ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A 25-year-old Jacksonville man is accused of offering to take a 21-year-old woman with him to go smoke marijuana and then trying to force her into his SUV, the St. Augustine Police Department said.
William Ross Cesery III was arrested Wednesday on a charge of attempted kidnapping.
Shanna Kuenzi, 21, was still nervous when she recounted the story to News4Jax. She said she had been job hunting when her worst fear came true.
According to police, the young woman was walking on a sidewalk along Orange Street in St. Augustine about noon Wednesday when a Chevrolet SUV pulled up beside her.
"I was walking down by the city gates toward U.S. 1. A guy started following me and he started asking me if I needed a ride," Kuenzi said. "For five minutes, he kept following me and asking me if I needed a ride. And I told him that I didn't."
Cesery also offered the woman lunch and marijuana and told her that she was beautiful, all while asking her if she needed a ride, according to the police report.
After telling the man "no" countless times, Kuenzi said he wouldn't take no for an answer.
"He got tired of me saying no and he pulled out in front of me into some random guy's driveway and was like, he got out of his car, and was like, 'You're beautiful' and started grabbing me. And when he grabbed me, he pulled me into his car like he was going to take me forcefully," Kuenzi said.
Kuenzi said she was able to fight him off and the man then sped away. She immediately called police.
"I wrote a report and that's when I got in the vehicle and I was on my way back to the police station at this time and the police officer asked me, 'Just out of curiosity, why, is it this vehicle?'' And I said, 'That's the guy. That's the exact vehicle,'" Kuenzi said. "And he got out of his car with guns and was like, 'Get on the ground. Get on the ground.'"
Police said Cesery was then taken into custody and booked into the St. Johns County Jail.
Sources told News4Jax that Cesery suffered a head injury in a boating accident nine years ago and he has never been the same since.
Cesery has been arrested six times since 2007. In 2011, he was arrested on multiple charges, including possession of drugs and resisting an officer. He faced two criminal traffic citations for speeding and reckless driving this year.
News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said anyone who ever finds themselves in a similar situation should try to find other people nearby.
"Don't be afraid to make noise. That will usually make the person go away. Be observant too, look at the clothes, his height and weight and make and model of the vehicle. That will help police find the suspect later," Smith said.
Kuenzi said she's just thankful that the man who scared her on the street is now behind bars.
"I couldn't be happier. I'm really happy that not only am I safe, but there are other females out there that he could have done that to. But now he's locked up, behind bars and we're safe right now, at least tonight," Kuenzi said.