A California woman is in custody after posing as a Russian police officer in an attempt to kidnap an 8-year-old child.
Courtney Perrone, 39, tried to snatch the girl in a Santa Monica, Cali. alley on Wednesday while the child helped an adult neighbor put several dogs into the neighbor’s vehicle, That’s what Santa Monica police said.
“She was like, ‘I’m the Russian police, and I’m here to save you,'” Mark, the neighbor who was with the girl, told CBS News.
He said the girl is “like his niece” and refers to him as “Uncle Markie”, It was reported by ABC News.
Perrone “had lipstick all over her face and just looked a little crazy and stuff,” Mark said.
“Perrone knelt down and put his arms around the child and a tug of war between the neighbor and Perrone ensued,” Santa Monica PD said.
The neighbor got the child in the car and told Perrone to leave.
The woman tried to pull the child out of the vehicle, then flashed a gearshift before running away, police said.
The girl was unharmed.
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office charged Perrone with one count of attempted kidnapping of a person under 14, one count of false imprisonment by force and one count of assault with a deadly weapon.
She faces a maximum of six and a half years in prison and is being held in lieu of $135,000 bail.
This isn’t Perrone’s first review of the law.
She was recently arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department for assault with a deadly weapon, but was released due to insufficient evidence.
In other states, Perrone was arrested on charges of assault and battery, resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance and trespassing.
Investigators say she has outstanding warrants out of New Hampshire for stalking and is currently on probation in Nevada after being convicted of assault with a deadly weapon.