BRAZORIA COUNTY – A man has been arrested hours after the Amber Alert for a missing 13-year-old girl was cancelled by the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office after she returned home early Wednesday morning.
Authorities issued the Amber Alert for the 13-year-old girl across Texas Tuesday night.
The teenager left a note with her relatives saying she was going to California with Ponce. The two apparently met online and had spent some time texting and talking on the telephone.
The sheriff's office said the girl returned to her aunt's home in Manvel around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.
"She's doing okay. She did receive some medical attention as a precaution. Really, that's all we can release right now," Lt. Russ Baker with the Brazoria County Sheriff's Department said.
Police arrested 38-year-old Jose Angel Ponce on Wednesday in connection with the girl's abduction.
Ponce is charged with aggravated kidnapping and enticement of a child to commit a felony.
She was questioned by investigators and allowed to go home with her mother.
Investigators say this case should remind parents to closely monitor who their children are communicating with online or through text messages.
"It's so prevelant now and easy to gain access to anyone around the world," Lt Baker said. "You don't know who you're talking to and don't realize who is on the other end of the line."
According to court records, Ponce has a criminal history and was charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon in 2000.