Columbus man charged with attempting to abduct 6-year-old from Festival of India
A Columbus man is free on bond after the Franklin County Sheriff's office said he attempted to abduct a 6-year-old boy from a cultural and religious festival Saturday in Brown Township.
The suspect, Ketema Kuma Faye, 20, of Columbus' East Side, was attending a Festival of India on Saturday at 3508 Walker Road in Brown Township, located in western Franklin County, according to the sheriff's office. The event was a fundraiser for the building of a new temple on the site.
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Franklin County Sheriff's Sgt. Brian Toth said that around 1:45 pm., Faye, who had been an employee of a company that helped set up equipment at the festival, approached the 6-year-old boy outside a bounce house. Toth said Faye walked, holding the child's hand, about 100 yards away to the festival entrance.
"The father was helping another child off a slide and looked away for about five seconds," Toth said. "He looked back up and his son was gone."
The child told Faye he wanted to go back to his father, according to Toth. But Faye shushed the boy, gripping his wrist tighter when the boy physically attempted to pull away, the sergeant said.
A volunteer who worked near the entrance asked Faye if the boy was his child. Faye answered yes while the child simultaneously said no, Toth said. The worker noticed a look on the boy's face that alerted her to something not being quite right.
"That worker, she thwarted this abduction," Toth said.
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Volunteers and other witnesses quickly separated the boy from Faye, according to the sheriff's office. The boy's parents, who had begun looking for the boy, had caught up to them and were quickly reunited with their child.
Faye was taken into custody by deputies without incident. He has been charged with one count of abduction.
Faye has not given detectives any indication of what his motivation may have been, Toth said.
Franklin County Municipal Court Judge James Green gave Faye a $25,000 bond during a court hearing on Monday morning. Deputies had requested a high bond, according to court records.
Faye posted that bond through a bond company on Tuesday afternoon and was released from custody.
Toth said parents should talk with their children about what to do if they are separated from their parents or family and are approached by a stranger, particularly with a number of festivals and events taking place over the July 4 holiday weekend and throughout the remainder of the summer.
"Tell them not to go off with anybody they don't know. Speak up and let adults know," Toth said. "Scream, yell, make a scene."
Anyone with additional information is asked to call the sheriff's Detective Bureau at 614-525-3350.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the event occurred on Sunday based on information initially received by The Dispatch.
bbruner@dispatch.com
@bethany_bruner
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus man charged with trying to abduct 6-year-old from festival
