ORANGE CITY, Fla. – A 60-year-old man faces criminal charges after Volusia County deputies say he tried to lure a 10-year-old girl into his car when she got off of a school bus in the Orange City area.
Deputies arrested Daniel Turner on Friday at his home in Orange City.
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Investigators said the victim got off her school bus around 5:15 p.m. near West Minnesota Avenue and Spring Hollow Drive.
According to the victim, Turner pulled up to the girl and asked her to get into his car, claiming that he could take care of her and that he was not a pervert or weird.
The 10-year-old told the man no and kept walking, deputies said.
Other motorists who witnessed the interaction called authorities, according to a news release.
Deputies said they had a detailed description of the suspect and his vehicle, allowing them to track down Turner at his home on Jetske Circle — not far from where the incident occurred.
Turner faces charges of aggravated stalking of a minor and attempting to lure or entice a child. He has since bonded out of Jail.
Sheriff Mike Chitwood said the girl is safe thanks to her bravery to say no and witnesses paying attention.
“Two eye-witnesses saw what happened, got the tag number, and we were able to get this guy in custody pretty fast,” he said.
The sheriff said getting someone in custody for these types of crimes doesn’t happen too often.
“Most of the time you don’t get anything because you’ll get ‘Oh, it’s an old white guy with a beard and a blue car’ and that’s it. There are no witnesses around. This was a perfect storm,” Chitwood said.
Turner doesn’t have a criminal record.
“I’m really interested in who is this guy? What’s he all about? He’s got no criminal history. He’s from Arizona. His DNA is something I’m interested in if we’re able to get him into the system and see,” Chitwood said.
The sheriff added this incident should be a lesson for all.
“When you see a kid walking down the street and you see a car driving next to that child or somebody pulls over, slow down and take a look and see what’s going on,” he said.