Immokalee man accused of luring and enticing children while wearing mask

IMMOKALEE, Fla. —

An Immokalee man is accused of luring and enticing a child, the Collier County Sheriff's Office said.

CCSO says that on Friday, a group of schoolchildren reported that they were walking home from Lake Trafford Elementary School when a man came out from behind some bushes and offered them a bag of chips.

One of the children, deputies say, saw the man duck behind the bushes and put on a ski mask. The children ran away, they added, and the man briefly ran after them before turning around and leaving the area.

One deputies were notified, they say, Julian Valdez, 19, emerged as a suspect. Once they located and interviewed him, they add, he was arrested.

Valdez is charged with luring and enticing a child while wearing a mask and public order crime — wearing a mask on the street.

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