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David Hadsell and Mario Sierra, both 20, were arrested on Tuesday, May 6, following an investigation by New York State Police.
Troopers in Montgomery County were called at around 9 p.m. Monday, May 5, for a report of a missing teenager in the town of Root, police said.
The teen had connected with Sierra on social media and was picked up that evening by both Sierra and Hadsell—without the knowledge or permission of the child’s guardian, according to police.
Concern grew when the teen later sent messages through social media saying they were scared and didn’t know where the two had taken them.
At around 2 a.m. on Tuesday, a trooper in Otsego County stopped a vehicle in Oneonta for a traffic violation. The driver was identified as Hadsell—and the victim was found unharmed in the back seat, police said.
Inside the vehicle, troopers discovered psilocybin mushrooms, a hallucinogenic drug that is illegal in New York, according to police. Sierra was later located at his home in East Meredith and arrested without incident.
Both Hadsell and Sierra are charged with kidnapping in the second degree, a felony. Hadsell is additionally charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, endangering the welfare of a child, and various vehicle and traffic law violations.
A spokesperson for New York State Police declined to provide Daily Voice with the victim's age, citing privacy concerns.
Both defendants were arraigned in Root Town Court and are being held at the Montgomery County jail on a $15,000 bond.
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