ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — A St. Petersburg man was arrested Friday after he was accused of trying to lure an elementary schooler into his truck with money.
According to an arrest report from St. Pete police, Jonathan David Fellows, 42, pulled his truck up to a girl who was walking home from school near 54th Avenue and 18th Street North on Tuesday.
Police noted the girl was wearing a backpack and her school uniform at the time of the incident. Fellows said, “Hey, want to get in my car and have a ride home?” according to the arrest report.
The girl told police Fellows became “annoyed” and followed her to a gas station, where he parked and walked after her, telling her to “wait up” before she ran away. Fellows was accused of offering the girl loose change to get into his truck and telling her that she had “a pretty smile.”
Fellows made incriminating statements when talking to police, according to the arrest report:
- “Nothing in particular attracted me to the child; she wasn’t cute or ugly.”
- “Her uniform might have been a little too big.”
- “She was a lot younger than I thought.”
- “She had innocent good vibes and was trying to connect.”
He described himself as a “repeat offender” since age 25 and admitted to “being with multiple minors, specifically high schoolers,” the arrest report stated.
Fellows was charged with attempted human trafficking and booked into the Pinellas County Jail.