Going back to school can be frightening for some. But for two Lansingburgh teenage girls, it isn't a case of the butterflies that makes this school year so unsettling.
"They were on their way to school when this attack happened," said Troy Police Capt. Dan DeWolf of incidents that occurred Wednesday morning.
Police say one 16-year-old girl says she was approached by a man at the Stewart's between Fifth and Sixth avenues who tried to get her into his car around 6:30 in the morning. About 10 minutes later, another 16-year-old girl says she was approached by a man who kissed her on the mouth on 117th Street near Fourth Avenue in Troy.
"He tried to grab that girl," DeWolf said earlier in the day. "She was able to get away from him and run into Stewart's. The other girl, he didn't really try to abduct her. He just basically grabbed her and kissed her."
Police spent hours scouring surveillance video Wednesday and talking to the two victims, eventually arresting Joseph Badger at his home.
"There was some other additional video that we also saw that also helped," DeWolf said. "There were some city workers that were in an alley where the vehicle was found, that saw him fleeing from the vehicle, they were helpful."
The Lansingburgh man, with a criminal past, is charged with attempted robbery, endangering the welfare of a child, and unlawful imprisonment. He is spending the night behind bars.
"We're very happy that he's off the street," DeWolf said, "and the people of Lansingburgh can feel relieved that we captured the person responsible for these two instances."