McPherson was arraigned Wednesday in Butler County Common Pleas Court on the indicted charges where Judge Michael Oster Jr. set bond at $75,000 cash or surety. On the morning after his arrest, McPherson’s bond was set at $35,000 during his initial appearance in Hamilton Municipal Court.
McPherson is scheduled to be back in court Sept. 7 for a pre-trial hearing.
The case was taken directly to a grand jury. It is possible additional charges could be issued in a superseding indictment if further evidence is presented to the grand jury.
The girl escaped by screaming and running, which was captured by the family’s doorbell camera.
According to the Hamilton police report, on Aug. 23, McPherson was walking past the girl on East Avenue when he bent down grabbed her buttocks. The girl attempted to move away and he then grabbed her wrist “alongside the sidewalk.”
Last week, the girl spoke out about the incident and her escape.
The girl was taking out the trash at her Hamilton home, she said, when a man grabbed her and attempted to take her, according to WCPO and ABC News reports.
“This guy walks by and he touched me. He pulled me,” she told ABC News.
She told ABC she screamed when he grabbed her, and she thinks that’s why he let go of her. A doorbell camera at the family home captured the 10 second-long attempted kidnapping on camera.
“He wouldn’t have let go of her if she wouldn’t have pulled and screamed like she did,” her father told ABC News.
The girl immediately ran into the house and alerted her dad, who then drove off in his car to follow the man while calling the police, he told ABC News.
“I chased him like he still had my kid,” the father said. “Definitely didn’t want him to be able to go snatch another kid.”
The father and mother told ABC that they’ve taught all four of their daughters how to fight off attackers, and they believe if it wasn’t for her smart action, the outcome would have been much different.
“I’m so proud of her. So proud of her,” said the mother. “Because as soon as she screamed, he let go. So obviously, you know, it does work.”
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