A middle-aged homeless man with an extensive criminal history was arrested Saturday for kidnapping after he allegedly attempted to lure a young boy away from his mother and toward a cornfield near the sports fields in Carsins Run.
Brian Hamilton Childress, 49, of no fixed address, was arrested by the Harford County Sheriff’s Office and has been denied bail, after initially being held on $250,000 bail.
A week prior to the arrest, at about 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 17, a mother at the Carsins Run Sports Field on Carsins Run Road in Aberdeen reported to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office and the Child Advocacy Center that she witnessed her 5-year-old son walking with an unidentified male towards a cornfield near the sports fields.
The mother called out for her son, who returned to her, and the male quickly disappeared into the cornfield. The young boy told his mother that the man had asked him to help him find something he had lost. The man was not known to any of the other parents at the sporting event.
Childress, who previously held addresses on Cooley Mill Road in Havre de Grace and Schucks Road in Bel Air, fits the description given to police at the time of the incident, of a white male, age 45-50, approximately 5-feet, 7-inches to 5-feet, 9-inches and 185 to 200 lbs with short dark hair and described to have a weathered face with a salt and pepper, scruffy beard.
Childress has faced a multitude of charges over the years and spent time in the Harford County Detention Center.
In 2002, Childress was found guilty of attempting to drive while under the influence of alcohol, resisting arrest, malicious destruction of property greater than $500, and possession of a concealed deadly weapon. He also faced charges of animal cruelty that same year.
Other past charges against Childress have included driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or a controlled dangerous substance; driving on an expired license; and a citation and $60 fine from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police for an insufficient amount of flotation devices aboard a vessel.
Most recently, Childress was charged with fourth-degree burglary and trespassing on private property on September 12 – just five days prior to the incident at Carsins Run.
From the Harford County Sheriff’s Office:
Suspect in “Stranger Danger” Incident Charged with Kidnapping
Brian Hamilton Childress, age 49, was arrested on Saturday, September 24, 2011 on kidnapping charges in connection with a “Stranger Danger” incident that occurred a week earlier at the Carsins Run Sports Field located in Aberdeen, MD. It was reported to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office and the Child Advocacy Center that a mother witnessed her 5 year old son walking with an unidentified male towards a cornfield near the sports fields. The mother called out for her son, who returned to her and the male quickly disappeared into the cornfield. The young boy told his mother that the male had asked him to help him find a toy he had lost. The male was not known to any of the other parents at the sporting event.
Utilizing a variety of investigative techniques and resources, Harford County Sheriff’s Office detectives were able to determine that the suspect described as a white male, age 45-50, approximately 5’07”-5’09”, 185-200 lbs with short dark hair, a weathered face and a salt and pepper, scruffy beard was Brian Hamilton Childress, age 49, of no fixed address.
An arrest warrant was issued and Childress was picked up without incident early Saturday morning in the Whiteford area of Harford County, MD. He has been charged under the annotated code of Maryland with CR 3-503 a with Kidnapping- Child under 16, which speaks to the suspect attempting to entice a child either forcibly or fraudulently away from the control and/or custody of a parent or guardian.
He is currently being held without bail at the Harford County Detention Center while awaiting trial.
Good Job guys.
Really would have loved to have read he was tracked down by a K-9 unit and properly escorted out of that corn field.
about 3 months ago i reported to a harford county sheriff that this man was sitting on the side of a royal farm store in his underwear acting weird and he didnt even go check it out! hope he didnt lure another child before being caught!
That’s the really tragic part of this.
Not many men decide at the age of 50 to just start luring little boys into cornfields.
What is such a good looking guy doing in a cornfield?
Scaring crows.
@Terrance..I am glad your recognize a good looking man when you see one. I am sure I have seen him on the front of a popular magazine. He is one that I would let come into my house. I bet it was the police that couldnt fine anyone so they had to pick him I bet he was minding his own business and the man came up and snatched him while he was on his way to church. He probally is the cream of the crop when it comes to Harford County Residents……….please don’t believe anything you read. Glad the police did a great job and now the courts can do an even better job. I am a parent and would freak out if my child was seen with that man!
I know what he was looking for. He was looking to have his butt handed to him by 30 angry dads.
I’m glad that he didn’t get whatever it was he wanted. And I’m glad the kids mom was paying attention.
this guy came to our house (belcamp) a cpl of weeks ago, after a storms, offering to fix some loose shingles on our roof for 20$. We told him, thanks but no thanks. luckily, because we have a five year old too. Hope he stays behind bars for a long time….
He would have gotten away with it if he had operated a snow ball truck.
Is None the only one that sees what is happening? It depends on who you know that you can get away with things. Now I want a snow ball.
Joseph Degele A person may be smart but people especially in groups are stupid. Anybody read his ” lengthy criminal record” posted in the article. The guys a drunk. Outside of dwi’s, a 4th degree b and e is called sleeping in an abandoned building Not ” dragging a child into the cornfield but walking towards a cornfield. Held without bail either means there’s something the article doesn’t tell us or and most likely the guys homeless and therefor a flight risk. Dear editor thanks for sensationalizing the news and not using biase to sell papers and put a community into a frenzy. Let’s all do whatever to sweep the ugly and sick away. This story reads like bullshit. If I’m wrong he should die. If I’m not the man who wrote an article convicting a dirty scary looking homeless guy should die. Stay f***ing classy belair!!
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The editor should b ashamed and criminally responsible for this cOmpletely sensationalized slanderous article. Great job recklessly getting attention though
Please point out the slander in the story.
