A 17-year-old girl reportedly abducted at gunpoint Saturday night by her step-father in Fergus Falls, Minn., was located just after 1 a.m. this morning and is recovering after the incident.
Amy Rene Henning was treated and released from a hospital, but did not suffer physical injuries in the incident, Fergus Falls Police Chief Tim Brennan said today.
Henning's stepfather, David Randy Sabby, 46, is currently being held at the Otter Tail County Jail on suspicion of second-degree assault causing substantial injury and felony kidnapping causing bodily harm, said Corrections Officer Matt Saurer.
There is a court order prohibiting contact between Sabby and Henning, Brennan said, adding he was not sure what led to the order.
Sabby was booked into the jail about 4 a.m. today and has not caused any problems in the jail, Saurer said.
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"He has been fine since he's been here," Saurer said.
Sabby did not resist when arrested, but "he's not talking to us," Brennan said.
Authorities have not located a weapon, but believe Sabby had a handgun.
Henning and her 26-year-old stepbrother were headed to a movie at Westridge Mall in Fergus Falls about 7 p.m. Saturday when Sabby approached their vehicle in the parking lot and "confronted them with the handgun," Brennan said.
"He ordered the brother into the backseat and duct taped his hands and feet and then he left with the female in the vehicle he had come in," Brennan said. Sabby is not a biological relative of the girl's stepbrother, Brennan said.
The man broke free and called police about 7:30 p.m. Authorities are still trying to determine where Sabby and Henning went before they ended up near Swan Lake in Otter Tail County, Brennan said.
At some point, Sabby released the girl and proceeded on foot to a residence near the lake.
"Sounds like just a change of heart, and he allowed her to leave," Brennan said.
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Henning returned to Fergus Falls in the pickup truck she was abducted in, stopping at a gas station to use the phone to call police just after 1 a.m.
Meanwhile, Sabby knocked on a man's door and asked to use the phone. The man called police. It is unclear if he knew about the kidnapping, Brennan said.
"I don't know if he just called for the simple fact somebody's banging on his door at 1 in the morning," he said.
An Amber Alert had been issued for Henning about 12:30 a.m. and was canceled after 1 a.m., the police chief said.
Circumstances surrounding the abduction are still under investigation by the Fergus Falls Police Department, Otter Tail County Sheriff's Department and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Otter Tail County authorities are currently searching along Interstate 94 after speaking with the victim.
"The victim said that she thinks he threw something out the window so they're just walking the freeway to try and see if they find, you know, a weapon, because we have not located a weapon yet," Brennan said.
Sabby unsuccessfully ran for Elbow Lake City Council last fall. Elbow Lake Mayor Jay McNamar taught Sabby in high school about 25 years ago and said he has always known him as a good guy and a good student.
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"It surprised me that he would be in trouble," McNamar said when first told about the allegation late Saturday night.
A woman who answered the phone at a listing for Sabby in Elbow Lake declined to comment Saturday night.
Sabby is a pilot, according to his MySpace page called "rockincaptdave," where he posts a picture of an AirTran plane and an image of a cockpit saying "this is my office."
He also posts numerous song lyrics on the page, such as, "I try not to think about what might have been ... I almost always have a peaceful easy feeling."
He lists himself as a married man and a proud parent, living in Georgia at the time of his last entry in December 2007, according to the page.
Formal charges have not yet been filed in the case, and a court date has not yet been set.
