A 51-year-old Arkansas man faces a kidnapping charge after he took his three grandchildren and did not return them to their mother in Johnson County, authorities said.
Larry Childress of Clarksville was arrested Thursday night when Newton County Sheriff’s deputies and park rangers found him and the three children near Ponca, according to a news release from the Johnson County sheriff's office.
The 7-year-old, 2-year-old and 1-year-old were picked up by Childress, their maternal grandfather, on Tuesday and were supposed to be taken home the next day, according to a release.
Childress did not return the children, the release said. Deputies found the man and the grandchildren near the Buffalo River after getting a tip that they might be camping there, the release said.
Childress is being held in the Johnson County jail without bail. A May 4 court date has been scheduled.
