Old Town Man Who Took His Stepdaughter Out Of State Calls It A ‘Misunderstanding’

An Old Town man who was the subject of a manhunt after picking his stepdaughter up at school and leaving the state calls the situation a "misunderstanding."

Old Town Police asked for the public's help on Tuesday locating 15-year-old Natalee Cote and her stepfather, Christopher Julian. The girl was waiting for her mother to pick her up from school on Monday when Julian arrived and she left with him. Originally police said the girl went willingly, but they later indicated that she might be in danger. Cote's mother told police she also discovered at ATM card was gone from the house.

About 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, a night manager at the Royal Crest Motor Inn in Hampton, New Hampshire became suspicious when the pair checked in because he told police that something seemed unusual about the situation.

The girl didn't seem in distress, but stood behind the older man. TV-5 reports that Hampden, Maine native Joseph Burke, who now lives in Hampton, ran the man's identification and searched his name on Google where he found the police alerts. He said he rode his bicycle up and down the boulevard until he located Julian's vehicle and then notified police. The Old Town man was found on the beach and taken in for questioning.

TV-5 reports that, as Julian was leaving the police station, he told reporters the situation was just a misunderstanding and that he "didn't even realize."

Police are expected to release more information later today.