Saturday, June 27, 2015
Saturday, June 27, 2015
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Hayleigh Wilson, 14, of Surgoinsville, was spotted Tuesday on surveillance video at a Walmart in Marion, N.C. with convicted child molester Benjamin Joseph "Ben" Shook. (photo courtesy of SPD Chief James Hammonds)
SURGOINSVILLE — Federal, state and local authorities are looking for a 14-year-old Surgoinsville girl who police say ran away from home Monday and was last seen in North Carolina with a convicted child molester.
Surgoinsville Police Chief James Hammonds said Hayleigh Wilson, 14, met 41-year-old Benjamin Joseph “Ben” Shook on the Internet.
Shook is wanted in Georgia for failing to register as a convicted sex offender.
He was convicted on a child molestation charge there in 2004, and was released from prison in 2014 with 10 years still to serve on parole.
Monday night Wilson allegedly stole her step-father’s maroon 2004 Ford Explorer and drove to meet Shook at a campground where he was staying in Morristown.
Wilson and Shook were caught on video surveillance together at the Walmart in Marion, N.C. Wednesday shortly after 3:30 a.m. where they apparently tried to use a credit card belonging to Wilson’s step-father.
According to the Georgia Sex Offender Registry, Shook was a resident of Gainesville, Ga. in Hall County.
The sex offender registry also identifies Shook as being an “absconder.”
Hammonds said Shook and Wilson may still be traveling together in the maroon 2004 Ford Explorer, which has a TN license plate D60-20D.
Wilson was last seen wearing a sleeveless flowery top with dark colored shorts or skirt and boots. She is 5'5'', 150 pounds with black hair and hazel eyes.
Shook was wearing a blue shirt with the word "Ford" written on it, blue jeans and a camouflage baseball hat. Shook also has multiple tattoos.
Among those involved in the search for Wilson and Shook are the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Marshall’s Office.
Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to call the Surgoinsville Police Department at (423) 272-7121 or the Tennessee Bureau of investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND.
