Authorities have arrested an Indio man after they say he tried to kidnap two young girls as they walked to school.
At about 9:20 a.m. Wednesday, the girls reported that a man tried to pull one of them into a vehicle near the intersection of Cactus Avenue and Perris Boulevard in Moreno Valley, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
“The juvenile was able to break free from his grasp and, upon arriving at school, notified school administrators, who contacted the Sheriff’s Office,” the release said.
The girls gave investigators “a detailed description of the suspect and his vehicle,” and less than an hour and a half after the incident, “Sheriff’s Investigators located the vehicle in the area of Ormista Drive and Searson Drive,” officials said.
Rene Ramirez, 50, was arrested and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on charges of attempted kidnapping and annoying and molesting children.
His bail has been set at $1 million, and he’s due to appear in the Riverside Hall of Justice on Friday.
Anyone with information about this incident or who may have been contacted by Ramirez is asked to call Investigator Morales at 951–486–6700.