Man tried to get Longwood girl in his car by inviting her to breakfast, police say

LONGWOOD, Fla. – A man was arrested in Longwood after he approached a 13-year-old girl and asked her if she wanted to get in his car to go get breakfast, according to the Longwood Police Department.

The department said officers were notified on Friday afternoon by a woman who reported a man — later identified as Colt Beard, 39 — in a white Nissan Maxima approached her stepdaughter and asked her to get in his car. The woman said the girl then ran away, according to the arrest report.

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A few days later on Monday, the woman told police the man was driving in the area again. The victim said she was at a bus stop near North Grant Street and Winding Oak Lane when the white vehicle drove past her and Beard smiled and waved at the girl, an arrest report said.

The department said officers increased patrols and were in the parking lot of Longwood Elementary School on Monday afternoon when they saw a vehicle matching the description of Beard’s car.

Police then arrested Beard and he faces a charge of interference with child custody.