By Vanesa Brashier, editor@bluebonnetnews.com
Two men arrested accused of an alleged attempted abduction in Splendora will not be charged for that crime, according to Splendora ISD Police Chief Rex Evans.
The men – Dirk Dennison, 30, and John Joehlin, 56 – were arrested for Public Intoxication and have since been released from Montgomery County Jail.
“We were not able to meet the elements for abduction law,” Chief Evans said Friday.
The alleged abduction attempt took place at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday near the intersection of Midline and Fostoria roads. The victim, a 10-year-old girl, was walking home from her bus stop when she reportedly was approached by the two men, the chief said.
“This location is a nearby abandoned home and property, apparently being used for narcotics activity. There were no locks on the door. The home and property were in disrepair,” the chief said in a statement Tuesday night.
The two men were detained at the property and charged with Public Intoxication, a Class C misdemeanor. They were briefly held in the Montgomery County Jail but are now released.
While Evans was unable to get harsher charges filed against the men, he is pleased that the property owner is now planning to remove the abandoned trailer from the blighted property.
“The owner of the property is removing the trailer this weekend. That’s a good thing,” the chief said.
He urges parents to continue being vigilant about their children’s safety.
“I encourage parents to walk your child to the bus stop and pick them up at the bus stop every day. I know it’s tough with parents working but that is the best way to keep the children safe,” he said.
Splendora ISD also is stepping up its patrols of bus stops and routes, Evans said.