BREAKING NEWS: Charges upgraded in case of attempted kidnapping at Michigan thrift store

New charges come after community outrage

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UPDATE:

Sandusky, Michigan Police Chief Brett Lester just confirmed to me that 19-year-old Andrew Hakeem Jewell has been charged with two felonies. The charges are attempted unlawful imprisonment and attempted kidnapping -child enticement.

Mom Sydney Kitchen said it was last Friday at a thrift store when Jewell grabbed her child and dragged her into a bathroom. The girl was able to break free. Originally Jewell was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery. Many in the community were outraged over the charges.

Watch update below:

Watch the interview with Sydney by clicking here

Kitchen tells me she was only ten feet away at the time. Her younger son noticed what happened and started yelling. Kitchen tells me the mom let go of the girl and claimed the girl had followed him into the bathroom.

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The girl was not physically hurt but her mom says is now struggling emotionally after this tragic incident.

Jewell was arrested for committing the same exact crime in February of 2022. He was given probation and was placed on a tether for 93 days. This crime was also a misdemeanor battery assault charge.

Police Chief Brad Lester sent me the following statement:

"Everyone involved with the Michigan House of Hope is deeply saddened by this incident. We have been praying for this little girl and her family since we learned of it. This incident is terrible and our manager has been completely cooperative with law enforcement. This young man who broke the law is in jail and will face the consequences of our judicial system. We were aware of his misdemeanor conviction but didn't know the circumstances from the previous incident in Saginaw County."

During an interview with WJRT-TV, the mother of the victim the in 2022 attack said she feared Jewell would offend again and that the misdemeanor charge he received was not appropriate.

After news of the attack in Sandusky broke on social media it was revealed Jewell had been staying at a shelter in Sandusky.

The founder of the Michigan House of Hope Shelter and the Hope Thrift Store where the alleged incident happened in Sandusky is also the Sandusky Police Chief.

People on social media and people living in the community have questioned safety measures surrounding the shelter and the people housed there. 

Police Chief Lester responded to the allegations by saying:

We don't accept sex offenders. Our practice is to not accept men from outside the Thumb Area (Sanilac, Tuscola, and Huron Counties) unless they are from the Thumb or have family connections to the Thumb. The young man who was arrested has family in Sanilac County. We do the best background checks that are available to a nonprofit organization.