Local and statewide media scrambled Friday, Oct. 21 to spread the word when Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued an Amber Alert for Cassidy Dailey, 12, of Livingston. Overton County News has learned Dailey’s step-father and alleged abductor, Allen Harness, 37, of Overton County, has been charged with aggravated child molestation and statutory rape.

Those charges come from Dalton, Georgia, where police found Harness and Dailey Friday afternoon at a Motel 6 on Chattanooga Road after a caller gave authorities a tip that Harness and his truck, a 2005 Ford F-350 extended cab marked with “Tennessee Central Concrete” lettering, had been spotted at the motel.

According to Dalton Police Department public relations contact Bruce Frazier, “He gave up peacefully.”

DPD authorities reportedly moved into the area of the motel and called Harness on the phone. After the conversation, he surrendered without incident to authorities, according to DPD’s crime blog.

According to Overton County Sheriff W.B. Melton, the Amber Alert that was issued Friday morning originated with an incident that took place at approximately 12:30 a.m. Friday.

“We got a call on June Chapel Road…we got down there and the lady had somebody drive her to Cookeville hospital. Of course, her throat was cut, she was stabbed (in the chest area) one time, and then, her hand was cut,” Melton said.

That woman was Christy Harness, Allen Harness’ wife and Cassidy’s mother. She had called OCSP deputies to her home and alleged that Allen Harness had assaulted her with a knife, causing the injuries. Christy Harness then told deputies Allen Harness left with her daughter, Cassidy.

Allen Harness was under a restraining order not to have contact with the family and was reportedly under investigation by the Department of Children’s Services for child abuse allegations. He had been arrested in July for child neglect.

Melton said, “He couldn’t be around the house or the kids” and that the restraining order was taken out on Allen Harness approximately one month ago.

Asked to confirm that the Harnesses were separated, Melton said, “Well, he couldn’t be there, but I think he was there every night, and she was letting him in the house.”

After taking the report, OCSD contacted TBI, who issued the Amber Alert, blasting the description of Dailey, Harness, and the truck Harness was believed to be driving across the state. Road signs on interstate highways in the state displayed the information, and dozens of state media outlets, including Overton County News, scrambled to pass along the information on their websites. Social networking sites spread the information even further.

With an ever-growing number of people aware of the descriptions, it was only a matter of time before someone spotted Harness, Dailey, or the truck. According to DPD, the tip that led to them came in at approximately 3:30 p.m. Friday afternoon, just 15 hours after the alleged knife attack.

Melton said, “We tracked them as far as Chattanooga, but I think that was about the last good info we got on them. Then, about 4 o’clock that afternoon, or somewhere thereabout, Georgia called and said they had the truck, they had located it, and shortly thereafter, they had located him and the little girl in a motel room.”

Dailey and the other children that had been living in the Harness home have been taken into DCS custody, Melton said. He said he wasn’t certain how many children were involved, but said they were removed from the home.

Allen Harness is currently in custody of DPD at Whitfield County Jail, where he is charged with aggravated child molestation, statutory rape, and being a fugitive from justice. He was scheduled to be in court in Dalton, Georgia last Tuesday, Oct. 25.

Once Harness answers charges against him in Georgia, he awaits extradition to Overton County, where he faces charges of especially aggravated kidnapping, attempted first degree murder, and other pending charges.