A 58-year-old man attempted to lure a 4-year-old boy into a vehicle with a dollar and the chance to get ice cream last week in an Armstrong County neighborhood, according to charges filed Monday, June 1.

Walter Mitchell, of Apollo, is accused of asking the 4-year-old to join him in his black Jeep Compass on Thursday, May 28, along Pine Circle within Pine Valley Estates in Kiskiminetas Township while his mother mowed the grass nearby. Police said he also interacted with other children in the Armstrong County neighborhood on the same day.

Mitchell was charged Monday by state police in Kittanning with felony luring a child into a vehicle in relation to the one incident involving the 4-year-old. Additionally, he was charged May 28 in another incident earlier that day by Kiskiminetas Township police with one misdemeanor count each of public nuisance, harassment and DUI.

According to police, a woman was mowing her yard at around 6 p.m. on May 28 when she saw the Jeep parked in front of her house and heard Mitchell offer her son a dollar to get in the vehicle and say they could go get ice cream or play.

The woman then told Mitchell to leave, and he reportedly said “I just love little boys” and started crying, charging documents indicate.

State police said the woman told Mitchell to leave multiple times, but he finally pulled away when another car pulled behind him. The mother said she didn’t know Mitchell but had seen him drive by frequently.

Earlier in the day, township police said they were dispatched to Hazel Drive after Mitchell had reportedly drove his Jeep to a man’s residence while intoxicated and called the man a slur in front of his two children.

The man’s 16-year-old daughter told police Mitchell had done this before and has followed her, according to charging documents.

As police were leaving, they spotted Mitchell’s Jeep at the management office and approached him. Police said he showed signs of impairment and had an empty bottle of Fireball whiskey in his Jeep.

When conducting interviews on Sunday, state police said two other parents in the area claimed Mitchell tried to speak with their 3- and 10-year-old daughters while in the area May 28.

When state police went to speak with Mitchell on Sunday at his Apollo residence, he told police he was in the area because a friend had asked him for help. Mitchell said while leaving the area May 28, a child ran out in front of his vehicle, and he got into an argument with the child’s parents.

When prompted further by police, he said he may have said “hey buddy, why don’t you help your mom mow... I’ll give you a dollar or something.”

Police said Mitchell denied the claims of him attempting to lure the 4-year-old into his vehicle.

Police then checked with the alleged friend Mitchell said he was going to visit. They confirmed the friend lived in the area but said the friend was not home May 28 and did not speak with Mitchell that day, according to charging documents.

Mitchell is being held in Armstrong County Jail on bails of $20,000 and $5,000 with preliminary hearings yet to be scheduled.