A man faces kidnapping charges after taking a 9-year-old girl from a park in Lorain, Ohio during the late afternoon hours on August 10. A recent new article on the Chronicle-Telegram website stated that the 31-year-old suspect was arraigned in municipal court and being held on $500,000 bond. He told police that he was trying to take the little girl home, but according to the police, his story didn’t add up.
The child and the suspect were found near a local medical center, far from where the girl lives. Relatives looking for the girl spotted her with the suspect 37 minutes after she was reported missing and confronted the suspect before police arrived and arrested him. According to the girl’s father, she was checked out at a hospital and was not assaulted, She did have a little scrape on her leg she got from being pulled along by the suspect, he stated.
The family called police after a family friend came to their home and alerted them that someone had taken their daughter from the park. Family members and friends began searching for the girl. Police arrived at the park and were given a description of the suspect by kids who were at the park and witnessed the girl’s abduction. Police then received a call that the girl was with her sister on a nearby street and that the girl’s mother was chasing down the suspect.
Another relative informed police that he spotted the suspect with the child in the same vicinity and that the child was crying. The relative said he yelled at the suspect to release the girl and the suspect took off running. The relative drove to a nearby hospital and hailed down a police officer and told them where the kidnapper and the girl was headed. The officer arrived on the scene to find the girl’s older sister arguing with the suspect. The sister told the officer that the suspect was “one of the kidnappers” and he said he was going to rape the girl. The suspect tried to walk away when he was ordered into the police cruiser, but he then complied when officers pointed a stun gun at his chest.
The girl’s father was especially thankful for the teamwork displayed by family, friends and law enforcement in their efforts to find his daughter and return her back home safe.
The suspect in this case would be guilty of second-degree kidnapping had this crime took place in Colorado. He took a minor under 18 away from her parents without her consent and without lawful authority. He took her with the intent to keep her away from her parents and, according to her sister, to rape her–another criminal offense. Because he had a previous criminal record, a reduced sentence is out of the question for this suspect. A Colorado criminal defense attorney can explain state kidnapping laws in greater detail, and he can advise you of your rights under those laws.
