BOTHELL — A group of teenage boys chased down a child- luring suspect in a Bothell cul-de-sac Monday, rescuing a 4-year-old girl.
The man, 48, allegedly convinced two children from the neighborhood to get into his red pickup Monday by promising gifts.
Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies don’t believe the children were physically harmed, spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said.
Still, the incident has left the families in the area shaken and scared, said Janice Halcom, the girl’s mother.
“We felt safe, and we don’t feel safe anymore,” she said Tuesday. “When they say it can happen anywhere, it really can happen anywhere.”
The neighborhood boys, including the girl’s 15-year-old brother, pulled the girl out of the man’s truck as he was trying to drive off, she said.
The man allegedly lured the girl into his truck with promises of a new bike and new shoes, Halcom said.
They were gifts the girl had wanted, but during tough economic times, the mother said she hasn’t been able to afford new things.
“She’s disappointed that she didn’t get a new bike,” Halcom said. “That’s coming from a 4-year-old who doesn’t understand the gravity of the situation she was in.”
The girl’s parents called 911 and Snohomish County deputies arrived and arrested the man, Hover said.
“It’s been scary,” Halcom said.
Prior to the incident with Halcom’s daughter, the man also allegedly convinced a 9-year-old boy to get into his truck by offering the child a bike. The man then drove the boy to a nearby Fred Meyer, bought him a bicycle and then drove the boy home.
The man appeared to have been drinking before his arrest, according to a police affidavit filed in Everett District Court.
He is not a registered sex offender, Hover said.
The man was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of two counts of second-degree kidnapping. A judge Tuesday ordered the man held in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Halcom said she plans to talk to her daughter about the dangers of getting into cars with strangers.
In the meantime, she praised her son and the other boys. She said there was another hand at play, ensuring her daughter’s safety.
“First and foremost, I thank God, God’s perfect timing,” Halcom said.
