Florida authorities have arrested a 13-year-old boy accused of attempting to abduct women in the same neighborhood and wielding a knife in two incidents.
The attempts allegedly went on over several weeks, impacting multiple victims, according to an arrest report from the Indian River County Sheriff's Office obtained by local news.
"I’m here to tell you today that the brave men and women over here did a fantastic job in putting this bad guy away," Sheriff Eric Flowers said during a Thursday press conference, according to CBS 12.
Authorities received four tips between June and July that led them to the young teen. On Wednesday, they stopped the suspect while he was riding inside a vehicle.
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Deputies then interviewed the suspect, who allegedly admitted to being the person captured in security camera footage connected to the cases. The boy's mother also asked if the person in the videos was him, and he allegedly told her yes.
The teen described being in a dreamlike state while allegedly attempting to abduct the women in his interviews with officers, according to the arrest report obtained by CBS 12.
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"His story was that he felt that he was in a dream-like state, that he was watching himself from above. That he didn’t know if it was real," Flowers said during the press conference.
The first abduction attempt apparently occurred on June 29, though it was not reported to law enforcement at the time and only became known to authorities after the sheriff's office issued a warning about the two most recent abduction attempts on Sunday.
During the June incident, a victim told authorities that she was walking her dog near townhouses in a country club community called Pointe West in Vero Beach when her dog became alert and started looking toward the alleyway. She alleged that the suspect followed her home and, when she went inside, started banging on the door.
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"There was another woman who lives over in the townhouses that came forward that said, 'I saw that kid, he was not looking right. He approached me. I ran in my house, and he starts banging on my door.' So, the kid’s got some major issues. He’s got serious issues," Sheriff Flowers said, according to CBS 12.
The boy's mother allegedly said that her son is a compulsive liar.
When the victim saw video footage of the suspect posted by the sheriff's office to their Facebook page, the victim told authorities she was sure the person in her case was the same person in the video.
On July 2, a victim said she had walked outside her home to pick up shoes she'd left out to dry when the suspect approached her, armed with an 8-inch knife. Sheriff Flowers said the suspect used a knife in at least two incidents.
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In that case and another July case, victims were able to escape the suspect by screaming. One victim said she bit and kicked the suspect until he let her go.
Most recently, on Sunday, the suspect allegedly approached two different victims while wearing a mask. In one case, he told the victim, "You're coming with me," according to CBS 12. In another, he put his hand on the victim's mouth and said something that has been redacted in the police report.
The 13-year-old escaped after the victims started screaming.
Authorities also collected clothing from the suspect's home that matched a description of the suspect.
The teen is charged with attempted kidnapping, and he is currently being held at a juvenile detention center.
"I am incredibly proud of our entire team who worked tirelessly to put our suspect behind bars," Flowers said. "We are thankful for the community that came together and provided the critical information that helped make this case. It’s the community-law enforcement partnership that works, and this case is proof of that."
