A SEBASTOPOL man will front Ballarat Magistrates Court tomorrow morning on child stealing charges after police applied successfully to extradite him from South Australia.
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Dean Patrick James, 36, fronted court in Mount Gambier this morning, where Magistrate Jack Fahey granted his extradition.
It followed his arrest about 10am on Saturday in Millicent, in south-east South Australia.
South Australian Police Superintendent Peter Crouch said James was seen by a member of the public with the girl while sitting in a car at a swimming lake in the town.
Police seized the blue Ford station wagon the pair had been travelling in and charged James with attempting to procure a child under 16 for sex and child stealing.
A Millicent resident called police after noticing the girl wearing a school uniform on a Saturday.
The woman said she pretended to collect rubbish from around the lake to observe the pair before calling police.
The girl was driven by South Australian police officers to be reunited with her parents in Victoria on Saturday night.
She had been missing since Tuesday after travelling to Ballarat via Bendigo to meet James, who had allegedly groomed her via a social networking website.
James was remanded in custody and will face court in Mt Gambier today.
On Friday, Ballarat police said they had received information about sightings of the pair but officers would not disclose the location for fear of interfering with the hunt.
