Court Records: Man in U.S. illegally is charged with kidnapping in Elmore County
Action 8 News has confirmed that a man who is accused of being in the U.S. illegally is charged with trying to kidnap a teenage girl in Elmore County.
Court records show a man identified as Yordy Noe Centeno-Melchor was arrested by the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office for kidnapping in the second degree. Those records show that he is in the country illegally.
Sheriff Bill Franklin told Action 8 News that the incident happened in the parking lot of Boy’s Store in Holtville at around 5:40PM on December 31. Franklin said a 17-year-old female was trying to move a buggy when Centeno-Melchor came up to her.
Franklin said Centeno-Melchor showed the teen something on his phone and told her to get into a car. That’s when the sheriff said a passerby noticed the girl looking confused and walked over to her.
Franklin said when the passerby approached Centeno-Melchor, he got into the car and left.
Franklin said the sheriff’s office got surveillance video from the store and put out a “Be on the Lookout” (BOLO) notice, Centeno-Melchor was arrested in Clanton on January 3.
Court records obtained by Action 8 News show that Centeno-Melchor has been apprehended by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) multiple times and has been deported several times.
ICE has placed a hold on Centeno-Melchor due to his illegal immigration status.
Prosecutors are concerned if he is released to ICE, he will be deported and not face trial in Elmore County, court records state.
Centeno-Melchor is being held in the Elmore County Jail on a $100,000 cash-only bond.