A man accused of trying to kidnap an 8-year-old in West Seattle pleaded not guilty to the charge Monday. The girl’s parents shared an emotional statement in court.
SEATTLE — The parents of an 8-year-old girl who faced an attempted kidnapping said the attack was stopped only because she was taught situational awareness to fight.
“The only reason that we’re not here grappling with an outrageous tragedy is that my daughter knew the stakes, fought to get away, and that my neighbors were swift and diligent in their response to the situation,” the girl’s mother, Shannon, said at the suspect’s arraignment hearing Monday.
Shannon said she has consistently reminded her daughter to stay in pairs or groups, tell adults where she will be and remain situationally aware.
Cristien Xavier Bugge-Marcum, 22, pleaded not guilty to second-degree attempted kidnapping. Bail was set at $750,000.
Bugge-Marcum is accused of trying to grab and drag the 8-year-old girl while she sat on a stump in her friend’s yard in West Seattle on April 25. A witness told police Bugge-Marcum was holding a knife, and the girl told police she thought she was going to be killed.
The girl screamed, and the assailant ran away.
The girl’s father, Austin, said at the hearing that he saw Bugge-Marcum walk by their home the following day, which made him think Bugge-Marcum continued to seek Austin’s daughter.
“Shock and fear ran through me like ice water,” Austin said.
Bugge-Marcum, who lives in the neighborhood, was captured on surveillance footage and matched the suspect’s description.
At the hearing, Bugge-Marcum’s defense attorney Jay Alvarez argued there were “significant evidentiary issues” with the case, saying the footage didn’t capture the attack but rather Bugge-Marcum walking down the sidewalk later. Alvarez also pointed out there were inconsistent descriptions of the attempted kidnapping suspect’s eye color.
“Mr. Bugge-Marcum not only wants to clear his name but also wants the right guy to be found,” Alvarez said.
After the alleged attempted kidnapping, Austin said his daughter no longer feels safe in her own neighborhood, and residents are left shaken that something like that could happen in their community.
“She asked questions that no kid should about whether someone could come back, we’re safe walking outside, playing in our own yard,” Austin said.
Bugge-Marcum’s trial is set for June 16.
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