She's 15 years old she's a young girl that's with a grown man that's 50 years old. "At the end of the day she's 15 years old. That means to prove a kidnapping took place, prosecutors will have to show Elizabeth was unlawfully removed or had her freedom restricted. Tennessee state law allows children older than 12 to decide whether to leave their families, unless their removal or confinement "is accomplished by force, threat or fraud." "I'm not aware that they had ever been there." "This is not somewhere they had frequently visited," her attorney said. She had no idea why her husband went to northern California. Jill Cummins had already filed for divorce, saying she felt betrayed by her husband. "She is excited that they were found and nobody was hurt," Cox said. her response to us and to law enforcement escalated up and down."Ĭummins' estranged wife, Jill Cummins, was "very emotional" when she learned both were found safe, her attorney, Michael Cox, said. "It was a very traumatic experience for her. Gilley described her condition as alternating between "stoic" and "emotional," understandable given the circumstances, he said. "This is yet another example of the value of the public helping us to rescue a kidnapping victim." "As we have said from the start, it only takes one tip," Gwyn said. The main concern is for her emotional well-being, TBI Director Mark Gwyn said. The girl is in federal custody and arrangements are being made for her return home. He also faces state charges of sexual contact with a minor and aggravated kidnapping, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said last month. The charge carries a minimum of 10 years. His wife reported that two handguns and some clothes and toiletries were missing from their home.Īfter the capture, Cummins was charged with one federal count of transportation of a minor across state lines for the purpose of criminal sexual intercourse, said Jack Smith, acting US attorney for Middle District of Tennessee. The complaint alleges Cummins left a note for his wife on March 13 saying he was leaving for a while to "clear his head." He took out a $4,500 loan and picked up two prescription refills of an erectile dysfunction drug, the complaint says. But they'd been in the heavily wooded area 60 miles south of the Oregon line since at least last week, according to Griffin Barry, the man who says he eventually helped police capture Cummins. The two spent at least one night in the cabin, police say. The girl is expected to be returned to relatives in Tennessee Friday, her family says. The former teacher is due in a California court Friday, facing federal and state charges stemming from her disappearance. Tad Cummins was an intensely sought fugitive, trumpeted from coast to coast as the Tennessee teacher accused of running off with his 15-year-old student.ĬECILVILLE, California - Tad Cummins was an intensely sought fugitive, trumpeted from coast to coast as the Tennessee teacher accused of running off with his 15-year-old student.īut before his capture this week, he and the young woman he called his wife slipped into a remote Northern California community unrecognized and Cummins passed himself off for days as a down-on-his-luck Colorado man who'd just lost his job and home, according to the man who eventually tipped off police.Ĭummins was arrested - and the girl was found safe - Thursday outside a cabin in Cecilville, California, ending a 39-day hunt for the teen who was reported missing some 1,900 miles away in her hometown south of Nashville.
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