Man who allegedly tried to kidnap girl 'would do it again'
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Inset left: A man identified as Christopher Leon on a bus in the Phoenix metro area (City of Tolleson). Inset right: Christopher Leon (Maricopa County Jail). Background: The intersection where an elementary school-age girl was allegedly approached by Leon in Tolleson, Ariz. (Google Maps).

An Arizona man is behind bars for trying to kidnap an 11-year-old girl, according to police in the Grand Canyon State — and he apparently told police that he “would do it again.”

Christopher Leon, 34, stands accused of attempted kidnapping and aggravated assault, according to the Tolleson Police Department.

And such charges are apparently not a first for him, police say.

The defendant allegedly admitted to being convicted of sex crimes involving children in the past after being arrested over the weekend, police say. But he also allegedly said the incident will not be his last.

The underlying incident occurred on the afternoon of Sept. 29, near the intersection of 87th Avenue and Van Buren Street in Tolleson – a small city located some 13 miles due west of Phoenix, according to a press release issued by the city late last week. At the time, the girl in question was walking home from school, law enforcement say.

The child said an unknown man grabbed her by the forearms and tried to place cash in her hands, according to a police report obtained by independent Phoenix-based TV station KTVK and local CBS affiliate KPHO, which collectively broadcast as “Arizona”s Family.”

The girl, however, declined the offer. After the refusal, Leon allegedly asked her what time it was and said he would be back to get her the next day. After being threatened, the girl pulled away and ran back toward school for help, police say. Upon the child escaping, Leon allegedly reiterated the threat to return, according to the police report.

The man, meanwhile, ran in the opposite direction, according to witness and video accounts cited by law enforcement. Then, he allegedly boarded a Valley Metro bus – a choice which led police to post a wanted image culled from a transit security camera.

Leon was arrested on Saturday morning near the intersection of U.S. Interstate 10 and West Chandler Boulevard in north Phoenix.

During an interview, the man allegedly told investigators he saw the girl walking and thought she was “cute and beautiful,” according to court documents cited by the TV stations.

The man allegedly said he tried to give the girl $6 in order to make her “more attracted to him and more interested in talking to him,” according to the court document. Leon then said he had fantasies about the girl and admittedly would have tried to kiss her if she had not run away from him, police say.

“The defendant admitted to being sexually aroused by the juvenile victim and wanting to ‘Hang-out’ with her,” the document reads.

Explaining his departure from the scene, the defendant allegedly said he thought someone saw the interaction — adding that he knew what he did was wrong due to having been convicted of sex crimes before.

“The defendant stated the victim did not want his money and was able to break free from his grip,” the document goes on. “The defendant continuously said he felt as though the victim was scared of him and agreed that she would have felt as though she was being kidnapped based on his actions.”

Amid this allegedly voluble confession were claims from Leon himself that he was “attracted to younger girls” and “would do it again” if not punished by the law, according to the court document.

The defendant allegedly confessed to engaging in three similar incidents involving children in Tucson and Tolleson, police say.

Leon said he was convicted of “sexual abuse” after assaulting a “female subject” at a bus stop in Tucson in 2017, according to the court document. Leon also said he accidentally exposed himself to an adult woman on the bus when he was leaving Tolleson, police say.

The defendant is being detained in the Maricopa County Jail on $750,000 bond.

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