A 48-year-old Bothell man was arrested and booked into the Snohomish County Jail after he allegedly lured two children – a 9-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl – into his truck the evening of May 11 in a Bothell neighborhood.

According to Rebecca Hover, public information officer for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, the man first approached the 9-year-old boy offering to buy him a bike if he got in the truck. Hover said the boy got in the truck and the two drove to a nearby store where the man did buy a bike. He then returned the boy and the bicycle to the boy’s house near the 20500 block of 11th Drive Southeast in unincorporated Bothell.

While in the same neighborhood, Hover and deputies say the suspect allegedly lured a 4-year-old girl into his pickup by offering to buy her shoes. The girl’s siblings saw her get into the suspect’s truck and chased after the vehicle following it to the suspect’s nearby home, also in the same neighborhood. Police reports say the siblings pulled the girl out of the truck and took her back to her house where family members called 911 at approximately 5:25 p.m.

While investigating the reported incident involving the 4-year-old girl, sheriff’s deputies learned about the alleged incident involving the 9-year-old boy.

Deputies arrested the suspect outside his home without incident, Hover said. He was booked into the Snohomish County Jail on two counts of second-degree kidnapping.

Hover did not release the man’s name, but said he is not a registered sex offender. Hover also did not elaborate on any physical harm done to the victims.

Detectives continue to investigate these cases. Hover said it’s not clear if the alleged victims knew the suspect, but the parents of the children apparently did not know him.

Police are asking anyone with information about the alleged incident or anyone in this Bothell neighborhood with information about the suspect to call the sheriff’s tip line at 425-388-3845.