Police: Scotts Valley attempted kidnapping found to be case of mistaken identity

UPDATE 9/18/2019 4:30 p.m. Police in Scotts Valley said Wednesday that an attempted kidnapping turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.

The incident happened on Sunday at around 4 p.m. A 17-year-old girl was confronted by an older man who tried to get her into his vehicle. Witnesses were able to help police create a composite sketch of the man, and he was identified with the help of a neighboring law enforcement agency.

Police found after talking to witnesses, the victim and the man that no crime was committed. The man thought the victim was his daughter who had repeatedly run away. His daughter was last seen wearing similar clothing, and she is the same age and stature. The victims was also covering her head with a hood and covering her face with her hands, so the man thought it was his daughter trying to avoid him.

Investigators said the man realized it was not his daughter and let her go. They said he also told witnesses immediately after that he thought the teen was his missing daughter. Scotts Valley police confirmed that his daughter was missing and that she and the victim had physical similarities.

Police are not seeking prosecution and believe the man poses no risk to the community.

PREVIOUS STORY: Scotts Valley police are investigating the attempted kidnapping of a 17-year-old girl.

Police said the victim was crossing the street at Mount Hermon and Kings Village roads around 4 p.m. yesterday when a man stopped and forcibly pulled her to his vehicle.

“The vehicle stopped abruptly in the road way, so she really didn’t have time to react,” Scotts Valley Police Sgt. Wayne Bellville said.

An unidentified witness stopped, causing the man to leave.

One witness police interviewed said it wasn’t clear an attempted kidnapping was happening.

“It was more subdued. It looked more like a family member ushering a relative during a relative or family argument,” Bellville said.

The victim, who was uninjured, said the suspect was unknown to her.

A witness described the suspect as a Caucasian man in his early 50s with gray hair and a gray goatee. He is approximately 5 feet, 9 inches to 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs 200 pounds. The suspect was driving a green pickup truck, possibly a late 1990s to early 2000s Ford F-150 with a camper shell.

“It’s really sad and scary. It kind of brings awareness of what we need to be careful of when we’re out on the streets,” Scotts Valley resident Debbie Davies said.

Police are asking for the man who helped the victim to come forward to improve the description.

If you have any information regarding this investigation, you are asked to contact the Scotts Valley Police Department at 831-440-5670.