3 children who were focus of Amber Alert found safe in Clarendon County
Taken from an Amber Alert poster, are photos of three children found safely in Clarendon County: Cameron Allison, 6; Colin Allison, 1 1/2; and Emma Allison, 6.
JOHN ALLISON
RUBY ALLISON
CLARENDON COUNTY – Three children from the Roanoke, Virginia, area who were the focus of an Amber Alert were found safe on Interstate 95 in Clarendon County, according to Cpl. Sonny Collins with the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
About 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, SCHP troopers conducted a traffic stop on I-95 near the Sumter County line in reference to an Amber Alert. Collins said the traffic stop resulted in the detainment of one adult, and three children were found safe.
At 4:45 p.m., Roanoke County Police Chief Howard Hall said that Emma, 6, Cameron, 6, and Colin Allison, 1 1/2, had “been safely located” in South Carolina.
“As a result of its investigation, Roanoke County Police learned that Ruby Allison had transported the children to Florida and later decided to return to Roanoke. Their location was later narrowed to I-95 north in South Carolina. The South Carolina Highway Patrol was alerted and stopped the vehicle with Ruby and the children shortly after 4 p.m. today," Hall said.
Allison was taken into custody and is awaiting extradition to Virginia, Hall added.
“The children were turned over to authorities in South Carolina who will coordinate their return with Roanoke County Social Services.”
Roanoke authorities have charged each parent with three counts of abduction.
The story began to unravel earlier on April 22 when Roanoke County Department of Social Services attempted to serve a court-ordered child removal for the three children. John Allison reportedly refused to give the agency the children’s location or allow the agency access to the children. The Roanoke County Police Department determined that the children’s parents, John and Ruby Allison, may have taken them outside of Virginia.
Roanoke County Police issued an Amber Alert for the missing children.
About 10 a.m. April 22, the children’s father turned himself in to authorities in Roanoke. Allison, 34, did not have the children with him and did not assist police in locating them. Authorities continued to look for the children’s mother, Ruby, 35. The police said that based on the father’s arrest, they were able to determine that the mother may be driving a maroon Chevrolet Suburban with a Virginia license tag.