The teen was charged this evening with the false imprisonment of a child.
Shopping trolly
A 14-year-old Lake County boy is facing charges after the police say he attempted to kidnap toddler in an Orange County store.
Security footage from the Burlington Coat Factory store shows the suspect and the little girl inside together.
The girl, who wondered away from her mother, is seen talking with the boy and then following him out of the store.
Stranger Danger?
According to WFTV News, the security tape is the only evidence of this strange crime but the store investigators who interviewed the teen say they do not have any evidence to suggest he was trying to harm her.
“If there had been some other intent, then he would have been arrested for a kidnapping charge,” said Jeff Williamson from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office stated on this evening’s news.
Because the two children left the store, the false imprisonment charge was added. The video shows, the boy taking the girl by the hand and leading her away. This is why he was charged.
Mothers Actions
Two minutes elapse before the little girls mother leaves the store to look for her. She returns with her child followed by the young boy and his mother.
According to WFTV News, the boy was subjected to six hours of interviews before being charged with a second-degree felony. This means he could face between two and twenty years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
“We went through the evidence over and over again just to make sure we were making the right decision, because this is a very young man’s life,” said Williamson to reports outside the crime scene.
Police who refuse to comment on why he acted this way is currently holding the boy’s statement. However, a spokesman for the boy’s family contacted WFTV News and said the boy was trying to help the girl find her family.
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