Prank was not funny, police said

— A photograph of a young girl whose mouth was taped and hands bound to her ankles by tape was on Facebook.

A Marietta, Ga., police detective saw the photograph and found a connection to Pea Ridge.

He contacted Pea Ridge police.

The girl was identified as a Pea Ridge student.

“Immediately upon seeing the picture, we were concerned about a possibly endangered juvenile,” Police Chief Tim Ledbetter said, who said he contacted school officials to determine the identity of the girl. “We were concerned that every minute might count.”

“We didn’t know what we had.

We took this very seriously until we located her and found that she was safe. It could have been bullying by other children or any number of situations,” Ledbetter said.

After hours of investigation by four law enforcement agencies in three states, police found the girl in the picture. She was safe.

Police questioned school officials and went to several residences trying to find the girl.

Officers from Pea Ridge, BentonCounty Sheriff’s Office, Barry County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office and Marietta, Ga., were involved.

The girl was the younger sister of a 13-year-old girl who, along with her 14-year-old friend, had posed and taken the picture, then posted it on Facebook.

The girls’ mother said they were not supposed to be on Facebook.

Benton County Juvenile Probation officers had authorized a “communicating a false alarm” charge, but the girls and theirfamily had moved into Barry County, Mo., and Arkansas had no jurisdiction, Ledbetter said.

The girls said they were just playing around, according to the police report.

“Four agencies and many hours later, we found the girl safe,” Ledbetter said. “The only good thing is that she is safe. This could have turned out much differently.”

Ledbetter said parents need to monitor their children’s computer and Facebook use and children need to be aware that such pranks can cost the city a lot of money and time.

Facebook currently requires that users be at least 13 years of age, but has proposed changes in its policy, according to its web site.

News, Pages 1 on 06/06/2012