A man claimed he was “just joking” Wednesday evening when he allegedly tried to abduct a 3-year-old.
Firmino Figueira, 33, has been charged with operating under the influence, operating without a license, terrorizing and criminal restraint, according to the Lewiston Police Department.
Figueira allegedly approached a woman walking her children along Lisbon Street about 5:40 p.m. when he “aggressively” picked up her 3-year-old child. When she confronted him, Figueira put down the child and said he was “just joking,” Lewiston police said Friday.
Police tracked Figueira to a bar, where he was allegedly driving erratically through the parking lot about 1:20 a.m. Thursday. Bar staff intervened and stopped Figueira before police arrived.
While at the Lewiston police station, Figueira allegedly threatened officers, who determined he was “extremely intoxicated.”
A review of surveillance footage showed the suspect in the alleged child abduction getting into the same vehicle police found Figueira in at the bar early Thursday morning, according to the department.
He was taken to the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn.
The investigation is ongoing.
