SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah — A registered sex offender has been arrested after allegedly attempting to abduct a 3-year-old child in South Salt Lake earlier this week.
Travis James Groce, 43, faces one count of child kidnapping after the arrest report claims he tried to lure the child into his car Tuesday evening.
Police say at around 5:30 p.m., the child's father witnessed someone wearing a black coat and glasses sitting in a black Tesla and motioning their hand at the 3-year-old to get them inside the car.
As the child began walking towards the Tesla, the father walked towards the car and made eye contact with Groce, who then fled the scene at a "high rate of speed," according to the report, and "drove recklessly through side streets and the nearby 820 Apartments in a deliberate attempt to evade the father who was following him in his own vehicle."
South Salt Lake police used a license plate reader and were able to find only one black Tesla in the location of the attempted abduction, learning it was registered to Groce.
Groce is a registered sex offender after having previously been convicted of lewdness involving a child.
Following an Attempt to Locate alert sent to all police channels, Taylorsville police were able to locate Groce at his home. A black Tesla was found inside the garage and Groce was wearing a black coat and glasses when he was apprehended.
Before officers arrived at the home, Groce's wife said her husband allegedly told her that "police were most likely on their way to arrest him."
The report added that the license plate of Groce's Tesla matched a partial number obtained by the child's father. He is currently being held without bail at the Salt Lake County Jail.
