BRITTANY COOPER - 16 yo - Andover KS

A 16-year-old Andover High School student has been found in Texas
and taken into protective custody, and the 31-year-old man she was with
arrested, police said today.Brittany Cooper had been reported
missing on Monday, Andover Police Chief Mike Keller said. She left a
note saying she was leaving, he said.When they learned she was
with Gerald James, a registered sex offender, "we immediately began an
investigation into it," Keller said."This wasn't just a typical runaway," Keller said. "It involved a registered sexual offender."She
was not aware of his prior history or his background," he said. "We
really see Brittany as the victim here. Even though she may have left
willingly, we see this as this predator preyed on her."Authorities learned the pair may be in a small town just north of Austin in Travis County, Texas.An
hour after Andover police obtained an arrest warrant, Texas authorities
arrested James and took Cooper into protective custody shortly after 6
p.m.James, 31, was convicted in 2001 of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.There's no indication James was planning to involve Cooper in sex trafficking, Keller said.Texas authorities are exploring whether James will be charged there, Keller said."We're making arrangements to get Brittany back to Kansas and back to her family," Keller said.

Andover runaway Brittany R.Cooper was located Thursday evening outside of Austin, Texas.
At approximately 6:05 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, the Andover runaway
was located and taken into protective custody custody by members of the
Austin Police Department's Organized Crime & Human Trafficking
Unit just outside of Austin.
Through an intense 3-day cooperative investigation between members
of the Andover Police Department, the Wichita/Sedgwick Count Exploited
& Missing Children's Unit, the Augusta Police Department, and with
assistance from an investigator with the Wichita area Intrust Bank,
Cooper was tracked down and located in an apartment in Travis County,
just north of Austin.
At the same time that Brittany was taken into custody, Gerald
E.James, aka Jerry James, aka "AJ," was apprehended and arrested on a
felony warrant for "contributing to a child's misconduct or
deprivation." James was booked into the Austin Jail and was being held
on $100,000 Kansas bond. The Austin Police Department's Exploited &
Missing Children's Unit is also on the case and investigating the
possibility of additional charges in Texas.
Andover Police Chief Mike Keller said her discovery was a cooperative effort of law enforcement agencies working together.
"This is just another example of local law enforcement agencies,
even across state lines, working together to bring about successful
outcome.
“We are all just thrilled that we were able to locate Brittney in a
timely manner and return her home safely,” said Chief Keller.