Inset: Joshua York (Greene County Jail). Background: Target in Springfield, Missouri, where York allegedly started following and later tried to kidnap a woman (Google Maps).
An unsettling incident in Missouri has resulted in a man being jailed after he allegedly targeted a woman at a Target store, followed her home, and attempted to abduct her while she was with her young child, according to authorities.
The suspect, Joshua York, aged 30, faces charges of second-degree kidnapping, stalking, and child endangerment, as detailed in court documents. An affidavit of probable cause, as accessed by Law&Crime, indicates that the woman and her 2-year-old son visited the Springfield Target around 1:30 p.m. on October 15.
Authorities reported that York, who was already present in the store, noticed the woman and began to shadow her movements. After the woman completed her shopping and got into her vehicle, York allegedly continued to trail her.
Upon reaching her residence, the woman began unloading groceries, leaving her son asleep in the car. On her final trip, with her child in her arms, she felt compelled to check her surroundings and discovered York allegedly crouching behind a nearby vehicle.
York then approached, prompting the woman to shout, “What are you doing?” according to the affidavit. He purportedly seized her and attempted to drag her towards the parking area. The woman described her reaction as a panicked scream, fighting back fiercely while holding her son. York is accused of pushing them to the ground before fleeing the scene.
A passerby in the parking lot reportedly heard a “blood-curdling scream” and exited her vehicle to investigate. She witnessed a man running from the source of the scream, observed him entering an SUV, and speeding away. Meanwhile, a neighbor, alerted by the commotion, armed himself and went outside, where he found the woman and her child on the ground. She indicated the SUV that was hastily leaving the area.
Surveillance video captured the license plate and the man who later stopped at a gas pump. He was wearing a shirt for JY Executive Auto Detailing, a business that he owns, per cops.
York was arrested on Thursday. In an interview with detectives, he allegedly claimed he was at Target and sparked a conversation with the victim, telling her “she was cute.” He said the woman invited him to her apartment but once they arrived, she changed her mind and asked him to leave.
This upset York, who then demanded $20 from her. When she refused, she started screaming, York claimed. He then left.
Cops say York was previously accused of harassing an ex-girlfriend and was accused by another girlfriend of having a woman’s underwear under his bed.
The suspect is in the Greene County Jail without bond.
