Man accused of attempting to lure child with candy in Lehigh Acres

A woman had to rush to get her granddaughter away from a man she said tried to give her candy near a Dollar General in Lehigh Acres.

According to a Lee County arrest report, Derrick Ross tried to get the little girl to go with him after not accepting the candy. The grandmother and her granddaughter ran into a Dollar General where a good Samaritan was able to help.

The employee says she had to step up because she has a niece around the same age as that young child. She also knew the woman couldn’t do as much because of her age. The woman managed to keep herself between Ross and the child so that he couldn’t get to her.

The woman took the pair into a break room in the Dollar General. She was aware that the door didn’t lock, so she stood in front of it. She held the door shut so Ross couldn’t reach them.

According to that arrest report, Ross tried to get into the door by smacking and pulling on the woman’s hands and shoulders. The employee was able to call 911 while attempting to make Ross leave. A detective noticed several scratches on her neck and arm once they arrived.

Ross was arrested and could face a burglary with an assault charge.