STAFFORD, Va. — A man accused of trying to kidnap a little girl in a Stafford neighborhood appeared before a judge on Tuesday.
Steven Randall Williams, 34, showed up to his first court appearance since his arrest via a video conference call. He was appointed an attorney and will stay in jail without a bond, per the judge.
Court documents revealed Williams was on supervised probation when he allegedly grabbed a 9-year-old girl and carried her into his car on Friday afternoon. She was walking home from the bus in the Embrey Mill subdivision in Stafford when Williams asked her for directions, investigators said. The girl escaped by jumping out the passenger side door.
Stafford County deputies arrested him after an hours-long standoff at his house.
The Stafford County Sheriff's Office immediately began investigating leads and collecting evidence. The community stepped into action, police said. Someone sent a photo of the car and others shared possible leads.
Within hours, police identified Williams as a suspect. The SWAT Team surrounded Williams' house on Owens Street and tried to call him outside, at around 9 p.m. Williams refused to come out and it became a barricade situation, police said.
"I have a 6-year-old of my own," resident Shari Griffin told WUSA9. "I was terrified because this is a safe neighborhood. "Our children play outside together all the time and now we just question whether or not we can have our children play outside together without having a parent directly in front of them."
Williams has a lengthy criminal history including a December 2017 conviction for a home invasion involving a 10-year-old boy and his mother getting tied up. Among the charges were robbery and abduction.
A judge sentenced him to 35 years in prison, but suspended 33, meaning he only had to serve two years in prison.
The sentence came after he testified against his accomplice and two suspects in a murder case, according to the Free-Lance Star.
Since he was able to receive credit for time already served, Williams was released the following month. His suspended sentence was revoked in September of last year for ongoing probation violations.
Williams was then convicted of felony drug charges. A judge sentenced him to nearly six years, but suspended four years. He was on supervised probation up until his arrest on Saturday.
His next scheduled appearance is in early April.