People in the West 104th Street Cleveland neighborhood where the 6-year-old girl was abducted from in May said they are relieved police have made an arrest. "I am definitely relieved that they caught him cause I have little kids," said Qua Jackson who lives in the neighborhood.
After a nationwide search, a team of local police and federal agents stopped the car Justin Christian was driving Friday night in Lorain County and arrested him. Police said he is the one who kidnapped a 6-year-old girl from Cleveland in May and sexually assaulted her before dropping her off in a nearby neighborhood. Police also say he is the man who tried to kidnap a sleeping 10-year-old from her Elyria home in February.
"I know these officers weren't sleeping at night, thinking about this," said Elyria Police Chief Duane Whitley.
But, Christian's friends and family tell a different story. His brother said Justin works full time as a machinist and is a full-time college student. "I don't believe that it's my brother," explained Jimmy Christian.
"Justin is a loving and caring father who would give his shirt off his back to anyone," said his friend Bradley Lester.
Jimmy Christian said his brother is a tutor and he volunteered with Special Olympics.
"The sketch may look similar, but too many details to me for it not to be Justin," said Jimmy Christian.
Police were looking for a Chevy Malibu with a different colored fender. Christian said his brother was driving a Chevy, but it was not the exact car described by police although he said it did have a different have a different color fender.
He said his brother was not trying to hide the car, in fact, it was on a college campus out in the open because it wasn't running. Christian said just recently the car was scrapped.
