Missing Charlotte teen found with 37-year-old man at Florida traffic stop

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A missing teen from Charlotte, North Carolina, was found in Florida during a traffic stop, authorities said.

Putnam County deputies pulled over a car for speeding on March 8. The driver, identified as 37-year-old Joshua Magraff, told police the 16-year-old passenger was his cousin. When asked, the passenger gave deputies a 2013 birth date, which would have meant she was only 12 years old.

When taken to a patrol car, the girl gave her real name, and deputies confirmed she had been reported missing on February 16 by her mother, who also said she knew Magraff.

Magraff later told authorities the girl was a friend he believed to be 19 and said they were in Florida to gamble, local media said.

During a search of his vehicle, deputies found 19 counterfeit $100 bills, marijuana, synthetic marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.

The girl was safely reunited with her mother. Magraff faces multiple charges, including unlawful custody interference, possession of synthetic marijuana and counterfeit money, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and holding drug-related items, according to local media.