Modesto man arrested after allegedly offering rides to kids, taking child from front yard
A Modesto man was arrested Friday morning after he allegedly offered rides to kids at a school bus stop and later took a preschool-aged child from the boy’s front yard.
The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office is investigating three different incidents involving the suspect, who witnesses at each location said was driving a gray sedan, said Sgt. Erich Layton.
The first incident occurred at 7 a.m. near Bret Harte Elementary School in south Modesto. A man parked in a gray sedan was offering rides to kids at a bus stop where Downey High School students wait for the bus, Layton said.
By the time deputies arrived, the suspect and vehicle were gone.
At 9:40, deputies were dispatched to another call involving a gray sedan in the 1100 block of Lassen Avenue, less than a half mile from the bus stop. Layton said the suspect, who witnesses said appeared to be under the influence, was breaking windows of an occupied home there.
The suspect was gone when deputies arrived but they were able to identify him because his ex-wife lives at the house.
While deputies were still on scene on Lassen, a neighbor a few blocks away on Imperial Avenue called 911 to report a man had reached over a fence and picked up a 3 or 4-year-old child, who was playing in his front yard.
The suspect didn’t go far before he put the child in the bed of a parked truck and left in a gray sedan, Layton said.
Deputies put out a county-wide alert for law enforcement to be on the lookout for the gray sedan.
It wasn’t long before Modesto Police spotted it on Seventh Street, conducted a traffic stop and took the suspect into custody.
The 35-year-old suspect was arrested but had not been booked as of noon Friday. He is facing charges of kidnapping, home invasion and vandalism, Layton said.
This story was originally published August 19, 2022 at 12:30 PM.
