John Jefferson
Background: The St. Petersburg, Fla. neighborhood where Ron Lee Klein Jr. allegedly tried to kidnap a toddler (Google Maps). Inset: Ron Lee Klein Jr. (St. Petersburg Police Department).
A Florida man allegedly attempted to kidnap a 2-year-old boy from the backyard of his home, but was thwarted when the family dog loudly announced his presence.
Ron Lee Klein Jr., 36, was found by St. Petersburg police who happened to be in the area not long after his alleged attempt to kidnap the toddler on Dec. 27. According to the arrest affidavit, Klein allegedly entered the private, fenced-in backyard of a home in St. Petersburg through the gate. Police said he then allegedly tried to grab the little boy, but the family dog who witnessed the trespasser started barking loudly, letting the boy’s foster mother know that there was something going on.
The boy’s foster mother, who was not identified in the affidavit, followed the dog’s barks and witnessed Klein in her backyard. She started chasing Klein and yelling at him, at which point he fled without the child. The affidavit stated that Klein allegedly “grabbed” the toddler by the arm and tried picking him up, but stopped what he was doing when the dog “alerted” the boy’s foster mother.
The affidavit stated that Klein admitted to entering the property. He was also caught on surveillance cameras entering the property.
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Klein was charged with a felony count of attempted kidnapping and a misdemeanor count of trespassing. He appeared in court on Dec. 29 and is being held on $151,000 bail. No new court date was available.
According to court records, Klein has a lengthy history of arrests going back to 2007, the most recent one being in May 2023. He was charged with trespassing at that time along with resisting an officer with violence and battery of a police officer. He pleaded recently guilty to those charges and was sentenced to time served.
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