Man arrested for allegedly assaulting and attempting to kidnap teen in Harford County
A Cecil County man was arrested for allegedly assaulting and attempting to kidnap a 15-year-old girl in Harford County last weekend.
Police said 32-year-old Christopher Lane was parked near Bel Air's Majors Choice community when he got out of his car, came up behind the young girl and grabbed the back of her neck.
The girl escaped and ran to a neighbor's home.
Lane has been charged with attempted kidnapping, attempted kidnapping of a child under 16, and attempted false imprisonment.
Police said Lane was arrested on Monday after receiving information through numerous investigative methods. His vehicle was located and seized.
Police: Teen was "highly distraught"
According to police, the girl called 911 after escaping the grasp of the attempted kidnapper.
She described the suspect as a white male in his 30s, with a thin build and brown hair, wearing a ball cap and driving a red SUV.
Police said the teen was in a "highly distraught state" and was hiding behind furniture in the living room. She told officers she saw the man get out of his vehicle, and she greeted him and continued walking.
The man then grabbed the back of her neck, causing her to scream and run away to a neighbor's house.
Technology led to the suspect's arrest
Officers obtained doorbell camera footage, which showed a silver SUV stopping along a curb on Majors Choice Drive. He gets out of the vehicle and approaches the victim from behind.
Police said that after the girl screamed, the video shows a man getting into his vehicle and driving away. Detectives identified the vehicle belonging to Lane.
He was arrested after police tracked his location by obtaining his cell phone number and utilizing data from cell towers in the area.
Mother concerned after attempted kidnapping
CBS News Baltimore spoke with the teen's mother, who said her daughter is traumatized.
The teen was running in their neighborhood on Saturday when a man got out of his vehicle and attempted to kidnap her, according to her mother.
"He grabs her neck and tries to pull her into a van," Dou Strobach said.
Strobach said she was "very upset" and immediately wanted to find the suspect.
"If anything happened, as a mother, I wouldn't be able to survive," she said. "This is very traumatic, not only trauma to the child, but also trauma to my community, because the other mothers I talked to are concerned."
