HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Police in Miami-Dade County announced an arrest in an attempted abduction case.
Authorities took 56-year-old David Gross Anderson into custody on Monday.
6 a.m. report:
Jennifer Arroyo, the mother of the first alleged victim, says her 20-year-old daughter was approached on Halloween night in the parking lot of a Marshalls store at Homestead Town Square by a man asking for help with his wife as she was leaving.
“He tried this once, so he’ll try it again,” Arroyo said.
Arroyo’s daughter grew suspicious and tried to walk away, but police said the man attempted to grab her. She then managed to run, and Anderson fled the scene, according to investigators.
Arroyo believes the man’s intentions were clear.
“It’s obvious that he was trying to get her to get closer to his vehicle so that he could take her,” she said.
Authorities said they received a similar call Monday about Anderson allegedly approaching another person at the Homestead Pavilion shopping center with the same story of needing help with his wife.
The 911 caller, having seen a social media post warning of the suspect, ignored him and took a photograph, which was provided to police, according to an arrest report.
Anderson had an outstanding warrant for check fraud and is now facing attempted kidnapping charges, according to police.
Police credited Anderson’s arrest to vigilant community members who reported suspicious behavior after seeing information shared through the Homestead Police Department’s recent social media campaign.
The HPD also expressed gratitude for the public’s engagement and urged residents to stay informed via its social media channels and to report any unusual activity promptly.
Andersen appeared in Miami-Dade bond court Wednesday, where a judge set his bond at $25,000 and issued several conditions for his release.
He was ordered to stay away from the alleged victim and to avoid the Homestead parking lot where the incident occurred.