Teen Rescuers of Kidnapped Toddler Surprised to Find Suspect Is Classmate
Small town reportedly shaken by news that suspected kidnapper was local teen.
— -- A Washington teen who tried to chase down a suspected kidnapper after he allegedly grabbed a toddler says he was shocked to find out the suspect is a 15-year-old classmate.
Andrew Crain, 15, helped to thwart the alleged kidnapping by running after the suspect who had allegedly snatched a 22-month-old toddler from his stroller. The screams of the toddler's 8-year-old sister Delicia Wright and 10-year-old brother Brenden Wright drew Crain's attention, who went after the suspect along with his friend Isaac Yow.
The suspect eventually put down the toddler, who was unharmed, and ran off.
On Wednesday a 15-year-old resident was arrested for the crime. Crain told ABC News affiliate KXLY-TV he has mixed emotions about the incident.
"I'm feeling happy, I'm feeling angry at the same time. I do know the person," Crain told KXLY-TV.
The unnamed teenager was arrested by Lincoln County Sheriff's Office late Wednesday for the attempted kidnapping. Police said the arrest was made after an intense investigation and after the toddler's siblings identified the man from a photo montage.
Isaac Yow, another teen who helped run down the suspected kidnapper, told KXLY-TV he knew the alleged kidnapper and had seen him earlier that day.
"I did see him walking the day of the incident but we didn't bother and go catch up with him," Yow said. "He just looked like he normally would."
The suspect apparently wore a disguise during the attempted abduction to mask his identity, the Associated Press reported.
Diana Yow, Issac Yow's grandmother, said her grandson was in the same freshman class as the suspect.
"The freshman class is just seven or eight kids," she said of the high school. "I think there’s 31 or 41 students," total.
Residents of Sprague, Washington, a close-knit town of approximately 500 people, were stunned by the news that the alleged kidnapper was a local resident.
“I know it’s very unsettling for everyone to know that it’s your next door neighbor more or less," Diana Yow told ABC News. "It’s very unsettling to know they have been right here.”
The teen suspect, who was not identified, was charged Wednesday with kidnapping, second degree and booked into a juvenile facility.
A spokesperson for the prosecutor's office said today that the suspect was still in custody and a hearing had not yet been scheduled in the case.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.