Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023 | 8:11 p.m.
A man was charged with two felonies after attempting to kidnap a young child from a resort pool in Las Vegas on Saturday, according to a Metro Police report.
Sheldon Lynel Barber, of Tallahassee, Fla., was arrested Saturday after the alleged incident and charged with kidnapping a minor and lure or attempt to lure a child.
Multiple witnesses told police they saw Barber pull a boy out of the South Las Vegas Boulevard pool by his arm.
The mother told police she was teaching the boy how to swim when Barber approached. He held out his arm to the child and the child extended his back, thinking Barber was going to shake his hand.
Barber then pulled the child from the pool and onto the pool deck, the mother told police. She saw Barber say something to her son, but she couldn't hear.
Another family member sitting in a nearby chair told police she heard Barber ask the child to go somewhere with him. She saw Barber pointing to the pool entrance.
The child pulled his arm away from Barber and ran back to his mother in the pool, witnesses said.
The mother told police the child described Barber as “dangerous” once back in the pool. She asked the child why he thought that, and he said Barber tried to get him to go in the bathroom with him.
Soon after the exchange, the mother noticed Barber staring at another family with a young child. Barber was asked to leave by pool security but returned wearing a different outfit.
A cousin of the child pulled from the pool told police that she talked with Barber a few nights before the incident.
She said Barber was staring at her and the child while they were sitting by the pool. She said she felt uncomfortable, and they purposely moved to another area. Barber followed them and asked them where they were from, their ages and what their plans were for the night.
Barber also came in contact with the child and mother while in the elevator the night before, the mother said, and asked the child what floor they were staying on.
During a search of Barber, police found an herbal supplement for sexual performance, the report says.
Other witnesses to Barber’s behavior during recent days included two pool attendants, the report states. Police also reviewed surveillance videos.
