OGDEN, Utah, May 26, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A man is facing a first-degree felony child kidnapping charge after an incident Tuesday in the area of Lincoln Elementary School.
The alleged attempt occurred outside the school at 550 E. Canfield at about 2:30 p.m.
“Officers were dispatched to a local elementary school on report of an attempted kidnapping,” said a news release from Ogden Police Department. “The initial information suggested the 41-year-old suspect, Ira Cox-Berry, approached and grabbed one of the students, an 11-year-old girl, on the playground.”
Cox-Berry allegedly pulled the child away as if he intended to leave with her, the news release said. A nearby school employee confronted Cox-Berry and demanded he leave.
“Cox-Berry temporarily unhanded the student, allowing the employee time to usher the children into an adjacent classroom,” the news release said. “Cox-Berry approached the building and began punching the window in an apparent attempt to force his way inside. At that point, the employee produced a firearm, holding Cox-Berry off while simultaneously calling 911.”
Officers arrived a short time later and took Cox-Berry into custody after a brief struggle.
The involved school employee is a concealed firearm permit holder and was lawfully in possession of his gun when the incident occurred, officials said.
Investigators have not identified any link between Cox-Berry and the victim.
Based on the available evidence, the suspect was booked into the Weber County Jail on one count of child kidnapping.
This is an ongoing investigation, the news release said, and no further information will be released at this time.
Gephardt Daily will have more on this developing story as information is made available.
