Man Charged in Abduction of Boy, 5, From Preschool

A man who allegedly held a 5-year-old boy for ransom after kidnapping him from a Wilshire-area preschool and sexually assaulting him was held in county jail on $1-million bail Monday.

Jong Mok Choe, 34, of Los Angeles, was charged with kidnapping for ransom and kidnapping to commit sex with a victim under 14 years old, Los Angeles police said.

Choe allegedly walked into the preschool about 3:30 p.m. Friday and, in Korean, asked the teacher for the KoreanAmerican child by name. He told the teacher that the child’s mother had been hospitalized and that he was there to pick up the child, said Officer Jason Lee.

Police said that the suspect appeared to know the victim. Choe previously worked for the Hana Cab Co. as a cab driver and sometimes picked up children, including the victim, to take them home, Lee said.

About 15 minutes after taking the boy, the suspect called the child’s mother and threatened to kill the child unless he was paid $30,000. The mother confirmed that the child was missing from the school and then called police.

Later that evening, about 5:25 p.m., Griffith Park rangers located the child wandering disoriented near a ravine. The boy, who had minor cuts and bruises, was confused and his clothes were disheveled, police said. An examination later revealed that the boy had been sexually assaulted.

Police arrested Choe about 7:30 p.m. Friday at a gas station. Even though the boy had been found two hours earlier, the suspect had continued to call the parents with demands.