidnapping and kidnapping to commit a sexual assault, Medina said. Medina would not elaborate on the charges, stating specific information was privy to the police investigation.
"We do have evidence that supports all three charges," he said.
After the girl disappeared Monday morning, a letter allegedly penned by Mix was discovered. It stated he was unhappy with the way the child was being raised. That prompted authorities to issue an AMBER Alert in California, Medina said.
That afternoon, the AMBER Alert was extended nationwide because police found Mix's van parked at a Riverside Greyhound bus station. They believed Mix and the girl were in a pickup but did not know where the two were headed, Medina said.
The girl has been turned over to the supervision of California authorities, Utah Division of Human Services spokeswoman Carol Sisco said. A juvenile court judge ordered that the girl be turned over to California authorities following a closed court hearing on Tuesday.
"They will make the decision about what should happen and where she'll be placed," Sisco said.
Anabella mostly lived with her father, who had primary custody of the girl, in Riverside. Her mother, who lives in Orange County, Calif., had visitation rights.
Contributing: Derek Jensen
E-mail: lhancock@desnews.com