Spring Lake Park Man Charged in Child Abduction

A Spring Lake Park man was set to appear in court Thursday morning on charges that he abducted an 8-year-old girl Sunday and had criminal sexual conduct with her at his home in the 500 block of 78th Avenue NE.

The girl, for whom authorities had activated the state's Amber Alert system, was able to slip out of John Craig Heuer's house. Neighbors who found her on the sidewalk came to her aid, calling first her home then 911.

Police say they found Heuer hiding under his pickup truck in the garage of his townhome residence which is just north of Osborne Road NE, about a block outside of Fridley.

In the criminal complaint against him (), prosecutors charge Hueur with three counts of criminal sexual conduct and one count of kidnapping. They say Heuer took the girl from a St. Paul laundromat to his home where the criminal sexual conduct took place.

Fridley Police have had only one contact with Heuer, according to Lt. Mike Monsrud, who said that contact was "medical in nature" so he couldn't release details. He wouldn't comment on whether the department was looking into whether Heuer was involved in any other incidents locally.

That is an unlikely possiblity, according to the Anoka County Sheriff's Office.

"We do not believe that Heuer is involved in anything locally," said Cmdr. Paul Sommers. "If he has commited other child abduction crimes, we believe they have been in other states."