BEAVER DAM, Wis.– Gary Day, a man accused of impregnating and kidnapping Beaver Dam teenager Sophia Franklin, saw his first Wisconsin court appearance today after being extradited to Dane County. Day was caught with Franklin in Sarpy County, Nebraska last month. His cash bond was set at $2 million. The judge also ordered that he have no contact with anyone other than his mother and immediate family, as well as no contact with any minors.
Day had allegedly violated his parole in Arkansas for child endangerment with his initial contact with Sophia Franklin back in July 2024. Day allegedly took preventative measures to avoid surveillance, including sleeping on the side of the road, according to the Dodge County District Attorney.
Franklin is five months pregnant allegedly with Day’s child.
In a statement: Sarpy County officials confirmed that Gary Day was extradited to Wisconsin during the morning of April 16. They dismissed their misdemeanor charges along with the application for extradition, as Day voluntarily agreed to return.
The suspect traveling with a missing Wisconsin teenager and arrested in Sarpy County was extradited Wednesday, April 16, to Wisconsin where he will face charges of abduction of a child and child enticement.
After a citizen called in a tip to 911, Sarpy County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Gary Day at the Love’s Truck Stop in Sarpy County on April 3, 2025, on two warrants out of the states of Wisconsin and Arkansas. Day was booked into the Sarpy County Correctional Center on those charges as well as local misdemeanor charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and false reporting.
Sarpy County helped the teenager reunite with her family.
As part of a coordinated effort with the District Attorney in Wisconsin and the federal authorities in Arkansas, the Sarpy County Attorney’s Office has dismissed the local misdemeanor charges against Day as well as an Arkansas state extradition complaint to expedite his return to Wisconsin.
Wisconsin authorities took custody of Day from the Sarpy County Correctional Center on Wednesday morning.
“We are grateful to the watchful citizens who not only spotted something they thought was wrong but also took the critical step in calling Sarpy County 911, which led to the arrest of Day and the recovery of a missing child from the State of Wisconsin,” said Chief Deputy Sarpy County Attorney John Reisz.
Day is currently being held in the Dodge County Jail. He returns to court April 23.
