No criminal charges to be pursued in Greenville Amber Alert case, police chief says

GREENVILLE — There will be no criminal charges pursued stemming from the situation involving three children who were the focus of an Amber Alert on Wednesday afternoon because their father is the custodial parent and the children were not harmed, Greenville Police Chief Eric Roberts said.

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“We have located them. Everybody is safe and sound,” he told News Center 7′s Brandon Lewis. There could be an issue involving truancy, Chief Roberts said, because the children were kept out of school.

The chief declined direct comment when asked about the father’s mental health, but noted, “we do have reports.”

The children, their father and his mother were located just before 6 p.m. locally, the chief said, in Ohio. He said authorities do not know whether the five of them left the state. The incident was not considered a criminal case from the beginning, he said, explaining that it was more like a well-being check.

“There is a previous history that drew some concern for us,” the chief said.

That concern developed Wednesday morning, when police were notified that the three children had not come to school. The school resource officer became involved and family members were notified, he said.

Chief Roberts said Greenville police were assisted by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the sheriff’s offices in Darke and Mercer counties, law enforcement in Indiana and the FBI. He also thanked the public for reporting tips and other information to police.

“When there are children involved, people tend to step up,” he said.

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