The 29-year-old man is originally from Tennessee but now works as a cabin caretaker in northern California.Griffin Barry helped police arrest Tad Cummins, 50, who had been on the run for more than a month after kidnapping former student Elizabeth Thomas, 15.*Editor's Note: The name of the girl involved in this case has been removed from the original report because she is an alleged victim of a sex crime.Tipster will receive $10,000 reward for helping police capture teacher, 50, who went on the run with 15-year-old kidnapping victim for more than a month The wife, who works for the Maury County school system, said she had not seen her husband since March 13. Court records show that Jill Cummins sued her then-missing husband on the grounds of irreconcilable differences and inappropriate marital conduct. The teacher's wife of 31 years has filed for divorce. The images showed Cummins had altered his hair to appear darker and the girl's hair may have changed to red. Two days after the girl disappeared, surveillance images from a Walmart in Oklahoma City showed Cummins and the girl purchasing food items in the store with cash. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said it worked tirelessly for the past five weeks, looking into more than 1,500 leads from all 50 states. He was fired about a month later - a day after the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued an Amber Alert about the teen. The school system didn't suspend Cummins until Feb. In her letter, Love said the girl being in his classroom was a violation of the principal's order to him. 3 by school principal Penny Love after the girl was seen in Cummins' classroom for a little more than half an hour that day. The teacher would later be reprimanded on Feb. The report also recommended that the administration monitor Cummins' classroom to make sure students weren't there when they weren't supposed to be. The report recommended that the girl be taken out of Cummins' class and that he be reprimanded to uphold his professional responsibility. The teacher, however, acknowledged that the girl was "a really good friend and she does leave her other classes to come see him when she needs someone to calm her down," according to a school report dated Jan. The school's investigative files provided to The Associated Press by the attorney show that both Cummins and the girl denied kissing. Attorney Jason Whatley has said the school system must have not believed the student's report. TBI said he was believed to have had two guns in his possession.Ī lawyer for the girl's family has said the teacher was allowed to continue working at the school for two weeks after he was reported kissing the girl. The last confirmed sighting was recorded in Oklahoma City, when the two were seen on security cameras inside a Walmart March 15.Ĭummins faces charges of sexual contact with a minor and aggravated kidnapping. He needs to be held accountable for kidnapping this girl," Gwyn said.Įfforts to reunite the girl with her family were ongoing at the time of this post. She's 15 years old she's a young girl that's with a grown man that's 50 years old. "At the end of the day she's 15 years old. “We’re also grateful for the public’s support and vigilance throughout this search effort.” We are extremely thankful the hard work of all partners in this search has paid off,” Gywn said. “What happened in California this morning, however, proves it only takes one person to lead to a successful end. He has a hold for his extradition to Tennessee, placed by the TBI. Cummins will be held on charges of sexual conduct with a minor and aggravated kidnapping. The area where they were found is two hours away from the jail. He's currently in transit from Cecilville to the Siskiyou County Jail located in Yreka, California. SRT officers found Cummins and the girl at a residence located near a commune in Cecilville.Ĭummins did not resist arrest and was taken into custody just after 9 a.m. The SCSO they mobilized their Special Response Team (SRT) this morning to Cecilville, where the vehicle was found. The officer ran the VIN number, which came back as Cummins' vehicle. The responding officer found the vehicle, which had no license plates. Giordano says an officer responded to a tip Cummins' Nissan Rogue was spotted.
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