North Carolina man flew to Kansas to see ‘young girl’ he met online, cops say

A North Carolina man was arrested after authorities say he flew to Kansas to meet a child.

The Wabaunsee County Sheriff’s Office said 20-year-old Derrick Yarnell, of Henderson, North Carolina, had met the young girl online. Deputies were notified of “a possible exploitation of a child” after Yarnell flew to Kansas to meet her, according to a news release.

Deputies found Yarnell at a Lake Wabaunsee home, but later clarified it was not the home of the child. The sheriff’s office said it discovered evidence at the home that led to Yarnell’s arrest.

Yarnell is charged with aggravated incident liberties with a child, contributing to a child’s misconduct and unlawful visual depiction of a child, according to the sheriff’s office. He is being held in the Kansas jail on a $100,000 bond.

The child has been taken into protective custody and is “receiving professional attention,” authorities said.

“Parents, please be ever so vigilant,” Undersheriff EG Kirsch said in a statement on Facebook.

Lake Wabaunsee is about 110 miles west of Kansas City.