Kidnapped Arizona girl found unharmed in Bluffton man’s apartment Wednesday, police say
A Bluffton man out on bond for rape of a minor in 2020 was found Wednesday with a 12-year-old girl kidnapped from Arizona, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office alert.
Timothy Schultheis, 23, was wanted by Arizona police for kidnapping and custodial interference, the alert said. FBI agents and the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office searched Schultheis’ apartment on Kellie Court for the child Wednesday morning. The girl was taken to Beaufort Memorial Hospital for evaluation and “will soon be reunited with family,” the alert said.
The Graham County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona said via Facebook that the 12-year-old was missing as of March 20. Her father reported her missing at 8:06 p.m. after she told him she was going for a walk around 11 a.m. and did not come back home, the sheriff’s office in Arizona said in a press release.
At the time of his arrest, Schultheis was out on bond for the rape of a 12-year-old girl in September of 2020. Schultheis allegedly took the girl and her 10-year-old sister from their home in Aiken County before dropping the 10-year-old off at a church close to their house. There are “no allegations” that the younger sister was assaulted, according to Maj. Bob Bromage with the Sheriff’s Office.
Police later found Schultheis with the older sister and were told that she had been sexually assaulted. He was charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct, police said in the alert. After he was released on bond, police obtained a search warrant and took a cellphone and other electronic devices. Schultheis was later charged with three counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of unlawful dissemination of obscene material to a minor.
At the time of his arrest, Schultheis was wearing an ankle monitor as a condition of his bond for previous charges.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Schultheis is still in custody at the Beaufort County Detention Center where he awaits extradition.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, help can be reached at the National Sexual Assault Hotline at (800) 656-4673 or Hopeful Horizons at (843)770-1070.
This story was originally published March 30, 2022 at 4:09 PM.
