The Will County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a 20-year-old Joliet Township man for allegedly attempting to abduct a young girl from a bus stop. WCSO reports that deputies responded to the area of Luana Road and Dallas Place in Joliet Township for a report of a suspicious person around 7:55 a.m. on June 11, 2024.
As deputies were responding to the scene, they were advised that a 12-year-old girl was standing at a bus stop for the first day of summer school when she was approached by an unknown man who grabbed her and attempted to remove her from the location.
The victim freed herself from the man’s grasp by slipping out of the hoodie she was wearing. The victim proceeded to run home to tell her parents what had happened. WCSO says the victim described the man to her parents who phoned 911.
Thanks to the victim’s vivid description of the suspect, deputies were able to locate him walking on foot in the area. The suspect was apprehended and taken to the Public Safety Complex for questioning.
WCSO says deputies found the victim’s hoodie lying on the street near the intersection of the crime scene. WCSO alleges that 20-year-old Eric A. Fleming Jr. made incriminating statements to detectives.
The 12-year-old victim was unharmed during the incident. Fleming is charged with Attempted Kidnapping, Attempted Child Abduction, and Battery.
Jay Skelton is an independent crime journalist with a passion for covering the uncovered and the under covered.