Teen Amber Alert subject found safe, Tennessee teacher arrested

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says the search for 15-year-old Elizabeth Thomas is over. She has been found and safely recovered, they say, and they have arrested her accused kidnapper Tad Cummins.

Cummins, a teacher, and 15-year-old Elizabeth Thomas were reported missing on March 13 and were caught on video two days later at an Oklahoma City Wal-Mart.

Police issued an Amber alert for Thomas and say they have warrants charging Cummins with sexual contact with a minor and aggravated kidnapping.Cummins reportedly left a note for his wife before disappearing, but officials think it was a diversion to mislead the investigation.

Court papers filed in connection with the teen’s disappearance allege that she feared the man and he told her she would face repercussions at school if she resisted him.

The Tennessean reports that the petition was filed by Anthony Thomas on behalf of his daughter, who disappeared from her home in Columbia, south of Nashville. The petition alleges that the father learned that Tad Cummins had threatened his daughter with repercussions at school if she didn't go with him for a meal. The document also said Elizabeth Thomas was "scared of Cummins and felt in over her head."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story was originally published April 20, 2017 at 11:42 AM with the headline "Teen Amber Alert subject found safe, Tennessee teacher arrested."