September 10th, 2023 by WCBC Radio

On Saturday, 09/09/2023, at approximately 1:30 PM, the Frostburg City Police received several calls from independent citizens about a female on East Main Street who was yelling for help. When officers responded they found a 53 year old female who reported that she had been grabbed by an unknown male suspect who forced her to another location, in an attempt to, she believe, sexually assault her.

At approximately 2:45 PM, the Frostburg Police received another call from a citizen who stated that her 8 year old daughter was missing from the Meshach Village area. Video of the last location the 8 year old was seen was obtained. A male subject, who matched the description of the suspect in the earlier incident, was seen grabbing the little girl by the hand and leading her away.

The Allegany County Combined Criminal Investigation Unit (C3I) was contacted and C3I Investigators responded to the scene to assist in the investigation. A description of the suspect was broadcast to all local law enforcement. Numerous agencies, including the Frostburg Police, the Frostburg State University Police, the Allegany County Sheriff's Office, the Maryland State Police, and MSP helicopter Trooper 5 all responded and saturated the area, attempting to locate the suspect and the little girl.

The Frostburg Police also put out still photos of the suspect and the little girl on social media, asking for citizens to be vigilant and report any sightings of the suspect and little girl to law enforcement immediately. Numerous tips came in.

A short while later the suspect and little girl were observed in the west end area of Frost Avenue, leaving a vacant property with a barn and a couple of other outbuildings, by an officer with the FSU Police. The suspect was taken into custody at that time. The little girl was transported by ambulance to UPMC-Western Maryland for treatment and as a precaution.

A subsequent search of the area and buildings by investigators led to the recovery of several items of evidence that led to the arrest of 33 year old Joseph Alan Gordon.

Gordon, who had ID's from several states, including Arizona and Ohio, was charged with two counts of Kidnapping, one count of Attempted 1st Degree Rape, and one count of 1st Degree Rape. He is currently being held at the Allegany County Detention Center, pending an initial appearance before a District Court Commissioner.

Anybody who may have seen the suspect and little girl is being asked to contact law enforcement. Additionally, investigators are asking citizens who may have private surveillance cameras and/or Ring type doorbell cameras to review their video to see if they may have captured the suspect and little girl as they traveled from the Meshach Village area to the west end of Frost Avenue. Citizens who observed something suspicious are asked to contact the C3I Unit at 301-777-0326

The investigation is continuing by the Frostburg Police and C3I.