SUSPECT: I DIDN’T LURE GIRL

Nelson Garcia, a 27 year old maintenance man, pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges he tried to lure a 13 year old girl into his car.  Garcia, who lives on Stephen Oval, Glen Cove, appeared in court after his arrest Monday on a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a child.  He was being held yesterday on a cash or bond bail of $25,000.  On Thursday, the girl, an eighth-grader, was walking from her Glen Cove home to school a half mile away.  She spotted a silver Nissan Altima and the driver, later identified as Garcia, at 7:40 a.m.  A short time later, the same car stopped on Prospect Avenue and Garcia told the girl his daughter ran away from home and he wanted her to hop into the car so she could help him find her.  The girl walked away from the car.  After his arrest at the assisted-living facility Sterling Glen of Glen Cove where he works, Garcia told investigators that he was just looking to talk with the girl, and to see if she needed a ride.

(New York)