Officials reveal that an illegal immigrant, who has been deported five times, was accused of attempting to kidnap a teenager.
An Alabama teen was allegedly offered $200 by a Mexican national to get into his vehicle.
An illegal immigrant from Mexico, who had been deported from the US five times, was arrested for allegedly trying to kidnap an Alabama teenager in a store parking lot at 5:40 p.m. on New Year's Eve, officials said.
Yordy Centeno Melchor, 31, has been charged with second-degree attempted kidnapping and is currently being held on a $100,000 bond in relation to the incident.
"According to Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin, when the girl tried to move a buggy in the parking lot, the suspect coaxed her into coming over to his vehicle. The girl is 17 years old."
A man nearby observed the girl in distress and confronted Melchor, causing him to flee the scene. The sheriff's office subsequently issued a BOLO alert for the area.
Franklin stated that the sheriff's office obtained a search warrant for the suspect's phone, and in his "notes" section he had detailed "what he was going to do."
The sheriff explained that he was going to give her $200, but he won't go into the details of that. He was clearly trying to persuade her to get in the car.
The victim informed authorities that Melchor displayed the note to her, possibly to convey that he intended to provide her with money. However, officials are unsure of the exact time when Melchor wrote the note.
Authorities were able to find a suspect's license plate number thanks to a video footage shared by an employee at the Holtsville store where the incident occurred.
Officials found the suspect vehicle 30 miles north of Elmore, and the driver, Melchor, matched the suspect's description.
"We're going to cooperate with ICE. We're always going to cooperate with ICE." — Sheriff Bill Franklin
Officials were able to identify the suspect and his previous deportations, but they are still working to determine the reason for Melchor's five separate deportations.
After his arrest, a local woman spotted Melchor's mugshot and reported seeing a man with a similar appearance in the girl's bathroom of a Walmart.
The sheriff stated that Melchor frequently drove between San Antonio, Texas, and Shelby County, Alabama, to visit family.
The suspect may face additional charges if authorities can identify any other victims.
Franklin characterized his officers as a "remarkable team of individuals" who "all share the same objective of safeguarding Elmore County." He stated that Elmore County is neither a small nor a large county, but officials "rarely encounter crimes of this nature" in the area.
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