Man Federally Charged in Teen’s Kidnapping

DALLAS (AP) — A man has been arrested after authorities said he abducted a 15-year-old girl in the Texas Panhandle and drove her to New Mexico, where he tried to force himself on her at a gas station.

A federal indictment filed Thursday charges Royce Wade Lander with kidnapping. Court documents say the teenager was looking for a ride at a gas station outside Amarillo when Lander overheard her and offered a ride into the city.

Authorities, however, say he didn't drop her off in Amarillo. Instead, they say he drove on to New Mexico, where he touched her in "inappropriate places" against her will and later tried to force himself on top of her. She escaped, caught a ride with a truck driver and taken to Oklahoma, where police recovered her.