By Trish Svoboda

Former Kansas sheriff’s deputy, Michael Tennyson, 24, was arrested for sex crimes related to a missing runaway. The Hays Police Department had requested assistance from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) to locate the 15-year-old, who had been missing since March 22.

The teen was found at Tennyson’s residence in Iola on Friday evening and placed into protective custody. Tennyson was arrested for aggravated indecent liberties with a child and was terminated from his position with the Allen County Sheriff’s Office, which he had been hired for in January.

This investigation was also supported by the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office, the Iola Police Department, and the Ray County Missouri Sheriff’s Office. Tennyson was taken into custody at the Allen County Jail but will be detained at the Bourbon County Jail in Fort Scott.

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME. Anonymous tips can be submitted online at https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar.