Tennessee man caught in Orange County facing charges of molesting his niece and kidnapping his toddler

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man has been charged with multiple felonies in connection with kidnapping his three-year-old son from Tennessee and sexually assaulting his 16-year-old niece after bringing the children to California. The missing children, who were the subject of a Tennessee Amber Alert that launched a multi-state manhunt, were found at Doheny State Beach last week after a Good Samaritan recognized them from coverage about their disappearance.

Jacob Francis Allen Clare, 35, has been charged with one felony count of kidnapping from outside California, two felony counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, two felony counts of oral copulation with a minor, one felony count of sexual penetration by a foreign object of a minor, and two felony counts of incest.

He faces a maximum sentence of 14 years and 4 months in state prison if convicted on all charges. Clare is currently being held on no bail at the Intake Release Center in Santa Ana. He is scheduled to be arraigned today in CJ1.

Clare is facing additional charges in Tennessee.

Clare and his 3-year-old son were reported missing by the boy’s mother on Nov. 7, 2021 after the boy failed to return from a scheduled visit. Clare’s 16-year-old niece was reported missing from her Kentucky home several days later. Authorities believe the teenager went willingly with Clare.

Clare is accused of kidnapping his 3-year-old son from Tennessee and taking him out-of-state failing to return him to his mother, prompting the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to issue an Amber Alert for the missing child and his father. Clare is accused of taking his 16-year-old niece along on a cross-country trip that ended in California.

Authorities found Clare’s abandoned vehicle in San Clemente and urged residents to be on the lookout for Clare and the missing children.

Between November 11 and November 18, 2021, Clare is accused of engaging in unlawful sexual intercourse with his 16-year-old niece.

Clare was arrested on November 18, 2021 after a Good Samaritan noticed the man and two children walking on Pacific Coast Highway near Doheny State Beach in Dana Point and called authorities. Both children have been reunited with their mothers.

“No parent should have to suffer the trauma of not knowing where their child is and when or if they are ever coming home,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “The blatant exploitation of these children and the pain and misery the actions of a single individual has caused is unconscionable. These are innocent children and the selfish and depraved acts of this individual ripped a little boy out of the arms of his mother and stole the innocence of a little girl. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office will do everything it can to prevent this monster from hurting any more children.”

Deputy District Attorney Juliet Oliver of the Sexual Assault Unit is prosecuting this case.