Tiverton man faces a charge of first-degree child molestation after police locate a missing Pennsylvania girl.
On Wednesday, July 7, 2021, Tiverton Police arrested William Caldwel Stewart (pictured above), 19, of 44 High Hill Road, after being alerted by Pennsylvania State Police that a 13-year-old female they were seeking as a possible runaway might be at that location. Pennsylvania authorities reported the juvenile female had been missing for approximately one week. Pennsylvania authorities said they had been pinging her phone and it had been turned off but then abruptly turned on. They also said that a friend of the juvenile female provided a Snapchat photo that showed houses in the area of 44 High Hill Road in Tiverton. According to Pennsylvania authorities, the friend also reported that the juvenile female was being held against her will.
Tiverton officers responded to the home and located Mr. Stewart and the juvenile female in the basement. After speaking with the juvenile female, officers took Mr. Stewart into custody. The juvenile female was transported to Hasbro Children’s Hospital for evaluation. A preliminary investigation revealed that Mr. Stewart met the juvenile female online. Mr. Stewart picked her up at her home in Pennsylvania approximately one week earlier. The two stayed at several locations before arriving in Rhode Island on or about July 4, 2021.
The preliminary investigation further revealed that although other family members were present at the home, there was no evidence that they were aware of the juvenile female’s true age. Officers believe that both Mr. Stewart and the juvenile female misrepresented her age. The matter remains under investigation including whether the juvenile female was being held against her will.
Mr. Stewart was arraigned in Second Division District Court on July 8th and was ordered held without bail. The juvenile female was turned over to the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families.