Parent: Young girl grabbed at checkout line at Hendersonville Walmart

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    HENDERSONVILLE, TN (WSMV) — A mother has an urgent message for parents after she said her young daughter was grabbed by a man in the checkout line at the Hendersonville Walmart over the weekend.

Police said the suspect was arrested on Monday.

The incident happened at the Walmart on North Anderson Lane just before noon on Saturday. An unidentified man spoke with a child at one of the checkout registers.

“And knowing she was right next to me, I was right there, she had no reason to feel insecure until he tore that from her,” the child’s parent Jill Blazok said.

Blazok said she let the man pass her and her 9-year-old daughter in line.

“He grabbed my daughter’s upper arm and pulled her with him and said I’ll take you too,” Blazok said.

Police said Edward Davey, 65, was arrested on Monday and has been charged with assault.

Police released a photo of the man involved in the incident. Police said after reviewing camera footage, the man spoke to the mother and daughter in a way that placed the two in fear.

“She says I go to sleep, I hear his voice and I feel him touch me. And that breaks me,” Blazok said.

The man in question left the Walmart in a dark colored Dodge Caravan with paint damage on the driver’s side rear door and roof as well as a temporary tag.

Blazok is urging parents to keep their kids close while shopping.

“Absolutely I will be. My children will hang on to the cart,” Blazok said. “I mean we always talk to our kids about keep your head on a swivel, know your surroundings, be vigilant.”

Blazok said while she believes face masks are important right now, she and her daughter are having a difficult time trusting other people after the incident.

“She’s not trusting anything or anyone,” Blazok said. “You know toss in the mask and you don’t know who’s who, you know, you can’t read people, it’s hard.”

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