STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. -- Neighbors in the Virginia subdivision where a man is accused of trying to abduct a 9-year-old are shaken by the close call.
Neighbors and children in Embrey Mills subdivision in Stafford County said they were stunned by what happened Friday afternoon and are focused on staying safe.
"I have to like walk safely and I can't like across the street like park that I shouldn't and I have to walk where I'm supposed to because this can happen to anyone," 10-year-old Anya Sheriff told WUSA.
Amanda Cox, a mother of three who home schools her children, said she has talked to her kids about what happened.
“We had to have a conversation about not being scared, but being proactive and just letting the kids know what to look out for,” Cox said.
RELATED: Virginia man tried to abduct girl walking home from school, deputies say
Deputies with the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office were called to the subdivision at 2:50 p.m. for a report of an attempted abduction, according to Major Shawn Kimmitz.
The nine-year-old girl was walking home from her bus stop near Basswood Drive when Kimmitz said a stranger asked her for directions and then grabbed her.
Officials said the man carried the girl to his car and put her into the passenger seat. She managed to get out and run home when he walked around the car to get into the driver's seat, deputies said.
Authorities issued an arrest warrant for 34-year-old Steven Randall Williams of Stafford.
After a six-hour standoff, a police dog entering Williams' house early Saturday brought him into custody without incident.
Williams was charged with one count of abduction. He is being held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
