Warrant Issued for Missing Girl’s Uncle; More on Amber Alerts

An arrest warrant was issued today for the uncle of missing Redding 15-year-old Jean Marie Berlinghoff . Charles David Berlinghoff, 44, of Los Angeles is wanted by the Shasta County Sheriff on suspicion of felony child concealment, the sheriff’s office reported.

Charles David Berlinghoff

Also today, the California Highway Patrol’s Media Relations Commander Fran Clader contacted A News Cafe to clarify the issue of the Amber Alert system regarding the missing teen.

Clader said the CHP could not, by law, grant the Amber Alert request from the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office. The CHP, which administers the alert system, communicated with the sheriff’s office about the case and learned that it failed to meet the legislated requirements.

As Bosenko stated in Monday’s story , his department did not have information that Jean Marie Berlinghoff was abducted or that she was in imminent danger.

Clader added that the system is designed to work for child abduction cases in the immediate moments after an incident has occurred. In this case, the teenager was not reported missing for several hours after she was last seen.

The Amber Alert system has been utilized 17 times in 2010, resulting in the safe return of 18 children.

In the case of Berlinghoff, the CHP alerted law enforcement agencies and media outlets throughout California through the Emergency Data Information Service (EDIS) and sent out a Critical Reach Flier containing a picture and a description of the missing teen and details surrounding her disappearance. The CHP also contacted the Oregon State Police and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, as well as the Mexican-California border.

This afternoon, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office issued the following statement:

"Detectives from the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office obtained an arrest warrant for Charles David Berlinghoff for 278 PC [detainment or concealment of child from the legal custodian], a felony. The Major Crimes Unit is actively interviewing witnesses and following up on incoming investigative leads or tips. In addition, several investigative tools afforded to law enforcement are being utilized in an effort to locate Jean and Charles Berlinghoff. The primary goal is to locate and bring Jean Marie Berlinghoff home safely.

The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office is grateful to the many local, state and federal agencies that continue to work closely with us. In addition we are grateful to members of the media and public for their continued support. The arrest warrant for Charles Berlinghoff was entered into N.C.I.C. (National Crime Information Center) for nation wide distribution. The following are some of the resources being utilized by the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office. The California Highway Patrol, local allied law enforcement agencies, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Polly Klaus Foundation, U.S. Customs, F.B.I., Secret Witness as well as law enforcement agencies in the Los Angeles area."

Note: The original post listed 14 Amber Alerts and 14 recovered children for 2010. The CHP later updated that information for A News Cafe.