$9M bond set for sex offender charged with kidnapping

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Today in court, a judge kept the bond at $9 million for the man charged with kidnapping a New Hanover County girl.

Douglas Edwards, 46, is charged with the kidnapping of a 6-year-old girl.

As well as the kidnapping charge, he’s also charged with two counts of Indecent Liberties with a Child. Edwards is listed on the North Carolina Sex Offender Registry. According to the registry, Edwards was required to register as a sex offender for at least 10 years after he was convicted in 1996 for first degree sex offense and indecent liberties with a minor and served nearly 16 years in prison. According to the registry, the crimes involved a six-year-old. The registry says there have been no reported violations against him.

Douglas Edwards (Photo: NC Department of Public Safety)

District Attorney Ben David said in court that additional charges will be filed.

The six-year-old girl was found alone yesterday morning in a heavily wooded area off River Road about two miles from her home.

A source close to the investigation tells WWAY one of the leads investigators got was from a New Hanover County Schools bus driver, who said they saw a man on a moped matching the description released on River Road Wednesday afternoon. There is also reportedly video from the bus of the man on the moped. We asked the school district for a copy but were told the DA had asked it not be released at this time.

While the girl was found off River Road, the source said investigators searched several other areas as well.

We asked to speak with Edwards at the jail today, but he said no.

His next court date is October 6.

Editor’s note: Previous versions of this story included the name of the girl involved, who was the subject of an Amber Alert. Due to the sex crime charges against her alleged abductor, WWAY has decided to remove her name and picture from our stories.