An unsettling attempt at child abduction was thwarted last April in North Austin, now leading to the arrest of the alleged perpetrator. According to CBS Austin, a 43-year-old woman named Penny Vega attempted to kidnap a 5-year-old girl while she was walking home from school with her brother and his friend.
Police were alerted to the situation on April 16th when a distressing 911 call was made, reporting a woman attacking and gripping a child at the intersection of East Rundberg Lane and North I-35. Vega, subsequently apprehended by the officers, was seen fleeing from the scene. Following the incident, the young girl sustained a minor abrasion and hauntingly recounted to the authorities that Vega had proclaimed, "she was her new mom and that she was her daughter,” detailed in the arrest affidavit.
This was not Vega's first encounter with the law enforcement at this location. Less than a month after the kidnapping attempt on April 16, another call reported Vega at the same intersection, this time wielding a hatchet and menacingly striking vehicles and threatening a 7-Eleven worker. She is currently facing several charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and attempted kidnapping, as per CBS Austin's report.
The details of the attempted abduction were corroborated by an arrest warrant affidavit, specifying three children as involved; the 5-year-old victim and two juvenile witnesses. The surveillance footage from the scene further supported the accounts given by the affected children. Despite the attempts to interview Vega, "her attorney declined an interview," reported KXAN. She remains booked in the Travis County jail with a collective bond set at $32,500 and is awaiting a hearing scheduled for July 16 related to this unsettling incident.
Community response has been one of concern and vigilance, as parents and local residents reckon with the proximity of danger to their everyday lives. Individuals are urged to report any suspicious activities and to keep a watchful eye on their surroundings, especially in light of this incident and other recent unsettling events in the area.
