The Chapel Hill Police Department charged a man with first degree kidnapping and larceny late on Monday after issuing an AMBER Alert and starting a search for a five-year-old girl.

In a release Tuesday morning, the department said 28-year-old Dustin Taylor Oakley was taken into custody after he allegedly stole a dark blue 2003 Dodge Durango from Eastgate Shopping Center around 8:30 p.m. — with five-year-old Arielle Williams still inside the vehicle. Police issued an AMBER Alert to the Triangle community at 10:17 p.m. for Williams before releasing a photo of Oakley, a Raleigh man with no listed address, as an unnamed suspect shortly after.

By 11:13 p.m., the alert was canceled and Chapel Hill Police said Williams had been safely located. In its message Tuesday morning, the department revealed Oakley was arrested in Lillington, N.C. — which is more than 50 miles away from the Eastgate Shopping Center on East Franklin Street.

Dustin Oakley, 28. (Photo via the Chapel Hill Police Department.)

In addition to a felony charge of kidnapping, Oakley was charged with two counts of larceny, possession of a stolen vehicle, and possession of stolen goods. He is under a secured $510,000 bond at the Orange County Detention Center and will make his first appearance in court on the charges Tuesday afternoon. Oakley also faces a possession of a stolen vehicle charge in Harnett County, which he is slated to appear in court for on Thursday.


Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.