SALINE COUNTY — A 42-year-old Boliver, Mo man is in custody of the Saline County Jail on charges related to the abduction of a 12-year-old Harrisburg girl.

Reports indicate that David Sheppard drove over 350 miles to meet the girl who he had been communicating with over the internet.

Illinois State Police detectives and Johnson County Sheriff’s Deputies located Sheppard and the young girl early Friday afternoon near the Shawnee National Forest in Johnson County.

The girl was taken to a nearby hospital for a medical evaluation and Sheppard was taken to the Saline County Sheriff’s Department for questioning.

Formal charges are expected to be filed on Monday. Federal authorities have also joined the investigation because Sheppard allegedly crossed state lines to meet the 12-year-old.