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A 37-year-old man is facing multiple charges after trying to kidnap a child from a Walmart in Oregon.
On Dec. 21, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of an attempted kidnapping at 7:48 p.m. on Dec. 21 inside the Cornelius Walmart at 220 N Adair Street.
A father was shopping with his child when the 37-year-old, identified as Denis Villalobos, “attempted to take their child from their stroller inside the store,” according to a Jan. 2 update posted on Facebook.
Villalobos was allegedly armed with a knife, per the report.
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“The father stopped the man from grabbing the child out of the stroller, but was injured during the confrontation,” the Cornelius Police Department wrote on Facebook.
“As they struggled, the attacker pulled a knife from a pocket, but fortunately dropped it,” the report added.
Villalobos, who ran from the scene and left in a white Jeep, was arrested shortly after thanks to a witness providing the Jeep’s license plate number. Villalobos was then taken to the Washington County Jail.
Villalobos was indicted for five charges — including attempted kidnapping in the second degree, assault in the second and fourth degree, unlawful use of a weapon and menacing — on Dec. 29.
Villalobos was ‘stalking’ family before attempted kidnapping
In a Jan. 2 interview with KOIN, Corporal David Huey shared some harrowing details about the incident.
The family was reportedly doing some grocery shopping at the local Walmart. At one point, as the family was walking into the store, Villalobos made eye contact with the baby.
“He looks like he’s staring at the child as the family walks by. And they don’t even know who he is. It’s almost as if the suspect was stalking them in a sense,” Huey said of the suspect.
“This is certainly an unusual circumstance,” he continued — adding that Villalobos followed the family as they walked through the store.
Several residents who live across the street claimed that Villalobos was a neighbor to the area.
“It’s kind of scary. Especially the fact that he lives around this neighborhood,” the child’s mother said, per KOIN.
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“It’s actually nice to live in a small community where we have the police department around the area doing their job and very close by. So we’re, we’re very thankful for that,” she added.
