Modesto man attempts to kidnap child from front yard of home

MODESTO, Calif. (KTXL) — A Stanislaus County man is in jail after attempting to kidnap a child from the front yard of a Modest home, according to the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office said that Jose Gama Mendoza had been attempting to get juveniles in his vehicle on Friday by offering them rides and eventually took a child from the front yard of a home.

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Reports of Mendoza’s activities began coming in around 7 am, according to the sheriff’s office, when deputies arrived, they were unable to locate Mendoza or his vehicle in the area.

The sheriff’s office said that at 9:40 am they received another call about a man in a gray sedan breaking windows in the 1100 block of Lassen Avenue. When deputies arrived, they again did not locate Mendoza.

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A third call then came in of a man in a gray sedan picking up a child from a front yard, in a closed fence line, and placing the child in the bed of a neighbor’s truck, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office said that Mendoza got away again, but that a Modesto Police officer later spotted Mendoza in his vehicle and took him into custody.

He is facing charges for vandalism, attempted home invasion and kidnapping, according to the sheriff’s office.

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