SPOKANE, Wash. — A man accused of trying to abduct an 11-year-old boy while at Hoopfest made his first court appearance on Monday evening.
A judge set bond for 26-year-old Peter Wilson at $50,500. He is expected to appear in court on July 9 for arraignment.
According to Spokane Police Cpl. Ron Van Tassel, Wilson was walking in the area of Riverfront Park on Sunday afternoon and allegedly asked a woman if the children standing near her belonged to her.
After she said they were, Wilson allegedly wrapped his arms around the boy without warning while the mother grabbed the child at the same time, according to Van Tassel.
Wilson then allegedly tried to pull the boy away from his mother, at which point she yelled for him to let go, according to Van Tassel. Several people in the crowd then grabbed onto an allegedly combative Wilson and held him to the ground until police arrived.
Officers arrested Wilson and charged him with second-degree kidnapping, disorderly conduct and obstructing an officer. Wilson was taken to the hospital for evaluation and then booked into jail, according to Van Tassel.
According to court documents, Wilson told police he worked for Allied Security and saw that "a kid was lost" and he grabbed the kid to find his mother.
Wilson has a previous criminal record, including convictions for fourth-degree assault, harassment, multiple counts of third-degree malicious mischief, resisting arrest and three counts of third-degree theft, according to Van Tassel.
Multiple people on scene told responding officers that Wilson had been acting odd, especially when children were around, Van Tassel said.
Spokane police are asking anyone who witnessed this incident or a similar incident to call Crime Check.