FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ohio — An attempted child abduction at a charity festival Saturday in Franklin County was prevented thanks to an astute volunteer, the sheriff's office said.
Deputies with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office responded to the event on Walker Road in Brown Township at approximately 1:44 p.m. on a report of the abduction attempt.
The sheriff's office said 20-year-old Ketema Kuma Faye had grabbed the hand of a 6-year-old boy after the child exited a bounce house. He then allegedly led the child away from the bounce house and toward the entrance of the festival.
The boy said "I want to go back to my dad" and Faye told him to shush, according to Sgt. Brian Toth.
A volunteer noticed "something amiss" and asked Faye if the child was his. Toth said the man answered, “Yes” and the child simultaneously answered, “No. This isn't my dad.”
Volunteers and some of the festival attendees quickly took control of the child and called 911.
Faye was taken into custody at the festival without incident by sheriff's deputies. He was charged with one count of abduction, a felony of the third degree.
Foth said Faye was a worker setting up equipment at the festival and did not leave once he was done.
The father of the child was helping another child off of the inflatable slide and looked away for approximately five seconds to help the other child, according to Foth. When the father turned around, his child was gone. Both the father and the mother started looking for their boy and caught up to Faye and their child as they were being stopped.
In a release, the sheriff’s office commended the volunteers and attendees at the festival for their willingness to “see something, say something,” saying that their quick thinking and actions most likely stopped a child abduction.
"She said it just didn’t look right. A look on the child's face. Something alerted her, something inside her. Probably a motherly instinct told her 'somethings not right let me ask a question'," Foth said of the volunteer who confronted Faye.
Foth said it's important to know where their child is located at all times.
"Know where your kid is at. Talk to your children. Let them know ‘Hey stay close to mom and dad.’ If you see something that isn’t right, say something. If someone is trying to get too close to you, move away from them. Let mom know, let the police officers know, but don’t go off with anybody. If they do attempt to take you, scream," Foth said.
Faye posted a $25,000 bond and is not in jail.
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau at 614-525-3350.