DECATUR, AL — A missing 15-year-old girl from Decatur was safely found after authorities spent days trying to locate her, according to police. Decatur police said the teenager had run away from home last week before investigators confirmed she had been found.
The search led to the arrest of Brian Schalk, a former deputy with the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department in Tennessee. He is facing charges of statutory rape and harboring a runaway. Officials said investigators from White County, Tennessee, worked with the FBI to track him down and recover the teen.
Authorities also said Flock cameras were an important part of the effort that helped locate Schalk. Officials have said the case could lead to additional charges as the investigation continues.
How investigators located the former deputy and the teen
Law enforcement agencies in Tennessee and federal agents joined the search after the teen was reported missing from her home in Alabama. White County deputies and the FBI worked together to identify where Schalk and the girl were believed to be.
Police credited Flock cameras with helping investigators follow leads during the search. Those cameras are commonly used by agencies to read license plates and flag vehicles of interest, and in this case officials said they played a key role in narrowing the investigation.
Authorities did not release a detailed timeline of the arrest, but they said the teenager was found safe and Schalk was taken into custody after the investigation located him.
Who Brian Schalk is and what he is accused of
Schalk was identified by officials as a former deputy with the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department. The announcement of his arrest drew attention because the accusations involve a former law enforcement officer rather than an unrelated suspect.
He is charged with statutory rape and harboring a runaway. Those accusations suggest investigators believe the teen was not only away from home, but also in contact with an adult who may have helped keep her hidden from authorities.
Police have not publicly described any relationship between Schalk and the teen beyond the charges filed against him. No further details about the circumstances of the alleged offenses were included in the initial announcement.
White County Jail custody and the possibility of more charges
After his arrest, Schalk was booked into the White County Jail in Tennessee. Officials said he remained in custody there as the investigation moved forward.
Law enforcement has said more charges could still be filed, signaling that detectives may be reviewing additional evidence or possible criminal violations tied to the case. For now, the public charges are statutory rape and harboring a runaway.
Authorities have not said whether Schalk has entered a plea or when he may first appear in court. No attorney information was released in the initial update.
Decatur police say the teenager had run away from home last week
Decatur police said the girl had run away from home last week before she was found safely. That detail matters because the case began as a missing juvenile investigation before it expanded into a multi-agency search.
Officials did not say when she was last seen or what circumstances led her to leave home. They also did not provide information about whether she was recovered in Alabama or another state.
The main update from police was that she had been located and was safe, which allowed investigators to shift focus from searching for a missing teen to pursuing charges tied to the adult suspect.
Why the case drew attention beyond a routine missing-person search
Missing-teen cases often draw a quick response, but this investigation became more serious once detectives identified an adult suspect with a law enforcement background. The involvement of a former deputy and the use of federal and local resources elevated the case beyond a standard runaway report.
Officials have not said whether the teen knew Schalk before she disappeared or how the investigation first connected him to her. Those unanswered questions may be addressed if prosecutors file more charges or release additional details.
For now, the key facts are that the girl has been found safe, Schalk is jailed in White County, and investigators say the case remains active.
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