Homeless male wearing blonde wig, makeup, and pearls accused of trying to kidnap 11-year-old boy outside his home
A homeless male wearing a blonde wig, makeup, and pearls is accused of attempting to kidnap an 11-year-old boy outside of his Ohio home.
According to the Alliance Police Department, 39-year-old Joshua Freyermuth was arrested Sunday for attempting to kidnap the boy that same day.
'He kicked his heels off — my son said he had white high heels on — and then he took off running down the street.'
Freyermuth allegedly approached the child while he was outside his home in Alliance — roughly 30 miles southeast of Akron.
Freyermuth — who also goes by the name Vicky, according to the Daily Mail — was accused of attempting to lure the boy away from his property.
The police report stated that Freyermuth told the child, “I need to talk to you.”
WOIO-TV reported that the child refused, and Freyermuth attempted to grab the boy on South Webb Avenue.
The alleged victim said he was able to get away because the family's dog attacked the suspect.
"When he grabbed my son's arm, my dog attacked him, and then he stumbled back off the stairs," the child's father, Zachery Thurmond, told WOIO. "He kicked his heels off — my son said he had white high heels on — and then he took off running down the street."
The father said he chased after the male.
Alliance police said they had enough evidence to make an arrest.
Police also noted that there has been quite a reaction on social media. An Alliance police spokesperson said Freyermuth's arrest is "probably just as well for his safety" because of the number of people "who have decided they want to take this into their own hands."
However, Freyermuth has denied the allegations.
Still wearing his blonde wig during his arraignment Monday in Alliance Municipal Court on attempted kidnapping charges, Freyermuth told the judge, “I wasn’t even there. I didn’t try to kidnap anybody.”
The suspect said he has an alibi and that he was at a friend's house when the alleged attempted child abduction was said to have occurred.
Freyermuth's bond was set at $100,000, and he has been ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim.
Freyermuth also was arrested Friday on drug possession charges after police said they found methamphetamine in his car.
Police said they pulled Freyermuth over after they received reports of a suspect driving around trying to speak to children, according to the New York Post.
Freyermuth's mugshot for that arrest shows him wearing a different wig, and he was released on bond for that charge.
Image source: Stark County (Ohio) Jail
Police are still investigating the alleged incident.
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