A kidnapping charge is a serious matter, but an attempted kidnapping of a child under 13 years of age is disastrous. Over in Ocoee, FL, police are searching for a man who tried to kidnap an 11-year-old boy. It took place this past Monday when an elementary school was letting out. The man asked if the child wanted a ride.
After the boy refused the ride, the man allegedly told him to get in the car because he had a present for him. The boy kept walking and went to an adult whom he recognized. Police state that the suspect returned to his vehicle and fled. The boy was sharp enough to remember what the man looked like and what he was driving. The boy said the man is in his 50s, tall, balding and was wearing a black shirt with dark jeans. He was driving a black, beat up four-door sedan, which had a rounded front and rear, similar to a Volkswagen Beetle. The boy also noted the car had unmatched rims, a broken left headlight cover and a rusted grill.
Kudos to the young boy for being careful and for paying attention. Now it’s up to the police to arrest the correct individual, which isn’t always the case. Florida law defines kidnapping as the confinement, abduction, or imprisonment of another person against her or his will. Clearly whoever this man was, he was trying to get this young boy into his car in any way humanly possible. But for all we know it was a misunderstanding, or perhaps even the boy may have exaggerated the incident. All will have to be cleared up by the suspect’s defense lawyer.
