Pinckney man arrested for grabbing, tickling kids he didn't know while they were playing at food truck event

PINCKNEY (WWJ) — A Livingston County man is facing felony charges, including attempted child abduction, after allegedly grabbing and tickling children he didn’t know at a food truck event last week.

Jeremy Mills of Pinckney was arraigned Sunday on charges of attempted child abduction, resisting and opposing, assault and battery and disorderly conduct.

The charges stem from an incident at the “Food Truck Friday” event in Pinckney on Friday, June 21. Pinckney police were called to the scene after parents and others at the park were “very uneasy” as a man they didn’t know was playing with young children, officials said Monday.

The man was “grabbing, tickling, and holding the children” and had “interjected himself into the children's game of football catch.”

When an officer approached the area, Mills allegedly threw the football at the officer, who deflected it away and went to speak with Mills. He told the officer he was a friend of the children’s parents, but others who notified the officer to the situation said they had heard Mills telling the kids he was their uncle.

Mills “appeared intoxicated” and was not cooperative with the officer, officials said. A second officer arrived, and it was determined that Mills would be detained pending further investigation.

Mills resisted being placed in handcuffs but was eventually restrained, officials said. He allegedly “screamed obscenities and disrupted the family atmosphere of the event” as he was being taken to the police station, according to police.

Further interviews revealed that Mills had allegedly repeatedly grabbed a young boy and the boy “felt that the subject was going to take him from his parents,” officials said. When the boy's parents told the boy to come to them, Mills “stepped in between them to prevent the parents from taking custody of their child.”

“The events held in the downtown area are family oriented and we have not encountered this level of disruption in the past. We will continue to investigate to ensure that all victims are located and addressed,” the Pinckney Police Department said in a press release.

Mills’ bond was set at $100,000.