Daniyal Khan pleads not guilty in Waterloo Amber Alert case
Daniyal Khan pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Black Hawk County, Iowa, in the Waterloo amber alert case after police said he took a 12-year-old girl from her home on April 5. Khan, 23, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, faces charges that include second-degree kidnapping, grooming and child stealing.
An Amber Alert went out after the girl was taken, and law enforcement found Khan’s Toyota Camry in Coloma Township, Michigan, about an hour later. That search ended with the girl being located and Khan later extradited to Iowa earlier this month.
Black Hawk County Plea
Khan entered his not-guilty plea to second-degree kidnapping, possession of depiction of a minor in a sex act, indecent contact with a child, enticing a minor under 13 for sexual abuse or exploitation, child stealing and grooming. He was initially charged with second-degree kidnapping, indecent contact with a child and sexual exploitation of a minor before additional charges were added.
The plea keeps the case in the court system on the charges now listed against him. It also means prosecutors must prove the allegations in Black Hawk County rather than rely on the original arrest filing alone.
April 5 Contact
Police said Khan communicated with the Waterloo girl through social media before picking her up from her home on April 5. Court documents say he allegedly touched her inner thigh and kissed her after taking her from the home.
The case centers on that sequence: online contact, the pickup, and the allegations that followed after he left with the child. Those details are why the Amber Alert became part of the response.
Coloma Township Search
Law enforcement found Khan’s Toyota Camry in Coloma Township, Michigan, and located the girl about an hour later. Khan was extradited to Iowa earlier this month, bringing the case into Black Hawk County for the plea hearing.
For Waterloo families, the case leaves the record of what happened on April 5 intact: a child taken from home, a regional search, and a criminal case now moving forward on multiple felony charges.
