Arrest Made in Near-Abduction of 8-Year-Old Colorado Girl
The girl was able to fight off her abductor and call for help.
Nov. 2, 2013 — -- A Colorado artist has been arrested in connection with the foiled kidnapping of an 8-year-old girl who fought back and was able to escape during her abduction, police said.
John Stanley Snorsky, 26, of Aurora, Colo., has been charged with first- and second-degree burglary and second-degree kidnapping after being arrested Tuesday morning for an investigative parole hold on an unrelated case, police said.
On Oct. 28, police said they discovered that an unidentified man had removed a screen and opened an unlocked window at a single-story Aurora residence, reached into the window and grabbed an 8-year-old girl. She had been doing homework with her brother asleep in the same room.
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As the suspect was fleeing with the child, police said, she was able to scratch at her abductor and scream for help, which caught the attention of her father. The father ran out of the home and located his daughter, who was running back to the house from the alley in the rear of the residence, police added. The girl's father ran into the alley where he saw a silver Mercedes sedan drive off.
"She is a brave young lady and kept her wits about her," Aurora Police Division Chief Rob McGregor said at a news conference today. "It is a message to all parents to reiterate to their kids to make noise if something is going on."
The girl, who police did not name, had very minor injuries and was transported to the hospital.
Police released a composite sketch of the man they were looking for on Monday night. A reward of $20,000 was set for information leading to the arrest of the kidnapper.
Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said that he believed the reward was a major factor in the more-than-200 tips that came in.
Snorsky was taken into custody on suspicion of committing felony theft, police said at a news conference on Saturday.
McGregor said Snorsky, a self-proclaimed artist, works in Aurora at a sub shop. A Facebook page under his name and date of birth showed drawings that he has made and posed self-portraits.
Snorsky came to the United States from Russia, police sources told ABC News. He has served time in a Colorado prison for burglary and escape.
While out on parole, Snorsky made friends where he worked at the Aurora sub shop, including with police who often went there to eat.
The restaurant owner, a 72-year-old-woman, felt sorry for Snorsky and took him in, according to police sources.
Snorsky is being held on a $500,000 bond, and is scheduled to appear in court Monday. It was not immediately clear whether or not Snorsky had been assigned an attorney.
