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Active-Duty Marine Charged With Attempted Kidnapping of Silverdale Seventh-Grader
A 20-year-old active-duty Marine is jailed on $350,000 bail after allegedly grabbing a 12-year-old girl walking home from school in Silverdale and telling her she was coming with him. The girl punched him and escaped, and her photo of the suspect helped deputies track him down.
SILVERDALE, Wash. â A 20-year-old active-duty Marine is being held on $350,000 bail after authorities say he grabbed a 12-year-old girl walking home from school and tried to pull her away with him, according to the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office.
Timothy Caldwell was arrested Wednesday and booked into the Kitsap County Jail on suspicion of assault and attempted kidnapping, jail records show. He appeared in court Thursday, where a judge set bail at $350,000.
The encounter happened Monday afternoon along Ridgetop Boulevard NW near NW Ambercrest Way, a residential stretch of Silverdale where the seventh-grader had just stepped off her school bus. According to court documents, the man approached her asking for directions, then began following her and grabbed her, saying something to the effect of "You're coming with me" or "Come on."
The girl fought back, punching the suspect in the shoulder and breaking free. She ran off and, as the man turned to leave, snapped a photo of him from behind â an image that investigators say proved pivotal.
The suspect was described as having light-colored, strawberry-blond hair cut short, with a distinctive low-taper trim along the back of his head forming a noticeable V-shaped pattern. He was wearing a gray hoodie with a large "Ron Jon Surf Shop" logo on the back, gray sweatpants and white sneakers.
The photo circulated widely on social media, and deputies later located a man matching the image at an apartment complex on the 1100 block of High Sierra Lane NW in Silverdale. Caldwell was taken into custody there. After his arrest, he declined to speak with investigators and requested an attorney, according to the sheriff's office.
Marine Forces Command confirmed Caldwell's arrest and said it is cooperating with local authorities. "We are aware of Lance Corporal Timothy Caldwell's arrest and are in full cooperation with the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office," the command said in a statement. "The associated allegations of misconduct do not align with our core values. As this matter is currently under investigation, no further comment is appropriate at this time."
The case has unsettled parents in the Central Kitsap community, where the route between bus stops and front doors is a daily ritual for thousands of students. The sheriff's office has not said whether it is reviewing other incidents in the area, and court records do not yet list a formal charging decision from Kitsap County prosecutors.
Caldwell remained in custody as of Friday. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office.