Man, 36, Helped Forest Lake Girl Run Away From Her Mom: Police

FOREST LAKE, MN — A Dalbo, Minnesota man is accused of helping a 14-year-old girl run away from her mom and live in a tent in the woods.

Shawn P. Bellach, 36, faces one count of depriving custodial and parental rights, causing the child to be a runaway.

The girl was reported missing on May 19 when she left on her peddle bike that had a yellow trailer on the back of it, plus $3,000 in cash from babysitting, and two cats.

Authorities found records of messages exchanged between the teen and a phone number police linked to Bellach.

Bellach was an ex-boyfriend of Miranda Lufsky, the mother of the runaway teen, according to the criminal complaint. He was living at the Forest Lake residence with the girl and her mother earlier this year, police said.

Agents with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension executed a search warrant at Bellach's home and found a yellow bike trailer that matched the bike trailer the girl took with her when she went missing, according to the criminal complaint.

The BCA also identified two cell phones that were newly connected to Bellach's Google Account, including a Motorola and a Samsung, authorities said.

Agents monitored the live location of the Motorola and found that between July 20 and 21, the phone was located near a property in Pine County, according to police.

The owners of that property were Facebook friends with Bellach, investigators said.

On July 21, BCA agents and Forest Lake officers served a search warrant at the Pine County property. Police found the girl hiding in a closet at the home with her hair in front of her face, according to the criminal complaint.

Bellach arrived at the home soon after, authorities said. Bellech was arrested and, on the way to jail, told police he was trying to help the girl because she was being abused by her parents, according to the criminal complaint.

Investigators said they learned the girl had been living in a tent in the woods behind the property. In the tent, police found $2,590 in cash, a clothesline, a makeshift toilet, and a double bed, according to authorities.

The girl's boots were in the tent as well as a large pair of men’s black boots, investigators said.

A resident of the Pine County property told Bellach brought the runaway girl to her property and thought she was doing a good thing by letting her stay in the woods, according to the criminal complaint.

Bellach later admitted in an interview with BCA agents that he helped the girl for two months after she fled her home, authorities said.