Suspect held in Fresno kidnap try may have sought a second girl

The man arrested in the attempted kidnapping of a 4-year-old girl Monday west of Highway 99 in Fresno may have also tried to abduct a another girl 90 minutes earlier, the Fresno Police Department said Tuesday.

Juan Rocha Molina, 31, already faces charges of attempted kidnapping and vehicle theft, but now Fresno police say he may have tried first with a 13-year-old girl walking to school alone.

The girl was walking near Clinton and Brawley avenues around 7 a.m. when a man stopped and parked his vehicle, got out and approached her, police said. He reached out in a hugging motion, but the girl backed away.

Once the girl backed away from the suspect, he got back into his vehicle and left, police said.

The girl returned home and told her family who chose not to call police. But when reports of the attempted kidnapping hit the news, the girl recognized Molina and the family contacted police. The girl told police that he may have been carrying a stun gun.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office arrested Molina Monday for allegedly approaching the 4-year-old girl in the 3000 block of North Cornelia Avenue around 8:30 a.m. That girl’s grandmother intervened when Molina attempted to lure her with a key chain as a toy, Sheriff spokesman Tony Botti said. Molina left but returned a short time later and allegedly tried to kidnap the girl again. Her grandmother ushered her inside, locked the doors and called 911.

Fresno police are working with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office to determine if the suspect arrested Monday is in fact the same suspect who tried to grab the 13-year-old.

This story was originally published October 25, 2016 at 4:10 PM with the headline "Suspect held in Fresno kidnap try may have sought a second girl."