A Pennsylvania man convicted of kidnapping and assaulting a 13-year-old Jackson County girl in late 2020 recently received a prison sentence of 30 to 105 years, police report.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department assisted in the investigation and conviction of Andrew Howland, 39, of Lancaster City, according to a news release from Sheriff Rick Meyer.

Howland was found guilty by a jury in Lancaster County on Aug. 18 on Level 1 felony charges of kidnapping a minor, unlawful contact with a minor, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and statutory sexual assault.

He also was found guilty of a Level 2 felony of aggravated indecent assault of a person less than 16 years of age, a Level 3 felony charge of criminal use of a communication facility and four counts child pornography during the three-day trial.

On Nov. 18, a Lancaster County judge sentenced Howland to 30-105 years in prison.

Meyer said Jackson County Detective J.L. McElfresh and Officer Zach Elliott traveled to Lancaster to testify during Howland’s trial. The teen victim also testified.

“Our deputies and detectives worked closely with multiple agencies, including law enforcement in Pennsylvania, FBI Agent Todd Prewitt and assisted in the successful resolution of this case,” Meyer said in the news release. “Their efforts resulted in a young girl being safely returned to her family and a sex offender behind bars.”

The sheriff’s department launched an investigation on Dec. 1, 2020, when county dispatch received a call about a missing 13-year-old girl from the Seymour area.

Elliott responded to the home where the girl was missing from and took the initial report. Attempts to locate the missing girl by county officers were not successful.

On Dec. 2, 2020, the case was turned over to detectives with the sheriff’s department.

With the help of the victim’s family, detectives developed a suspect and determined the girl was not in Indiana. The suspect’s cellphone was tracked by the sheriff’s department and determined to be in the area of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

“This is every parent’s worst nightmare and a reminder to be vigilant about educating our children about online predators and how to stay safe,” Meyer said.

Law enforcement in Pennsylvania arrested and charged Howland with multiple felonies after the missing teen was found safe.

News reports from Pennsylvania said Howland met the victim online and lured her from her home in Indiana. She was kidnapped and sexually abused.

“I am glad our department was able to not only assist in the safe return of this child victim to her family, but also in the arrest, conviction, and lengthy prison sentence of this child predator,” Meyer said. “Thanks to the good work of our law enforcement agency and that of officials in Pennsylvania and the FBI, the perpetrator will not be able to hurt others.”