LITTLE ROCK, Ark.— The man from Arkansas accused of abducting Beaver Dam teenager Sophia Franklin, has pleaded guilty to two federal charges as part of a plea agreement.
Gary Day entered a guilty pleas on July 7, to enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity and production of child sexual abuse material. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in federal prison, though a sentencing date has not yet be set.
In exchange for the guilty pleas, federal prosecutors agreed to dismiss four other charges, including transportation of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, and possession of child sexual abuse material. Under the plea agreement, Day will also be required to register as a sex offender.
According to the plea agreement, Day admitted using Snapchat to communicate with the girl, who was 16 at the time, before traveling to Wisconsin to pick her up and take her to Arkansas. Investigators also recovered an explicit image involving the minor during forensic examination of Day’s cellphone. The criminal complaint also detailed Snapchat messages showing the pair arranged to meet at a hotel in Beaver Dam in early 2024.
The case drew national attention after the teen disappeared from Beaver Dam in February of 2025. The Wisconsin State Patrol had issued an Amber Alert for Franklin as well. Authorities issued the Alert, believing the then 17-year-old was about three months pregnant and traveling with Day. Investigators later said the pair spent weeks traveling across several states before they were found at a truck stop in Nebraska on April 2, 2025. The teen was safely reunited with her family.
As part of the federal case, a judge has also ordered the forfeiture of several electronic devices, including cell phones and laptop computers, that investigators say were used in the crimes.
The federal case does not resolve Day’s legal troubles in Wisconsin. He still faces child abduction and child enticement charges in Dodge County. A scheduling conference in that case is set for Aug. 10.
