Man accused of impersonating police officer, attempted kidnapping of 2 children

LEOMINSTER, Mass. — A Rutland man charged with posing as a police officer to try to kidnap children from a Leominster apartment complex is being held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing.

Andrew Laliberte, 26, was arraigned on Thursday in Leominster District Court on two counts of attempting to commit a crime: kidnapping, one count of impersonating an officer, and a warrant for a past firearms offense.

The 5-year-old boy and his 6-year-old sister were in the Riverside Village Apartments on State Street Wednesday, "playing on bicycles in the parking lot," according to the police report. "Mr. Laliberte told them to get off the bicycles and come with him or they were under arrest because he is a Worcester Police officer. Mr. Laliberte then grabbed one of the bicycles."

The kids ran away and notified their parents, who called police. Officers located Laliberte at a nearby building using a K-9.

An 8-year-old witness told police a group of kids had been playing rough on bikes and with Nerf guns in the parking lot, when "the 'bad guy' (Mr. Laliberte) then came up to (the 5-year-old boy) and said, 'Oh, you punched him,' and said he was the Worcester police, but she did not believe him," the report says.

Laliberte, according to the witness, then "told (the boy) to get off the bike and that he's going to 'take him to jail' for punching another kid."

But Laliberte denied those statements, telling police, "he was attempting to 'avoid a situation' because he was trying to break up a fight."

Yanira Munet, the mother of the involved children, said her family is disturbed by the incident.

"I'm scared for my kids," Munet said. "I can't have my kids out here no more."

Other neighbors echoed the same concern for their kids' safety.

"We let them play around. It's weird. It's scary," said Emmanuel Pedraza, a neighbor and cousin of Munet. "I live right there. Most of my family lives right here, and for somebody to try and take our kids, it's kind of creepy."

Laliberte had been living with an aunt who lives at the complex, according to the police report.

Rich Henken, president of property management company, Schochet Companies, said Laliberte had been staying at a Riverside Village apartment as a guest for a few days, but that he has since been issued a no-trespass order. Management informed a security detail of the incident with instructions to call 911 if Laliberte is released and reappars, Henken said.

Laliberte is set to reappear in Leominster District Court on March 23.

Donald Ball, the attorney on record for Laliberte, did not return FOX25's call for comment.

Cox Media Group