It took ECSO about eight hours to find suspect and vehicle
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said more than 50 deputies descended on the Warrington area to find the suspect. Jared Paul Stanga, a 30-year-old Pensacola man, was apprehended about eight hours after the thwarted abduction.
Girl was approached two weeks ago by same man
Simmons said the kidnapping appears to be random, although the girl did report that two weeks ago the same man approached her and spoke to her. Simmons didn t detail the specifics of the conversation, but said it was enough to make the girl feel uneasy. He added that it s possible the girl had been watched for several weeks.
Prosecutor Erin Ambrose said in court Wednesday that Stanga is a clear threat to the community. Mr. Stanga, in the bright light of day, attacked a child at a bus stop along a busy road with a knife and attempted to pull her into his car. . He s obviously a threat to this community, she said.
Stanga’s defense attorney, Robert Dees, cast doubt on whether his client is the right suspect, saying the victim was unable to select him definitively in a photo lineup and she initially described the suspect as Hispanic and Stanga is Caucasian.
Dees said Stanga has lived in the area for the past 14 years and is employed, so he is not a flight risk. Ambrose countered that Stanga has a 2007 child neglect conviction that she said involved sexual allegations, though she did not provide more details. She said Stanga violated probation shortly after that.
Police nabbed the culprit. Jared Paul Stanga was easily identifiable. Sheriff
Chip Simmonssaid (quote) “When we caught him, the suspect had blue slime all over his arms.”
Earlier this week,
Alyssa Bonalfought off the knife-wielding attack. Then smeared him with homemade blue slime that she’d been playing with. Her mother explained (quote) “We regularly watch
Law & Order: SVU.She knew to leave some sort of evidence behind.”
Mariska Hargitay praised Alyssa’s courage on Instagram(quote) “I am so relieved and grateful to know that you are safe. You are one brave, strong and smart young woman.” (
By Mark Robertson Law & Order: SVU Celebrates Television Milestone
Mariska Hargitay praised a young fan for her bravery after she stood up to an attempted kidnapper.
Police say an 11-year-old Florida girl fought off a man who tried to abduct her at a bus stop with a move she said she learned from watching
Law & Order: SVU with her mom.
The girl, identified only as
Alyssa said that she had been playing with blue slime at the time of the attack and made sure to mark the assailant with the sticky substance in order to make him easier to identify.