Kidnapped boy found standing along road at 4:30 am, waving for help, LA cops say

An ATV ride that started as fun for a 9-year-old turned terrifying when the man piloting the vehicle refused to take the boy home, according to investigators in northern Louisiana.

Instead, the boy was forced to spend the night hiding “in wooded areas and ditches,” as the man dodged pursuing deputies, the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a July 23 news release.

The ordeal began just before midnight Tuesday, July 22, and ended after the boy escaped near a convenience store east of Monroe, officials said.

“The child was last seen riding an ATV with 40-year-old Rickey Knotts in the nearby cornfields and wooded area. While the rest of the group returned safely, Knotts failed to bring the child back,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Deputies immediately launched a search of the area, which continued through the night. At approximately 4:30 a.m., the child was located on Highway 80 near the Lion’s Stop (convenience store) by a family member. The child flagged her down from the roadside.”

Knotts, described as a family friend, was last seen hiding in a field near where the boy was found, officials said.

An investigation revealed Knotts “intentionally evaded law enforcement with the child, forcing him to hide in wooded areas and ditches throughout the night,” the sheriff’s office said.

“The boy ran and flagged down a family member, and Knotts continued to hide,” officials said.

Knotts “has an extensive criminal history” and was motivated by a belief that he was wanted for arrest, the sheriff’s office said.

There were no warrants at the time, but there are now.

He is wanted for simple kidnapping, cruelty to a juvenile and false imprisonment, the sheriff’s office says.

Monroe is about a 185-mile drive northwest from Baton Rouge.

This story was originally published July 24, 2025 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Kidnapped boy found standing along road at 4:30 am, waving for help, LA cops say."