WILDWOOD, Fla. (WFLA) — Shortly after an AMBER alert was issued for a 7-year-old boy, a trooper with the Florida Highway Patrol safely located him while conducting a traffic stop Sunday evening.
On Monday, FHP said the trooper had recently received a Be-On-The-Lookout (BOLO) for a location in his area for the suspect’s vehicle, a 2019 BMW 440I with Georgia tags. The trooper positioned himself that would allow him to see if the suspect’s vehicle crossed his path.
Surely enough, 10 minutes later, the trooper saw a vehicle matching the description of the suspect exiting State Road 91 onto northbound Interstate 75.
Along with the help of Sumter County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit, the trooper conducted a traffic stop and confirmed the suspect’s identity, 44-year-old Jean R. Simeus, of Georgia. He was arrested on an out-of-county warrant for kidnapping and was taken to the Sumter County Jail without bond.
The child, who was missing from Rivera Beach, was found unharmed and was returned to his mother.
