The Leitchfield Police Department has charged five suspects related to the disappearance of a Hartford girl later located in Leitchfield.
LPD Detective Kevin Smith said Michael Tyler Hall, 22, Justin Vigil, 19, and Gregory Cottrell, 58, all of Leitchfield, were charged after helping harbor missing 14-year-old Shauntay Sandlin, of Hartford. Two juveniles also face charges related to Sandlin’s disappearance.
Sandlin was reported missing on Saturday, January 19, and was last seen at a business on South English Street at approximately 11:00 that night. The Leitchfield Police Department, along with multiple other law enforcement agencies, saturated the South English Street area, along with other Leitchfield locations, searching for the teen, as an enormous amount of manpower was utilized in the search, according to Smith. Search dogs were also dispatched to aid in the search, as police scoured the area for Sandlin in desperately cold temperatures.
She was found safe on Sunday, January 20.
Vigil has been charged with second-degree unlawful transaction with a minor (a felony) and second-degree wanton endangerment. Hall was charged with second-degree unlawful transaction with a minor, while Cottrell was charged with third-degree unlawful transaction with a minor and second-degree wanton endangerment.
Vigil and Hall remain lodged in the Grayson County Detention Center. Cottrell, who faces misdemeanor charges, was cited to court, according to Smith.
Hall has been previously arrested in Grayson County, as he was jailed in June 2016 on charges including trafficking in synthetic drugs, possession of synthetic drugs and possession of a controlled substance.
Grayson County Attorney Jeremy Logsdon issued the following statement:
Due to the increased numbers of minors being reported missing, the County Attorney’s Office feels it is necessary to make the following statement: Any person who assists a runaway minor in avoiding the custody of their rightful parent or guardian, or the investigating law enforcement officers, will be charged and prosecuted fully for their violations of the law. The lives and safety of our community’s children are extremely important.
(Headline photo: Michael Tyler Hall)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000
