Man jailed; girl safe; cop commended

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  • Kingston Officer Dakota Hanks, left< was given an Outstanding Performance Certificate for keeping his calm during a Child Abduction Call. Daniel Ulmet, right, is facing multiple charges that stem from an abduction incident. Courtesy photo
    Kingston Officer Dakota Hanks, left< was given an Outstanding Performance Certificate for keeping his calm during a Child Abduction Call. Daniel Ulmet, right, is facing multiple charges that stem from an abduction incident. Courtesy photo
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An incident that occurred on August 19 ended up bad for one – specifically Daniel Ulmet, but good for countless others. At approximately 6:00 p.m., Kingston Officer Dakota Hanks was dispatched to a residence in response to a possible runaway.

Hanks arrived at the residence and spoke with the mother of the juvenile who was missing. She stated that her, who is under the age of 16, had either left with or was taken by an unknown male driving a dark blue Chevrolet truck.

The mother informed Hanks that Kingston Chief John Bridgeman had visited the residence approximately a month prior because of behavior issues with the juvenile. She had found her daughter had been speaking with a male on multiple occasion through social media apps.

The mom took away the daughter’s phone as punishment and assumed things were better since her daughter was no longer acting out. Hanks inquired if the daughter had run away in the past, and the mom confirmed she had attempted to a few times before. However, police had picked her up before she made it down the road from the house.

A few family members arrived to speak with Hanks and gave him a description of the truck they saw prior to the juvenile coming up missing. They could not get a good description of the driver, due to the window being tinted.

According to the mother, the incident started when the juvenile approached the mother and requested if she could place a duffle bag of clothes in the family vehicle. The juvenile told her mother they were clothes she no longer wanted. Not suspecting foul play, the mother allowed the juvenile to bring the bag outside.

Apparently, that was the small window of opportunity Ulmet, a 32-year-old from Norman, needed, because a mere moments later, he and the juvenile were gone.

Knowing the situation could soon become dire because a 32-year-old male had taken a juvenile under the age of 16 from her house, he sprang into action. He cleared the residence, then contacted Marshall County Dispatch to put out a BOLO (Be On the Lookout) to all the surrounding counties. Hanks’ quick response led to the capture of Ulmet before the juvenile could be in any danger. OHP stopped Ulmet on I35 in Carter County.

Once Ulmet was in custody, and the juvenile was safe, Hanks returned to the original address to speak to the father. The father informed Hanks that once he realized his daughter was with Ulmet, he attempted to track them down in his own personal vehicle. The pursuit was unsuccessful, because he lost the pair before making it to Hwy 70. He then headed toward the Hwy 70 and I35 junction in hopes of catching sight of them.

While the father was watching traffic pass by, he stated his cousin saw him on the side of the road and asked if he was in need of vehicle assistance. The father explained what he was looking for and why. A few minutes later, the cousin spotted a truck matching the description and informed the father. The father sprang into action, found the truck and called dispatch. He followed the truck until OHP was able to intercede and conduct a traffic stop. That was when the father was able to confirm that his daughter was in the truck.

According to the arrest report, after Ulmet was detained, he allegedly admitted to being attracted to young girls, and that there were explicit pictures from several underage females on his phone.

Ulmet is currently being held at the Carter County Jail for charges of Possession of Juvenile Pornography and Harboring a Runaway.

Marshall County is hoping to put charges of Kidnapping, Possession of Juvenile Pornography and Lewd Propsals to a Child Under Sixteen.

Due to Hanks’ quick action to bring the juvenile to safety, he was awarded an Outanding Performance certificate. The award is for “holding it together on Child Abduction Response.”

In a Facebook post, Hanks discussed the event.

“Yesterday was my first child abduction case and by the grace of God and with the cooperation of multiple agencies, we were able to find and take back the child before they were lost indefinitely,” Hanks posted. “With the help of Ardmore Police Department and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, a MONSTER is behind bars and a child will return to their family!”

Hanks then used his post to warn parents to be more vigilant.

“To my friends who have kids, I beg you to pay attention,” he posted. “Look for signs, be involved and never let complacency cloud your judgement! Predators ARE out there and they’re always closer than we think, so I implore you to be vigilant, be proactive and ALWAYS know what your child is doing behind closed doors or in the confines of their social media.”