Man accused in Abigail Hernandez kidnapping held on $1M cash bail

CONWAY, N.H. (AP) - A New Hampshire man charged with kidnapping a teenage girl nine months ago was ordered held on $1 million bail Tuesday as the girl watched from the front row of the courtroom.

    

Abigail Hernandez disappeared after leaving her high school in October and returned home last week.

    

Nathaniel Kibby was arrested Monday without incident at his Gorham home, about 30 miles north of where Hernandez lives. He's charged with felony kidnapping, a charge that carries up to seven years in jail if convicted.

    

Police said Kibby, 34, confined Abigail, then 14, on Oct. 9, sometime after she left Kennett High School to walk to her North Conway home. Abigail, who turned 15 a week after she disappeared, returned home the night of July 20, but authorities have not explained the circumstances of her disappearance or return.

    

Kibby was arraigned Tuesday and ordered held on $1 million cash bail. The only time he spoke was to answer, "Yes I am, your honor" when the judge asked if he would seek a public defender.

    

The judge denied public defender Jesse Friedman's request to unseal affidavits, search warrants and other investigative material before the hearing. Friedman argued it was impossible for him to begin to defend Kibby without knowing the facts that led to his arrest.

    

Law enforcement officials said there were no other suspects and that searches of Kibby's home were continuing.

    

Attorney General Joseph Foster said Monday that Abigail provided the police with details of her kidnapping that led to Kibby's arrest.

    

Kieran Ramsey, an FBI assistant special agent in charge, said the investigation hinged on three factors: The community outreach, the team of investigators who followed up on every tip and, mostly, Abigail.

    

"Abby herself helped her safe return through her courage and resolve to come home," Ramsey said.

    

Senior Assistant Attorney General Jane Young, who heads the criminal bureau, would not comment on what Kibby does for a living or supply other details about his background. He has a criminal history dating back to 1998, including convictions on simple assault, criminal trespass and breach of bail conditions, according to court records. He is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 12.

    

Abigail, who sat with her mother in court, earlier issued a statement, which was posted on Facebook, thanking people who searched for her and saying she believes their hopes and prayers "played a major role in my release."

    

Young said that when the girl disappeared, she apparently had no way to get about or secure food, shelter or other necessities on her own. She said that the teen "went dark" and could not be traced through social media for the duration of her absence.

    

However, police revealed several months ago that the girl had written to her mother. When the letter surfaced, Ramsey said it was possible the girl had run away but that someone could be coercing her into staying away. Police have not revealed the contents of the letter.

    

"Abby continues to work on restoring her strength," said Paul Kirsch, a family friend. "I have never been so blown away by a child's strength. This kid had found a way to survive for nine months."

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AG: Missing teen Abigail Hernandez safely reunited with family

 A 15-year-old girl who had been missing since last October was safely reunited Sunday night with her family, the New Hampshire Attorney General said.

Police and prosecutors are not releasing any information about the circumstances of the disappearance of Abigail Hernandez, who was last seen in Conway, New Hampshire, on Oct. 9, citing an ongoing investigation.

 Hernandez was last seen on her high school security camera recording leaving her school last fall. Police say she took her normal route home and sent a few texts, but never made it home. Authorities also revealed she had written home to her mother.

According to a press release, Abigail's mother Zenya told law enforcement that "today we are the happiest people on earth."

The family posted it was requesting privacy at the moment on the website BringAbbyHome.com.

Her family had offered a $40,000 reward for information on her whereabouts in addition to a $20,000 reward offered by the FBI.

Stay with NECN as this story develops.

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Tags: new hampshire, New Hampshire Attorney General, Abigail Hernandez

D.C.’s shelter for homeless families: A dead-end village that must be closed

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 You’ve probably never heard of N Street Village, but it’s a nonprofit where more than 1,400 homeless women are fed, clothed, housed, educated, healed and counseled every year.

 For more than 40 years, N Street Village has been an example of how a small, properly run homeless shelter in downtown Washington can serve the needy effectively and compassionately. The shelter continued to fulfill that mission even as Logan Circle changed around it, shifting from Prostitution Central to a neighborhood of million-dollar condos and high-priced restaurants.

 N Street Village is the polar opposite of the ghetto the city has created at D.C. General, an abandoned hospital in Southeast Washington that serves as the largest family shelter in the nation’s capital. On Sunday, three of my colleagues at The Washington Post published an investigation into the dysfunction and decay at D.C. General. The alleged sexual assaults, vermin, filthy water and lack of heat are exactly what happens when we herd hundreds of vulnerable parents and children into one huge facility hidden from the city’s upwardly mobile eyes. And not even the disappearance and presumed death of 8-year-old Relisha Rudd have made a real dent in our apathy.For years, I’ve been visiting this place, and it always takes a while to shake off the smells, the sounds and the feelings of a dead-end village. It’s not the homeless parents and their kids who give you that feeling. No. You meet bouncy girls with cute braids, a high school valedictorian or a scootering little boy, and you marvel at the optimism and light they still have in a part of the city that no one wants to see.

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Please Pray for tFamilies but Also Pray for Relisha Rudd She is Out there somewhere her kidnapper is dead he killed his wife We need to see her come home like Elizabeth Smart. Lord Please Bring her home.

Relisha Rudd - Please share. Thank you!
‪#‎missingchild‬ ‪#‎ncmec‬ ‪#‎amberalert‬ ‪#‎abducted‬ ‪#‎relisharudd‬ ‪#‎humantrafficking‬ ‪#‎washinhtondc‬ ‪#‎baltimoremd‬ ‪#‎atlantaga‬

Have you seen this child? SAMUEL BYRD

Have you seen this child? LETICIA CHAVEZ

Praise Jesus Ashlee is Found 
(Update March 28,2014- CFSI Iowa State Coordinator reports that Ashlee has been FOUND SAFE. Thank each of you who helped with efforts of getting Ashlee’s poster and information in the eyes of many making it possible for her to be home with her family. )