WARREN COUNTY — A police department honored several officers for finding a missing girl who was with a man at a hotel in Montgomery County last year.
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The Butler Township Police Department awarded letters of recognition to Officer Boyle, Detective West, Sergeant Leslie, Officer Wellman, Officer Naas, Officer Knotts, and Officer Cottongim this week.
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As previously reported by News Center 7, Johnathon Brown was found at a Quality Inn on Miller Lane with a 16-year-old girl in August 2024.
Butler Township police say Officer Cottongim found Brown’s truck at the hotel and Officer Knotts began surveillance for the initial investigation. The other authorities helped with the investigation.
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Officers approached both Brown and the girl once they left the hotel room, but they both ran.
Officer Boyle caught the girl after a short chase, but Brown got into the truck and drove away, Butler Township police say.
Officer Naas and Officer Wellman detained another juvenile who was with Brown and the other girl.
“The actions of all the officers involved in this case resulted in the child victim being recovered safely and reunited with her family, and likely prevented her from being the victim of additional crimes,” the police department said in a social media post.
>>RELATED: WATCH: Body cam shows suspect slam into train during chase, SWAT standoff
As previously reported by News Center 7, Brown led authorities on a high-speed chase through Montgomery and Warren counties on Interstate 75.
Brown crashed into a moving train near a Mimaisburg bridge and an hours-long SWAT standoff started.
He was eventually arrested and later charged with felonious assault, failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, inducing panic, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and interference with the operation of a train, according to a previous News Center 7 report.
Warren County Court of Common Pleas records show that Brown pleaded no contest to felonious assault and failure to comply with an order or signal of police officer on April 21. The rest of his charges were dismissed as part of the plea deal.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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