CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A chronic runaway has been taken back to her home in Cleveland and a west suburban man she was allegedly living with is charged with harboring a missing juvenile
Riverside Police Chief Tom Weitzel said the 16-year-old girl was reported missing from home on Dec. 29.
Her parents knew she had had friends in Chicago, and contacted Chicago police, who investigated and learned the license plate info of the car she would sometimes be seen getting into. Chief Weitzel said those license plates traced back to Juan Ocampo in Riverside.
At some point after that, the teen was picked up as a runaway by Cook County Sheriff’s Police in unincorporated Des Plaines or Berkeley, according to Weitzel. Deputies took her to a Chicago shelter that was going to make sure she got back to her parents in Cleveland. But before that could happen, Weitzel said the girl ran away from the shelter and allegedly back to 39-year-old Juan Ocampo.
Meanwhile, the parents of the 16-year old had traced her iPad and phone to Ocampo’s apartment in Riverside. Chief Weitzel said police visited the apartment several times, but Juan Ocampo denied she was living with him. One time, though, Ocampo let officers inside when the girl was not there.
“But the officers noted in their report that it looked like there was more than one young girl living in the apartment, because of the amount of clothing and make-up...It just didn’t make sense to them," he said.
Weitzel said detectives kept watch on Ocampo’s apartment for any sign of the girl.
Then at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday, a police officer noticed two girls in Ocampo’s car with him and made a traffic stop. The missing girl was found in the vehicle along with Ocampo’s daughter, police said. Ocampo falsely claimed to be the father of both girls. It wasn’t until all three were taken to the police station for questioning that the runaway admitted she was not Ocampo’s daughter.
Chief Weitzel said there were no signs of physical abuse of the girl, and that, both she and Ocampo denied there had been any sexual relationship. But, the chief said, there were signs of psychological trauma.
“During transport to hospital, she had a panic attack. That’s what I would call it. She broke down completely emotionally and she only did that when she was out of the presence of Mr. Ocampo," he said.
Weitzel said neither Ocampo nor the girl would cooperate with detectives. The chief said the teenager did not want Ocampo to be charged with any crimes.
Juan Ocampo, 39, is charged with one count of harboring a missing juvenile, obstruction of a police officer, and endangering the life of a child, Riverside police said. He’s out on bond.
Chief Weitzel said Ocampo did say the girl was living with him, because she needed to get away from an abusive environment in Cleveland. The chief said there are no indications her Cleveland home was abusive.
He said that when the teen’s parents were called, they were very eager to pick her up and arrived in Riverside about six hours after being called.
Although police wanted the girl to remain in the Chicago area for a couple more days so a forensic interview could be done with a professional child advocacy center, Chief Weitzel said the parents originally agreed, but then indicated their daughter was “too traumatized” and that they would be returning to Cleveland with her.
Riverside police have asked Cleveland detectives to do a follow-up in case any future charges are warranted.