The teen’s mother reported her daughter’s disappearance last week. She said she believed her daughter was with 38-year-old Donald Guthrie, a registered sex offender. Guthrie also failed to appear in court last week in Lycoming County.
Bletz’s mother told WJAC-TV Monday that she knew her daughter had been texting Guthrie, and she had attempted to end the exchanges. Bletz and Guthrie were located Wednesday afternoon.
The U.S. Marshal Service issued the following statement.
“The Lycoming County Sheriff’s Office and Pennsylvania State Police requested the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) to arrest Guthrie and recover the missing juvenile. The USMS adopted the case as part of its Operation PICK-UP – an initiative designed to coordinate investigative efforts between the U. S. Marshals Service and state and local police agencies to recover missing children.”
According to the U.S. Marshal Service, Guthrie was stopped around 3 p.m. by the Mount Morris Police Department. Police said Guthrie provided a false name, but through further investigation, his true identity was determined. Police arrested him for outstanding warrants in Lycoming County.
Authorities said a search of the immediate area was conducted, and Bletz was subsequently located. Bletz’s mother told WJAC-TV reporter Brittany Boyer that her daughter was OK.
Earlier Wednesday, Hughesville police said Guthrie was a suspect in a bank robbery there late last month. A surveillance video shows who police believe is Guthrie during the robbery at the First National Bank in Hughesville Borough.
Guthrie was recently charged with indecent assault of minors and unlawful contact with minors for sexual offenses and child pornography.
Stay with WJAC-TV News and wjactv.com for details on this story as they become available.