INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Fla. — A 13-year-old suspect was taken into custody after two attempted abductions that recently occurred in an Indian River County community, deputies said Wednesday.
In an afternoon news conference, Sheriff Eric Flowers said the boy, who lives in the area, faces an attempted kidnapping charge. He is being held at the juvenile justice center in Fort Pierce.
The abduction attempts occurred in the Pointe West neighborhood west of Vero Beach. The first case occurred July 2 and the other one on July 7.
WATCH BELOW: Sheriff Eric Flowers discusses arrest of teenager in case
The sheriff said surveillance pictures of the suspect helped lead investigations to the boy. The child's mother confronted her son about the incidents and said she knew it was him in the pictures.
"He admitted, somewhat, that he was the guy who did this," Flowers said. "When he was talking to us today, his story was that he felt like he was in a 'dream-like' state. That he was watching himself from above."
Flowers said the boy admitted that he had a knife in his pocket at the time of the second attempt on July 7.
Region Indian River County
2 attempted abductions by masked man reported in Indian River Co.
The Indian River County Sheriff's Office said they did not warn the public about the first abduction attempt after they failed to use a translator while interviewing the first victim who reported the crime.
The sheriff's office said that the most recent abduction attempt happened at about 12:15 a.m. Sunday when a masked person approached a woman from behind and tried to pull her away. The woman managed to scream and run back home to safety.
One neighbor told WPTV this week that she called the Indian River County Sheriff's Office after seeing surveillance video of a possible suspect connected to the case.
