Father says Georgia consent law stopped him from bringing his daughter, 16, home

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A Georgia father says the consent law needs to change after he was prevented from bringing his teenage daughter home after she ran away with her boyfriend
Mary Pridgen, 16, left home for New York with her boyfriend, Michael Whitlatch
Because the age of consent in Georgia is 16 it was not illegal for her to leave home with the man
Her father said Mary has Asperger Syndrome and thinks Whitlatch 'groomed' his daughter
Glen said he learned that Whitlatch had bought the teen a engagement ring and rented an apartment so they could live together
Because of the law, Whitlatch cannot face felony charges even if he did know Mary was only 16

Published: 23:38 EDT, 29 June 2018 | Updated: 03:35 EDT, 30 June 2018

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A Georgia father says the law needs to change after he was blocked from bringing his autistic 16-year-old daughter home after he learned she had runaway with a man more than twice her age.

Glen Pridgen, of Atlanta, spent the past several days searching for his daughter, Mary Pridgen, after he reported her missing only to learn that the teen had run away to New York with a 44-year-old man named Michael Whitlatch.

Glen told CBS46 that his daughter's friends told him that Mary had been in a relationship with Whitlatch, something Glen was unaware of.

A father spent several days searching for his missing 16-year-old daughter Mary (left) only to find out that she had run away with her 44-year-old boyfriend Michael Whitlatch (right)

The father, Glen Pridgen (pictured), said he believes Whitlatch groomed his daughter, who has Asperger Syndrome

Glen posted missing persons flyers, but was stopped from bringing his daughter home because the age of consent in Georgia is 16

The worried father told the outlet that he believes Whitlatch 'groomed' his daughter, who has Asperger Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism.

'I believe he looks for vulnerable people, especially girls.' Glen said.

He said he thinks Whitlatch met Mary at a meet-up for young adults with Aspergers. Glen, 49, said Mary is the leader of one of the meetings in their area.

'That's one of the first things she did when she came here, and he (Whitlatch) goes to these meet-ups,' he said.

Glen said when he found out his daughter had left the state with Whitlatch, he tried to bring her back home but Georgia law prevented him from doing so. Under state law, the age of consent is 16.

Frustrated, Glen posted on Facebook about the situation asking friends and family for help.

'The purpose is to solicit help from my friends and contacts to try and find my daughter and bring her home safely. The only thing we are asking for right now is prayers and any help you can provide as to her whereabouts. ... She was last seen with a local film producer named Michael Whitlatch, who is 44 years old and has been introducing my 16yo daughter as his fiance,' he wrote.

In a follow-up post, Glen said he had learned that Whitlatch rented an apartment in his complex for him and his daughter to live in and had brought the teen a $6,000 engagement ring.

Because what happened is not illegal, Whitlatch (pictured on the right and on the left with Mary) can't face felony charges

'This is called grooming my friends. When he was confronted via phone by the police he said that he couldn't be arrested because what he's done isn't illegal. He has gone dark since that call and refused to help,' Glen wrote.

Mary eventually contacted police in New York and asked them to call her father, CBS46 reports. Glen was reunited with his daughter on Thursday.

Glen admitted that his daughter was 'living a double life', but said the age of consent in Georgia needs to change.

'It shocks me that a 44-year-old man can – let's just call it what it is – "groom" a 16-year-old with Asperger's and it not be a crime,' he said.

Because of the law, Whitlatch cannot face felony charges even if he did know Mary was only 16. The filmmaker could, however, faces misdemeanor charges of obstruction or interference with custody if knew police were looking for the teen and didn't say anything about where she was.