Police: Man was high on meth while trying to kidnap girl in TJ Maxx

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – A man on probation for attacking a 15-year-old in 2023 told Fort Wayne Police he was high on meth last month when he allegedly tried to kidnap a 13-year-old girl at T.J. Maxx, according to newly released court documents.

Caleb Rush, 19, was arrested Friday and charged with attempted kidnapping, criminal confinement and battery to a minor under the age of 14.

Around 8:30 p.m. on April 29, a girl was shopping with her mother at the store in Northcrest Shopping Center when someone wrapped their arms around her from behind. She told police she screamed, and the suspect ran away.

FWPD called on the public Thursday to help find the suspect. Rush was found the next morning when police were called to The Bargain Lane off Coliseum Boulevard on reports of a suspicious person matching the description of the suspect.

According to Allen Superior Court documents, Rush told police he was in T.J. Maxx on April 29 and claimed he saw his aunt, “and I jumped at her.”

“I don’t remember seeing the girl,” Rush claimed in court documents. “I don’t remember none of that. I just remember seeing some faces in front of me and jumping at them. They were clear as day.”

Despite saying he didn’t remember seeing the girl, Rush did confirm to police he “jumped and tried to hug her,” according to court documents. “Like I wrapped my arms around her.”

Rush went on to say in court documents as soon as he realized what he did, he ran out of the store. He said he then dumped the jacket and hat he’d been wearing in a ditch near the store, and later threw the jeans he’d been wearing in a trash can in a bathroom at The Bargain Lane.

Rush could face up to 8 and a half years in prison based on the preliminary charges in this case.

According to court documents, Rush was also charged with theft for an incident that happened May 3, the day he was caught.

The cases of theft and attempted kidnapping were in violation of parole for Rush, who was previously sentenced for attacking a 15-year-old girl in January 2023. In that instance, the victim told police she and her sister were in the parking lot of Walmart when Rush tackled her, according to court documents. She said he tried to take things from her pockets but didn’t get anything. When her sister and a bystander intervened, he ran away but was soon found walking down the road nearby.

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