THORNTON, Colo. — Thornton police have arrested an 18-year-old suspect in connection with Monday's attempted abduction of a 15-year-old girl near Thornton Middle School.
In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Thornton Police Department Division Commander Tom Connor said 18-year-old Steven Houseman of Thornton was arrested that morning at Thornton High School.
He will be booked into the Adams County Jail on charges of second-degree kidnapping, second-degree assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt at sexual assault, Connor said. The district attorney's office will determine formal charges.
Watch the full press conference announcing the arrest in the video below.
Connor said Thornton school resource officers learned about the incident, which happened outside the school around 11:20 a.m., at 4 p.m. on Monday.
The suspect fled the scene.
“During the immediate investigation, officers secured video surveillance that clearly depicted the attempted abduction, providing crucial details about the suspect and a suspected vehicle associated with the suspect," Connor said.
The police department shared a grainy photo of the suspect and provided a description of the suspect vehicle on social media, he said. School resource officers were able to identify the suspect "thanks to vital information received from our alert community," Connor said.
Connor thanked the "courageous members of our community" who stepped up and provided the "crucial and critical" information that led law enforcement directly to Houseman.
Anybody with information on this case is asked to come forward by calling the police department's detective division at 720-977-5030.
No other details were immediately available. Police did not take questions at the press conference.
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