Shalimar man arrested on attempted kidnapping charge

A Shalimar man was arrested Sunday after a 15-year-old girl reported he followed her around in his car as she was walking and at one point, pulled up to her, took off his seat belt, reached towards her and told her to "come here."

Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office deputies have charged 41-year old Cesar Reyes Perez with aggravated stalking of a child under the age of 16 and attempted kidnapping.

The victim said she was walking south near 8th Street around noon Sunday when she noticed a man wearing an orange shirt in an orange Mazda sitting at the intersection and motioning her over to his car. She kept walking, but a short time later saw he was driving behind her very slowly.

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According to the Sheriff's Office, Perez pulled his car up beside the victim and took off his seat belt. The girl moved away and the man then parked on 6th Avenue for several minutes.

The teen approached someone to ask for help. The witness told deputies he saw the orange car and the driver sitting there. He told deputies the driver was staring at them both for several minutes before pulling away.

Deputies found Perez and the car matching the victim's description in the parking lot of 100 8th Avenue.

Perez denied leaving his residence or driving anywhere and told OCSO deputies he'd been sleeping because he was still intoxicated from the night before. He denied having any contact with the victim and later said he let his friend drive his car.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Cesar Reyes Perez of Shalimar arrested on attempted kidnapping charge