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British police question ex-US Marine arrested in Germany
Frankfurt, July 17: An American man arrested on an international warrant charging him with abducting a 12-year-old English schoolgirl was being questioned today by British police, pending extradition.
Frankfurt, July 17: An American man arrested on an international warrant charging him with abducting a 12-year-old English schoolgirl was being questioned today by British police, pending extradition.
Frankfurt police arrested 31-year-old Toby Studabaker, a former US Marine, in downtown Frankfurt around midday yesterday, hours after the schoolgirl, Shevaun Pennington,
departed for home from the southern city of Stuttgart.
A German judge was expected to issue a detention order later today, in preparation for extradition, said Hildegard Becker-Toussaint, a spokeswoman for state prosecutors in Frankfurt.
German authorities initially said they would consider whether he could be charged with any offense in Germany, but Becker-Toussaint said that is now ``extremely unlikely.'' an extradition decision could be made within days if Studabaker chooses not to contest being sent to Britain. Studabaker, of Constantine, Michigan, had evaded police since he and Pennington, whom he met in an internet chat room, left Britain together Saturday on a flight to Paris.
The pair spent two nights in France, but they did not overnight in Germany before Studabaker took the girl to Stuttgart Airport on today, Becker-Toussaint said.
``He put her on the plane,'' she said. ``By the time they arrived in Germany the episode was nearly over.'' In Britain, greater Manchester police said they expected to speak with Pennington later today about her five days with Studabaker.
Bureau Report
A German judge was expected to issue a detention order later today, in preparation for extradition, said Hildegard Becker-Toussaint, a spokeswoman for state prosecutors in Frankfurt.
German authorities initially said they would consider whether he could be charged with any offense in Germany, but Becker-Toussaint said that is now ``extremely unlikely.'' an extradition decision could be made within days if Studabaker chooses not to contest being sent to Britain. Studabaker, of Constantine, Michigan, had evaded police since he and Pennington, whom he met in an internet chat room, left Britain together Saturday on a flight to Paris.
The pair spent two nights in France, but they did not overnight in Germany before Studabaker took the girl to Stuttgart Airport on today, Becker-Toussaint said.
``He put her on the plane,'' she said. ``By the time they arrived in Germany the episode was nearly over.'' In Britain, greater Manchester police said they expected to speak with Pennington later today about her five days with Studabaker.
Bureau Report