Illegal immigrant accused of attempted kidnapping of teenager deported 5 times: officials
A Mexican illegal immigrant, who was previously deported from the United States five times, was arrested after he allegedly tried to kidnap a teenage girl from Alabama in a grocery store parking lot around 5:40 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, according to officials.
Yordy Centeno Melchor, 31, was charged with second degree attempted kidnapping and is being held on $100,000 bail in connection with the incident.
“It appears that when he got to the parking lot, he was kind of coaxing the girl who was trying to move the stroller,” Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin told Fox News Digital. “And she was in the area or near his vehicle. But he talked her into approaching the vehicle. She’s a young girl. She’s 17 years old.”
Another man nearby apparently saw the girl “in distress” and confronted Melchor, after which he allegedly fled the scene and the sheriff’s office issued a BOLO alert for the area.
Yordy Centeno Melchor, 31, was charged with second-degree attempted kidnapping and is being held on $100,000 bond in connection with the incident. (Elmore County Sheriff’s Office)
Sheriff’s office he later obtained a warrant to search the suspect’s phone, and in the “notes” section, he detailed “what he was going to do,” Franklin said.
“He was going to give her $200 and I’m not going to get into the intricacies of that, but he was obviously trying to talk her into getting in the car,” the sheriff explained.
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Officials aren’t sure exactly when Melchor wrote the note, but the victim told authorities he showed it to her — possibly as a way of communicating to the girl that he was going to offer her money.
The alleged attempted abduction took place in a parking lot in Holtsville. (Google maps)
An employee at the Holtsville convenience store where the incident occurred shared video from the parking lot with authorities, who were able to find the suspect’s license plate number.
A few days later, in a county 30 miles north of Elmore, officers stopped a vehicle matching the one at the crime scene and checked its plates, which matched the suspect’s vehicle. The driver, Melchor, also matched the description of the suspect.
“We will cooperate with ICE. We will always cooperate with ICE.”
Officers were later able to identify the suspect and his prior deportations. They are still working to determine what led Melchor to be deported five times.
Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin said his office will cooperate with ICE. (Facebook)
After his arrest, a local woman saw Melchor’s picture and reported seeing a similar-looking man in the Walmart girls’ bathroom.
Melchor has ties to San Antonio, Texas and Shelby County, Alabama. He was known to drive between the two areas visiting family, the sheriff said.
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The suspect may face additional charges if authorities can identify any other victims.
Franklin described his officers as “a great group of guys” who “all have the same problem to keep Elmore County safe.” He added that Elmore County isn’t a particularly big or small county, but officials “just don’t deal with a lot” of crimes of this nature in the area.
