Child Abduction
By: Carley Gordon
Updated: February 29, 2008
It’s a parent’s nightmare. A 5-year-old was lured by a stranger with candy. The child abducted, but quick thinking made this story take a turn for the best.
Police say a young boy was kidnapped by a stranger, and they say it was the mother’s quick reaction that helped them return the child to his family unharmed.
Fort Smith Police received a frantic call from Heather Waldon Tuesday evening after her son Javonte went missing from his Fort Smith home on South 23rd. Waldon says Javonte took out the trash and never came back.
Waldon explains, “I knew that whenever I called him and he did not come to me right then, that there was something terribly wrong, so immediately I called the police.”
Police arrested 46-year-old Daneal Nichols. Police caught Nichols carrying the child down an ally. They say he offered Javonte candy and then took off with him. Javonte’s parents say they’re in shock.
The father, Glenn Waldon, says, “I never thought it would be me. I never thought that it would be my child that Id have to see on the news or read about, you know or anything like that, or see a missing child poster in the window.”
Heather Waldon says, “I just hope everybody else realizes that it can happen. It can happen so just be on your toes and make sure your kids are right beside you.”
Police say Nichols has several charges against him. Of course they charged him with kidnapping, but they say he also robbed an elderly woman a few days before.
