Man Tries To Buy Daughter For $200k

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Port Orange, FL - A man is arrested by police after he offered to buy a mother's 8-year-old daughter for $200,000.

That's the report from Port Orange police after they arrested 81-year-old Hellmuth Kolb for false imprisonment and battery.

According to the report, Kolb was at a Port Orange Walmart off Dunlawton Avenue on Friday (September 28th), when he allegedly tried to grab a woman's 8-year-old daughter and kiss her, before offering the mother $200,000 for her child.

When police arrived, they gathered a story from the mother as well as video of Kolb leaving the scene in a 2008-2012 Mercedes SUV.

Through a tip, Port Orange police checked around the Spruce Creek Fly-in Community as it was believed Kolb lived there. However, security, staff and residents were unable to recognize who Kolb was.

During their investigation, a woman reached out to the police on Facebook and said a similar incident happened to her with a man that fit Kolb's description at the same Walmart. She told police that an Austrian man that fit his description owned a laundromat in South Daytona around 12 years ago.

Police found the laundromat the woman talked about but under new management and owners. However, they made contact with the owners who were able to provide information on Kolb, who sold the business to them.

Authorities were soon able to track Kolb down to his residence, where they made contact with him.

When interviewed by police, Kolb was asked if he could tell his side of the story. He told police he remembered sitting next to a mother and her daughter and that he complimented her, but did not recall grabbing her daughter.

Police then made contact again with the victim and conducted a photo lineup, where she selected Kolb as the suspect.

Authorities say investigators are now looking into similar reports they've received previously from Port Orange and Daytona Beach.

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