Kansas man guilty of kidnapping girl rescued from closet

SEDGWICK COUNTY – A Kansas jury has found a man guilty of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old who was rescued from a locked home in Wichita.

This week, 37-year-old David Roark of Wichita was found guilty of kidnapping, child abuse, aggravated indecent liberties with a child, criminal sodomy and sexual exploitation of a child, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.

Just after midnight on December 14, a White County, Arkansas, Sheriff’s Office detective contacted Wichita police requesting assistance in locating a missing child within their jurisdiction, according to Wichita Police Officer Chad Ditch .

A 14-year-old girl had left her home in Arkansas in early November and had not returned. A follow-up investigation by White County detectives revealed that she was seen with a man at a convenience store before leaving in a car with the same man later identified as 35-year-old David E. Roark of Wichita. Police also learned that Roark was wanted on two Kentucky state arrest warrants.

Additional information from White County suggested Roark may have been in the Wichita area.

The Wichita Police Exploited and Missing Child Unit and the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit began an investigation and found an address in the 1800 block of N. Litchfield in Wichita where they believed Roark was staying.

Police saw Roark leave the house and took him into custody. Officers then found the missing girl in a closet in the home. Police took them both in for additional interviews, during which it was discovered that additional crimes had occurred in Wichita.

A search warrant was completed for the residence and David Roark was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail.

Roark will be sentenced on November 18.