EUSTIS, Fla. – A 55-year-old man was arrested Tuesday after an attempted abduction in Eustis over the weekend, according to police.
In a news release, police said the incident happened around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, when a driver in a white SUV approached the victim near East Pinehurst Boulevard and South Grove Street while she was walking from Eustis Disc Tobacco & Gas.
[VIDEO: Possible attempted abduction leads to arrest of man, Eustis police say]
The driver began talking with the 17-year-old victim about good places to grab drinks in the area, police added. Police said that the driver then offered the teen $300 to get into the SUV to go somewhere with him.
According to an arrest affidavit, the man grabbed the girl’s left arm through the driver’s window when she said, “No,” to going with him.
The teen was able to free herself from his grasp and the man become “angry, making her fearful,” according to the affidavit. The 17-year-old ran back to Eustis Disc Tobacco & Gas and called her mother, who later reported the incident to police.
Police on Tuesday said 55-year-old Gregory Lockwood was arrested. According to the affidavit, police received an anonymous tip for the location of the vehicle, which was registered to Lockwood.
Lockwood told police he approached the victim because he thought she was “attractive” and denied ever offering her money or touching the teen, according to the affidavit.
Luwana Milner, who lives about a block from where the incident occurred, said the situation could have ended much differently.
“This turned out to be a situation that no one was hurt, but it could have very easily gone the opposite direction,” Milner said. “That’s the thing we need to take away from this, just be more aware and more cautious.”
Milner said the incident has raised concerns about safety in the neighborhood, which she noted has several children and a nearby bus stop.
“I’m very concerned to hear this, especially right here in my neighborhood,” she said.
Lockwood faces charges of attempted kidnapping and battery on a minor.
Lockwood on Wednesday morning appeared in court, where a judge gave a $500,000 bond for the first charge and $1,000 charge for the second charge. His next hearing is on Feb. 2.