PROVIDENCE -- A federal magistrate judge Tuesday ordered a man accused of taking a 13-year old girl from Portsmouth to his home in New Jersey intending to have sex last week held without bail, at least until a hearing next week.
Magistrate Judge Lincoln Almond set an Aug. 7 date for a combination preliminary hearing and bail hearing for Daniel K. Berger, 27, who is facing a single charge of transporting a minor over state lines with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
Berger was arrested shortly after midnight Thursday near his apartment in Haskell, N.J. The girl was found there as well. Police said the two had met by communicating through online chats over the internet and text messaging.
Berger and the girl were located about 16 hours after police issued an Amber Alert when her mother reported her missing Wednesday morning. A man working on a landscaping crew in Portsmouth told police he'd seen the girl getting into a red car.
Local and State Police and the FBI were able to use cell phone information to locate Berger and find the girl, Portsmouth Police Chief Jeffrey Furtado said.