The father of an 8-year-old girl whose disappearance from her South Salt Lake home triggered an Amber Alert on Saturday morning reportedly took the girl as far as Payson before turning back toward Salt Lake City.

Jazsmine Corianna Leah Winston had “somehow” been in contact with her dad, 53-year-old Robert Winston, and went outside and got in his vehicle when he arrived at her home, near 220 E. 3300 South, about 9:30 a.m., police spokesman Gary Keller said.

Robert Winston was arrested when police pulled him over about 2:45 p.m. near Interstate 15 at 12300 South. Another man and three juveniles riding in the car were taken into custody for questioning.

Winston lives in Las Vegas. He doesn’t have custody of Jazsmine and isn’t allowed to see her because of an existing protective order, Keller said.

Keller said Winston may have been taking the 8-year-old to Las Vegas. When officers called Winston at 10:30 a.m., he said he was in the Nevada city. But when they pinged his phone two hours later, he was in Salt Lake City, heading south on I-15.

Police identified Winston as the alleged abductor after speaking with Jazsmine’s mother and issued an Amber Alert telling people to be on the lookout for the vehicle he normally drives, a maroon van.

After reviewing surveillance footage of traffic in the area about the time Jazsmine went missing, officers instead determined he was driving a gray Ford Expedition. Keller said the SUV was a rental car.

Officers pinged Winston’s cellphone again about 1:30 p.m. and saw he had driven to the Payson/Santaquin area. By 2:20 p.m. — about an hour after the Amber Alert was issued — he had turned around and was heading toward Salt Lake City, Keller said. It’s unclear why Winston turned back.

He was arrested when police pulled over a vehicle matching the description of the one he was said to be driving.

Keller said he’s not sure what Winston will ultimately be charged with.