Authorities in Florida also arrested a 13-year-old boy for attempting to kidnap a woman in the same area and for possessing a knife in two separate incidents.
The attacks allegedly continued over a period of several weeks and affected multiple victims, according to an Indian River County Sheriff’s Office arrest report obtained by local news.
“I’m here today to tell you that the brave men and women here did a great job capturing this bad guy,” Sheriff Eric Flowers said at a news conference Thursday. CBS 12.
Authorities received four tips linked to the teenager between June and July and arrested a suspect in a vehicle on Wednesday.
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A 13-year-old Florida boy has been accused of trying to abduct a woman in the Country Club community of Vero Beach. (Indian River County Sheriff)
Police subsequently questioned the suspect, who allegedly admitted to being the man seen in security camera footage related to the incident. The boy’s mother also asked if the man in the footage was the boy, to which the boy allegedly replied “yes.”
According to an arrest report obtained by CBS 12, when questioned by officers, the boy told officers he was in a dream-like state when he was trying to abduct the women.
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“He said he was in a dream-like state and felt like he was looking at himself from above and he wasn’t sure if it was real or not,” Flowers said at a news conference.
When questioned by officers, the boy told officers he was in a dream-like state while he was trying to abduct the women, according to the arrest report. (Indian River County Sheriff)
The first kidnapping attempt appears to have occurred June 29, but was not reported to police at the time and only became known to authorities after the sheriff’s office issued a warning Sunday about the two recent kidnapping attempts.
During the June incident, the victim told police she was walking her dog near her townhouse in the country club community of Pointe West in Vero Beach when the dog became wary and began turning toward an alley. The suspect followed her into her home, where she allegedly began banging on the door.
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“[T]This kid has some serious problems.”
“Another woman who lives across the street from the townhouse came forward and said, ‘I saw him and he didn’t seem right. He came up to me. I ran inside and he started banging on the door,’ so this kid has some major issues. Serious issues,” Sheriff Flowers told CBS12.
The boy’s mother reportedly said her son was a compulsive liar.
In the June incident, the victim told authorities she was walking her dog near a townhouse in the country club community of Pointe West in Vero Beach when the dog became alert and began turning toward an alley. (Google Maps)
The victim reportedly saw video footage of the suspect that the Sheriff’s Office posted on its Facebook page and told authorities he believed the person involved in the incident was the same person seen in the video.
On July 2, the victims said they had gone outside to pick up their shoes that had been hung out to dry when they were approached by a suspect armed with an eight-inch knife. Sheriff Flowers said the suspect used a knife in at least two of the incidents.
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In this incident and another in July, victims were able to scream and run away from the suspects, with one victim saying he bit and kicked the suspect until he let him go.
Authorities recovered clothing matching the suspect’s description at the suspect’s home. (Indian River County Sheriff)
Most recently, on Sunday, the suspect allegedly approached two victims while wearing a mask. In one incident, the suspect told the victim to “come with me,” according to CBS 12. In the other incident, the suspect put his hand over the victim’s mouth and said something, but the content was redacted from the police report.
The 13-year-old boy ran away after the victims began screaming.
Authorities also recovered clothing matching the suspect’s description from the suspect’s home.
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The boy has been charged with attempted kidnapping and is currently being held in a juvenile detention center.
“I’m incredibly proud of my entire team who worked tirelessly to put this suspect behind bars,” Flowers said. “I’m grateful to the community members who provided us with critical information that helped us solve this case. Community and law enforcement partnerships are what work, and this case is proof of that.”
