Cameron Keelan was arrested in Baltimore after he allegedly attempted to kidnap three young children.
Keelan, 19, was arrested and charged with attempted kidnapping on Monday, December 8, according to a statement shared by Baltimore County Police. He is currently being held at the Baltimore County Detention Center without bail.
Officers responded to a report of a “suspicious person” on Edgedale Road on Thursday, December 4, according to the Baltimore County Police Department.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that a male subject approached three young children in the area and attempted to persuade them to follow him away from the location,” police said in the statement.
On the same day as Keelan’s arrest, Fox45 spoke with the mother of two of the children that the suspect has been accused of attempting to kidnap.
“He came up and told my children that their parents weren’t home, and they needed to come with him,” the woman — who chose to not publicly reveal her identity — said.
After she heard her children banging on the door from the upstairs level of the home, she went downstairs and managed to chase Keelan away before he could take the kids.
“My son says he got close to him, but he didn’t touch him. But he got close enough to him, that he could grab him,” she shared.
The woman also claimed that several residents said they have seen Keelan in the area, while some have even spotted him at a nearby school. “The kids said they seen him a few times and they saw him at the bus stop,” she said.
“I’m happy that he got caught, because what if I really wasn’t home and my kids didn’t know stranger danger,” the mother added.
If Keelan is convicted, Maryland law states that he could be sentenced to prison for up to 30 years, according to the Law Office of Robert R. Castro’s website.
Prior to his arrest, police saw Keelan at Immaculate Heart of Mary School, and he was ultimately banned from the premises, per CBS News.
“We’ve had notes from the school in recent weeks that there are individuals around whom people should be wary of. I certainly never thought that he would be one of those,” Gregory Arment, whose two children attend Immaculate Heart of Mary School, told CBS News. “We walk there every day, and sometimes we would see him going to or from, and it was never remotely a consideration.”
Amid the investigation, police confirmed that they have had multiple run-ins with Keelan over the years for incidents that were “sexual in nature,” according to charging documents viewed by WJZ.
Another neighbor said that the incident is a reminder for parents to watch out for their kids.
“We just got to keep an eye on your children. You never know what can happen, and I think it’s kind of like an anomaly to happen over here, but still, you got to keep an eye on your kids, especially nowadays,” he said.
