GREENVILLE, SC (FOX Carolina) -
A Greenville man and registered sex offender is accused of kidnapping two children Sunday, police said.
Greenville police said a mother went looking for her 7-year-old daughter and found her, along with another girl, inside the apartment of a registered sex offender.
About 4:30 p.m., the victim's mother said she went to look for her daughter who was playing outside their apartment at the Mallard Cove Apartments, but she could not find her, according to police.
Officers said the mom became frantic and started going door-to-door asking if anyone had seen her child, and when she went to 21-year-old Clayton Jones' apartment, he said he had not seen her and did not know where she was.
While talking to Jones, the mother told police she saw her daughter along with another 7-year-old friend walk into view behind Jones' shoulder. They had come from the bathroom wearing blonde wigs and makeup, police said.
The mother took the two children out of the apartment and called police. Neither child was injured. She also spoke with FOX Carolina on Monday about something that led her to knock on Jones' door.
"I was just sitting in the house and a spirit came to me telling me get up and go check on your daughter," said the mother. "Something was telling me to knock at that door because all day yesterday he was just watching my apartment."
The girl's mother said Jones lured the girls in by promising them they could play on the computer and pet his dog. She also warned other parents that it only took a split second to happen.
The mother of the other girl said her daughter had recently discovered Clayton Jones was a registered sex offender by looking him up online to see what sex offenders lived near them.
However, Jones's mother, Julia, said in a statement to FOX Carolina, that the situation has been sensationalized, and that her son did not kidnap the two girls:
"They visited my home and that of several neighbors on several occasions while being allowed to run freely around the apartment complex. I, in fact, had been asked just last week by both girls to borrow one of my cosmetology wigs to play dress-up with. It was perfectly harmless and they both enjoyed playing with the dress-up items outside with other friends. The girls also had been allowed to walk my dog on several occasions. These children were in no way manipulated to be here, nor were they not allowed to leave at any time. I was not in town this weekend and they of course should not have been allowed in my home without me being here. This has now become a witch hunt because my son made a mistake as a minor several years ago. As a parent, I do understand the concern and subsequent fear involved in situations like this; but I also understand mob mentality. This should not be labeled a kidnapping since the girls frequently visited my home. They are innocent and did nothing wrong in wanting to play dress-up, and my son did not kidnap them. This whole situation has been sensationalized and a young man will lose his future because of it. One's past should not automatically make one guilty before proven innocent."
Clayton Jones was arrested and charged with two counts of kidnapping. He was being held at the Greenville County Detention Center.
Police said Clayton Jones was charged in 2009 with indecent liberties with a child in North Carolina.
According to the North Carolina Department of Justice's website, Clayton Jones was registered as a sex offender for life after he was convicted in 2009. The website said the offense occurred in Transylvania County and he served 20 months before he was released. The website reported that he was 17 at the time of the offense and the victim was 8 years old.
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Clayton Jones (Greenville Police Dept.)
