VERO BEACH, Fla. -- Indian River County deputies need help identifying a man they say attempted to abduct a child in Vero Beach on Thursday, August 25, 2016.
The suspect, who identified himself as 22-year-old Nikromuch Cocoa Koondo of Orlando, attempted to grab and abduct a 14-year-old boy on the west side of Gifford Middle School as the teen was waiting to be picked up from school.
The Indian River County Sheriff's Office says the suspect was dirty, not wearing shoes, and "appeared to be homeless." He grabbed the boy and told others he was there to pick up his child. The teen pulled away from the man and ran away. Indian River County Sheriff's Deputy David Ragley was on scene and chased and apprehended the suspect, along with Deputy Denton Kitchell, who was also in the area.
Detectives say the man provided a variety of false names and was "very evasive" during his interview.
Detectives still do not believe the name given is the correct one and are attempting to identify him. IRCSO are also seeking help from the public to identify where the man has been living and any other information about him.
Indian River County Sheriff Deryl Loar said, "The person sitting in our jail has not told us the whole story and is not willing to cooperate. Yesterday he attempted to abduct one of our most vulnerable, our children. Fortunately, our deputies were on scene and able to take him into custody before something bad could happen. Now we need your help to put the pieces together about where this person has been and to determine if he has hurt any other children in the past."
The suspect was booked into the Indian River County Jail and received a bond of $101,000 for the charges of kidnapping, resisting arrest without violence, and giving a false name while detained.
Anyone with information about the man should contact Detective John Clark at 772-978-6188 and reference case number 2016-147391. Tipsters can remain anonymous and possibly be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 by contacting Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 800-273-TIPS (8477) or by visiting www.tcwatch.org.
