Geoffry Jekanoski

A Lehigh Acres man was charged with attempted kidnapping after police say he tried lure a 4-year-old boy away with a toy.

Geoffry Jekanoski, 39, of 11721 Eros Road, was arrested Dec. 28 after a neighbor reportedly caught him walking away with the child, who had been playing outside in the Sherwood Estates subdivision with the neighbor’s two children before 11 a.m.

The Fort Myers Police Department began investigating the attempted kidnapping after they were called to 8200 block of Silver Birch Way and met with the neighbor who told officers he interrupted a man attempting to lure a neighbor’s child away from his children while they played in his garage.

The neighbor said his two children were playing with the boy in the driveway when a UPS package arrived. The neighbor said he needed to go inside his residence so he brought all three children into the open garage to play while he went into the house.

When he returned to the garage 2-3 minutes later, the neighbor told police he observed a man walking away from his residence with his children’s playmate. The man had his hand on the 4-year-old child’s shoulder and was carrying a small, blue 4-wheeler toy. The man, later identified as Jekanoski, looked back at the neighbor when he heard the garage door slam shut.

At this time Jekanoski began to walk the child back toward the complainant’s residence, police said in a recent statement.

“The complainant confronted Jekanoski and the two men had a brief conversation as the 4-year-old went back to his playmates. Jekanoski then walked away from the Silver Birch Way residence carrying the 4-wheeler toy,” according to the release.

Jekanoski was followed while 911 was called. Officers located him sitting on the sidewalk in the 8300 block of Silver Birch Way holding the 4-wheeler toy.

“At the culmination of the investigation to include the complainant’s statements and observations, investigators determined Jekanoski did unlawfully entice a child away from a residence utilizing a 4-wheeler toy,” the release stated. “Jekanoski, who resides at the nearby Olympia Point subdivision, was unknown to all parties.”

Jekanoski was charged with kidnap minor confine child under 13 years of age without consent of parent. On Monday, he remained at the Lee County Jail on $100,000 bond.

Source: Fort Myers Police Department