Updated: Bonne Terre Man Charged With Attempted Kidnapping of Girl Near Lathrop
CLINTON COUNTY, MO – Formal charges have been filed on a Bonne Terre man for attempting to kidnap a teenage girl near Lathrop on Tuesday afternoon.
Twenty-six year old Austin Gaal is facing charges of kidnapping, resisting arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia. The Clinton County Sheriff’s Office says Gaal approached the 14-year old girl as she exited the school bus at SE Sioux Lane and SE Mohawk Lane near Lathrop. Gaal allegedly told the girl he was supposed to pick her up. The girl resisted and went to a nearby residence to call her mother, who then contacted authorities.
The victim was able to give law enforcement a detailed description of the vehicle Gaal was driving, which was later located in Holt. Gaal was stopped by law enforcement and he briefly struggled while being taken into custody.
Gaal is under the supervision of Probation and Parole on a charge of stealing a firearm in Jefferson County in 2019. Gaal is in the Clinton County Jail on a $250,000 bond.
