OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich.–An 11-year-old boy is in juvenile detention in Ottawa County after police say he abducted a 6-year-old boy from his yard in Georgetown Township.
On Wednesday, the child’s stepmother noticed the child was no longer playing in the yard and quickly started to search for him, according to Ottawa County investigators.
Luckily, several school bus drivers with Jenison Public Schools spotted the two children walking down the street a few blocks away and noticed something wasn’t right.
“The bus driver noticed the 6-year-old boy was being led by the 11-year-old by the collar of the neck,” said Lt. Mark Bennett with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office
School authorities say the driver said the younger child appeared frightened, but she had students on her bus and could not immediately stop. She was able to alert other drivers about the situation.
Investigators say the stepmother was then able to make contact with one of those drivers and was given a ride to where the boys were spotted.
The woman was able to find her son and the 11-year-old suspect near Chicago Drive and 12th Avenue, a fairly busy intersection. Police say she reported the 11-year-old had a tight hold on her child.
“The suspect continued to pull the victim away from mom, and mom had to physically remove the six-year-old from the grasp of the 11-year-old,” said Lt. Bennett.
The child was not injured, but had torn clothing.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene and the juvenile was taken into custody for questioning.
He is being held in juvenile detention at the Ottawa County Fillmore Complex on a charge of attempted unlawful imprisonment and assault.
Investigators call this a rare, but alarming case.
They say the suspect has had contacts with law enforcement in the past, but would not go into details about his background.
A hearing is set for next week.
Meanwhile, school authorities say the victim has been back at school and is doing well.
Both boys are students at Jenison Public Schools.
