Police: Man arrested for attempted kidnapping of 10-year-old girl in Roy

ROY, Utah — A man was arrested for investigation of child kidnapping after police said he tried to grab a 10-year-old girl who was riding home on a bicycle in Roy. 

Around 8:50 p.m. Friday, officers with the Roy City Police Department were called out to a gas station in the area of 4400 South and 1900 West after receiving a report of an attempted child kidnapping.

“The ten year old female victim reported that she went to the gas station to get a treat. While she was in the store, a male that was also inside the store made her not feel good,” read the probable cause statement.

After the girl paid for her treats and left the gas station, she got on her bicycle to head home, when she noticed the same man, pacing around outside, according to court documents.

While the man was walking west on 4400 South, the 10-year-old tried to pass him, but around 1950 West and 4400 South, police said he grabbed her around the neck.

“She screamed and yelled and held the bicycle and the male eventually let her go,” read the probable cause statement.

Police said she dropped her purse in the driveway of a nearby residence during the altercation, rode home and then told her mother what happened.

Officers later recovered the purse at the place where the victim said it had dropped, according to court documents.

Police said during their interview with the victim, she described the man as a Hispanic male with dark hair, wearing a black shirt and black pants.

An officer with the Roy City Police Department then contacted the manager of the gas station and reviewed the surveillance video.

In the video, the officer said he could see the man at the checkout register, with the 10-year-old girl standing behind him.

He then left the store and went to the west side of the parking lot, where he started to pace back and forth, according to court documents.

“As the victim leaves the store, the male walks in front of her,” read the probable cause statement. “I could see her stop her bicycle and put both feet down from her bicycle when she sees the male start walking in front of her. She said she was trying to let him get further in front of him.”

Police said the girl could be seen riding her bike in the westbound direction, just behind the man, as they went out of frame from the camera. 

According to court documents, about one minute later, the man ran back to the car that he got out of earlier at the gas station.

“In the surveillance footage, I could see the suspect had a black shirt with white writing that read ‘All the meats for all the sandwiches’ on the back. He paid with a credit card, however, the owner of the store could not access this information,” read the probable cause statement.

The officer was also able to use the video to make out the front license plate number of the vehicle.

Police then obtained an address and located a driver’s license photo, which they used to identify the suspect as 44-year-old Richard Palmer of Roy.

Palmer was arrested and told detectives during an interview that he “grabbed the girl and planned to take her behind a nearby vacant house and have sex with her,” according to court documents.

Palmer was booked into the Weber County Correctional Facility for investigation of child kidnapping.