Jesse Ray Schmidt

A man has been charged with kidnapping after two children, who police say were abducted from the Rusk area, were found safe in Kilgore on Tuesday, according to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.

An Amber Alert was issued around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday for 11-year-old Desmond Wells and 10-year-old Ashlynn Wells.

The children were last seen in the 11200 block of U.S. Highway 84 in Rusk at 1:15 p.m. Monday, and 32-year-old Jesse Ray Schmidt was named as a suspect.

Later on Tuesday, Sheriff Brent Dickson said both juveniles were located with Schmidt in Kilgore, and both kids have been released to Child Protective Services custody.

The sheriff’s office said Schmidt has been arrested and charged with kidnapping. He is being held in the Cherokee County Jail on a $500,000 bond.

The case remains active and more charges are pending at this time, the sheriff’s office said.

“I would like to thank the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division, Texas Rangers, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshals, Kilgore Police Department, along with numerous other agencies that assisted in the investigation,” Dickson said. “I would also like to thank the numerous citizens that called with tips. This case is still active pending further investigation.”

The Kilgore Police Department shared later on Tuesday that someone received the Amber Alert and noticed Schmidt and the kids in the Kilgore Walmart.

The Texas Rangers called KPD’s Criminal Investigations Unit and requested officers go by Walmart to review camera footage for verification, KPD said on Facebook.

Kilgore police said officers went above that request, and they decided to check hotels in case Schmidt stayed in Kilgore.

“As they pulled into their first hotel parking lot they spotted the suspect at his car about to leave with the children,” the Kilgore police statement read. “The suspect was quickly taken into custody by detectives. This was not a child custody issue, but the kind of scenario we parents worry about.”

Kilgore police on Facebook said within one to two minutes Schmidt would have been gone. The department emphasized the importance of having Amber Alerts.

“You may just save a child’s life. A huge thank you to the person who received their Amber Alert and remembered seeing the children,” Kilgore police said. “Your call to Cherokee County may have saved their lives. Join us in praying for the children and family as they recover from this traumatic event.”