A Binghamton man has admitted to attempting to kidnap an 8-year-old girl at a Price Chopper supermarket in what authorities described as a “sexually-motivated” crime.
Donald Beetlestone, 37, pleaded guilty in Broome County Court to second-degree attempted kidnapping.
Beetlestone attempted to abduct the girl just after 6 p.m. on August 1. She had been shopping with her mother at Price Chopper on Glenwood Avenue.
Investigators believe the man approached the youngster and assaulted her with a bottle when she was alone in the produce area.
Prosecutors said Beetlestone dragged the girl through the store “in an effort to locate a secluded area where he intended to further assault her.”
A Price Chopper employee overheard the struggle and intervened to stop Beetlestone. She and other shoppers wrestled with the man until he was apprehended and restrained until police arrived.
Beetlestone will be sentenced to ten years in state prison as part of his plea agreement, followed by ten years of post-release supervision. He will have to register as a sex offender whenever he is released.
Sentencing has been scheduled for January 14.
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