BRIEF: Attempted abductor still in mental health facility

May 30--A week after attempting to abduct a child from a basement window, a local teenager remains in a mental health facility, Ames police said on Friday.

Akuk A. Akok, 17, was taken into custody by Ames police on May 22 after he entered a house in the 100 block of McDonald Drive and tried to forcefully remove a younger school-aged child from the home.

The child's teenage sister awoke after hearing a commotion and chased Akok away from the yard. The child escaped with a bloody nose and some facial swelling.

Police then captured Akok in the 4300 block of Lincoln Swing Street, and he was taken to a mental health facility to undergo an evaluation.

According to Ames Police Cmdr. Jason Tuttle, when officers made initial contact with Akok, it was evident that he needed a mental health evaluation.

Akok was supposed to be held on only a 48-hour hold at the facility before being released to the police; however, a week later, he remains at the same location, and the facility has requested to keep him indefinitely in order to evaluate him further, Tuttle said.

"So far, he has been pretty unresponsive," Tuttle said. "Now we're just waiting for him to be released so that we can take him into custody."

___

(c)2015 the Ames Tribune, Iowa

Visit the Ames Tribune, Iowa at www.amestrib.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.