A man is in custody in Sherburne County Jail and will be charged with abducting a girl Wednesday afternoon in Zimmerman, according to Commander Ben Zawacki. 

Joseph Andrew Bragg, 28, who has no known permanent address, abducted the girl around 4 p.m. after she off got the bus bringing her home from school, Zawacki said. Our dispatch received a call reporting the girl missing at 6:31 p.m. 

An extensive search by law enforcement, first responders and the public didn’t reveal her whereabouts, and investigators had no corroboration that she had potentially left the area in a vehicle until hours later. 

A community notification was issued at 9:47 p.m. with a description of a black passenger car that was following her school bus. Investigators eventually ruled out any involvement of a black vehicle. 

An Amber Alert was issued at 11:40 p.m. after information was developed that she likely had been abducted. 

Through investigation and use of technology, investigators identified a white Dodge Ram pickup as a suspect vehicle and issued an emergency alert to law enforcement agencies at 12:38 a.m. today. 

At 1:04 a.m. today, Freeborn County sent a teletype that they were out with the suspect vehicle and that the girl was safe and the suspect was arrested. 

We want to thank the numerous law enforcement and first responders who assisted in the search. 

We also want to thank the hundreds of volunteers who came out to assist in the search. 

NOTE: In February of 2023, Bragg was cited for a petty misdemeanor for driving a vehicle while operating a mobile device. At the time of the arrest in 2023, Bragg had a home address located in Maple Grove, MN.