An Indiana man has been indicted on a federal kidnapping charge after video footage captured the moment he abducted a little girl.
Bryan Protho, 38, of East Chicago, Indiana was arrested on Dec. 27 in relation to the Dec. 20 incident after video captured on a surveillance camera allegedly showed him kidnapping a child as she walked on the sidewalk, CBS Chicago reports.
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Footage shows Protho parking his vehicle and getting out as the blurred out figure of the child walks on the sidewalk in Calumet City, Indiana. As the child nears the area where the vehicle is parked, Protho begins approaching her, but before the little girl is able to pass him, he grabs her and forces her into his red Ford Explorer and speeds away.
Authorities claim that Protho then parked his vehicle in an alley, where he allegedly assaulted the child, who was eventually able to escape and flag down a passing vehicle. Law enforcement was then contacted.
Authorities are currently attempting to determine if the suspect has other victims that they don’t know about.
Protho, who was arrested on Dec. 27, has a lengthy criminal past. In 1998, he was charged with attempted first-degree murder, but he cut a plea deal and served 180 days in jail on a charge of armed violence. In 2000, he was charged with aggravated user of a weapon by a felon and served two years in jail.
Protho’s kidnapping charge is punishable by a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life. He currently remains in federal custody.
