CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SAN BERNARDINO : Accused Kidnaper Waives Extradition

Alan Erickson, the bearded loner from Pioneertown who was arrested after he allegedly abducted two neighbor girls and then abandoned them in the eastern Mojave Desert, has agreed to waive extradition and will be returned to San Bernardino County from Nevada today, authorities said. Erickson, 36, sparked a massive manhunt after disappearing June 15 with half-sisters Silver Putnam, 6, and Kristina Johnson, 3. A family friend , Erickson told the girls’ mother that he was taking them on an errand but never returned. Five days later, the girls were found wandering in the desert east of Barstow, suffering severe dehydration and sunburn. Erickson was arrested in Las Vegas on suspicion of obstructing a peace officer. He will be arraigned Monday in Morongo Basin Municipal Court.