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Girl says men tried to grab her off street

In the latest of a string of similar reports, the 14-year-old says two men in a car tried to grab her, but she broke free.

By KEVIN GRAHAM
Published April 7, 2005

TAMPA - A 14-year-old girl told police two men in a car tried to abduct her in an east Tampa neighborhood Wednesday morning.

Tampa police spokesman Joe Durkin said the girl was walking to her grandmother's home about 9:30 a.m. when the men drove by her several times in the 3600 block of Lindell Avenue. Durkin said she said the men made comments, like, "Where are you going?" and "Do you need a ride?"

"She heard the driver say, "Get her,' " Durkin said. And the passenger jumped out and grabbed the girl by her book bag. Durkin said the girl said she screamed and got away.

Police had no detailed description of the men, but Durkin said they were reported riding in an older model red car, possibly a Honda Accord or Hyundai Accent, "with a number of dents in it."

"There's no indication that this description or these suspects match any of our previous cases," Durkin said.

On March 14, a 10-year-old girl escaped after a man with a knife grabbed her and held her hostage in a patch of bushes near her home just north of Ybor City. A short time later, police arrested 43-year-old Terrance Lee Brown in that case. He remains at the Orient Road Jail without bail, charged with kidnapping to commit a felony on a child, false imprisonment of a child and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

On March 17, a man pushed through a gate at Mendenhall Elementary School and tried to grab a fourth-grader by her hair and collar, police said. A fifth-grader walking with the 10-year-old girl grabbed her by the arm, and the man ran away.

Durkin said Wednesday no suspect has been identified in that incident.

In Pasco County, New Port Richey police are investigating a case in which a gray or silver four-door, midsized vehicle is thought to have been involved in three incidents, including an abduction and possible rape on March 30.

The victim said she was grabbed while outside the home of a friend, forced into the back seat of the car and driven away. Her friend found her four hours later, about a block away.

The girl was traumatized, police said, and had no memory of what occurred after being abducted, but thinks she was raped.

The victim said she and a friend were approached by a man in a similar car a few days earlier who asked if they wanted a ride. They ran away, and he drove off.

On Monday, police said, a third encounter happened in the same spot where the previous victim was dropped off. This time, a 12-year-old girl was approached by a black or dark-skinned Hispanic man in a vehicle of the same general description as the earlier incidents. She told police he offered her $50 to go for a ride, and she ran away. The girl and her mother called the police Tuesday.

Anyone with information about the Pasco County abduction was asked to call Detective Kenneth Petrillo at (727) 816-1130, ext. 133.

To report information about the attempted abductions in east Tampa or the one at Mendenhall Elementary, call Tampa police at (813) 276-3200.

Times staff writer Colleen Jenkins and researcher Cathy Wos contributed to this report.

[Last modified April 7, 2005, 01:22:13]