NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. – Three men were arrested in connection with the disappearance of an 11-year-old Florida girl who was the subject of an Amber Alert.
An Amber Alert was issued Monday for Montana Breseman, who was found safe Tuesday in Tampa, according to Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco.
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Luis Alberto Encarnacion, 22, and two other men were arrested in the case, Nocco said.
“There is no logical sense for a 22-year-old man to be with an 11-year-old child unless there was horrific things that were going to go on in that place,” Nocco said. “In her mind, she thought Louis was her boyfriend. We all know that’s not real. What’s real is Louis acted like a predator.”
Authorities said it’s believed the man and girl came into contact with each other through social media.
Prior to Breseman being found, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office released surveillance video showing her at a 7-Eleven, where she gets into a car.
The men who picked her up were identified by Nocco as Reginald Clark, 17, of Jacksonville, and Jonathon MacGregor, 19, of Clearwater. Detectives later made contact with them, but Breseman wasn’t with them. Both were arrested on charges of interfering with child custody.
Nocco said authorities are trying to determine if the two are connected to Encarnacion.
As of Tuesday morning, Nocco said Breseman remains in the custody of the sheriff’s office, and his agency is working with the state to find her a stable home.
“Her mom is in county jail. Her dad is nowhere in the picture. She has gone from one adverse childhood experience to another,” Nocco said. “She is looking for that stability, that caring nature, that most kids are given in life.”
Nocco said Breseman was living in Thonotosassa, in Hillsborough County, and attends River Ridge Middle School.
UPDATE: Montana Breseman was located and is safe in Tampa. Thank you everyone for sharing! pic.twitter.com/gf0P4nyItu
— Pasco Sheriff (@PascoSheriff) April 13, 2021