Drunk or not, it’ll be interesting to find out what type of toy he lost in that field and why he needed a child’s help to find it.
Hey Goodman, perhaps Neuro is right. A good reporter would be speculating on all the possibilities this man was in a cornfield with a little boy, instead of instantly labeling him guilty.
Maybe they were reenacting the movie Field of Dreams?
Neurotic’s a good name for you.
Hey Neuroticchip,
“A person may be smart but people especially in groups are stupid.” – Don’t know what this has to do with this guy luring a child into a corn field, but ok.
“Anybody read his ” lengthy criminal record” posted in the article. The guys a drunk. Outside of dwi’s, a 4th degree b and e is called sleeping in an abandoned building Not ” dragging a child into the cornfield but walking towards a cornfield.” – Just so you know, he was also convicted in 2002 of malicious destruction of property and carrying a concealed deadly weapon, for which he was sentenced to 60 days. Also the common law 4th degree B&E could be a number of things, including:the breaking and entering into the dwelling (house) of another during daytime hours; the breaking and entering a building of another during daytime; the breaking in or on a building or yard of another with intended theft; or rogue/vagabond possession of burglar tools at a building or vehicle of another with intent to burglar.
“Held without bail either means there’s something the article doesn’t tell us or and most likely the guys homeless and therefor a flight risk.” – There are numerous factors that determine bail, including flight risk, ties to community, assurances he will show up to trial, safety of victim, safety of defendant, and numerous other items. I, for one, and glad this suspect is held without bail.
“Dear editor thanks for sensationalizing the news and not using biase to sell papers and put a community into a frenzy.” – The Dagger sells papers? As for sensationalizing, well, I don’t think the editor is doing that here.
“Let’s all do whatever to sweep the ugly and sick away.” – No, lets not sweep the ugly and sick away. Lets convict the criminals, punish them according to the laws of our society, though sometimes I think the laws are a bit to lenient.
“This story reads like bullshit.” – Bitter much?
“If I’m wrong he should die.” – I actually agree with this statement.
“If I’m not the man who wrote an article convicting a dirty scary looking homeless guy should die.” – I don’t know why you would ever think the writer should die for writing an article…
“Stay f***ing classy belair!!” – Hey pot, kettle is calling.
“The editor should b ashamed and criminally responsible for this cOmpletely sensationalized slanderous article.” – Criminally responsible? What crime was committed? Also, slanderous? How so? Were this anything, it would be libel, as it is in print form. Though, with the changing times and forms of communication, the laws of slander and libel seem to merge with defamation. Even so, to prove this, four things would need to be proven, 1)a false and defamatory statement about the person; 2) unprivileged communication to a third party; publisher acted negligently in publishing the item; and 4)(in some cases) special damages must be proven. Also, as in all defamatory cases, the truth is an absolute defense. So, I would guess that there is absolutely no chance this was slanderous. If you see it some other way, please explain it to me. (Disclaimer: This is my opinion and I do not profess to be an expert nor am I offering any legal advice to anyone)
“Great job recklessly getting attention though” – Hmmm…recklessly? he created a substantial and unjustified risk of harm to others and had a conscious disregard for or indifference to that risk? I didn’t see that.
Anyways, have a nice day.
Paul Mc
@Neuroticchip: Wow, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were just upset you waited in that cornfield all afternoon and stupid Brian came back empty handed…
No matter how outlandish sensationalized biased or unsubstantiated a comment by the media is I will now believe it as truth and join the mob mentality. Thank you society for conditioning my thinking and editing my free speech.
What you call “sensationalism” is merely the truth and facts of the case. To write it any other way would be misleading.
Perhaps this version will appease your sensibilities:
“Local Child Enlisted in Hunt for Missing Toy; Unsuccessful Search Called Off by Parent
A precocious 5-year-old boy generously donated his time and effort last week to help a local man search for a toy that had been misplaced in a Carsins Run cornfield.
Unable to find the lost item on his own, the man turned to someone he believed would have the expertise to find the missing needle in this haystack – an unknown child.
Preternaturally understanding the seriousness of the situation, the young boy, who was attending a weekend soccer game with his family, agreed to help the man look for his toy.
Sadly, the search was quickly called off prematurely by the boy’s mother and the man’s toy remains missing somewhere in the expansive cornfield.
Police were called to the scene and an investigation, likely into the whereabouts of the aforementioned toy, remains ongoing.”
@Brian…Now that is the kind of story I like to read. Keep up the good work. The main fact was a pervert tried to snatch a child. The pervert does have a lengthy record. Why would a grown adult need a child to find a toy? Looks like people want to blame the messenger instead of the person committing the crime. @Get a grip….that was a good one!
Now that’s funny. Goodman rules!
Thank u Paul. Infortunatly my comments were originally in response to a Facebook thread that condemned this man to everything from life imprisonment to torture and death. This man has been charged with a crime and convicted in his community based on a history of what appears to be alcoholism. Minus the b and e, throw in a 2nd decree assault and a third dwi and my record trumps his. When I lived outside because there were no services available and I was controlled by my addiction I looked as creepy as this guy. It hits home that the people of Facebook would so quickly condem me of a crime based only on allegations. If this guy is guilty so be it. The pile on mentality and witch burning I witnessed on Facebook scares me. Sorry about the rant
… when you listen to fools, the mob rules
In this era of FarceBook, the mob mentality has found a home.
The next time some sanctimonious advocate tells you how heartless and uncaring you are for not wanting a homeless shelter in your neighborhood, refer her to this article.
Not that it will make any difference; their homes are never anywhere near the proposed shelter and they’re always willing to sacrifice your children to their pets.