The recent arrest of Theodore Lorigo, a cross-dressing sex offender, sparked painful memories for a Bay Area woman.
Lorigo was arrested on Jan. 23 after he showed up on a school campus in Sunnyvale, a place he's not allowed to go as a registered sex offender.
The 42-year-old Lorigo is a registered sex offender for kidnapping a child under the age of 14 with intent to commit lewd or lascivious acts, according to the Megan's Law website.
That victim sat down with NBC Bay Area to discuss being kidnapped by Lorigo nearly two decades ago.
"He's a sick man. I can't believe he would want to do something to a young kid," said the woman, who did not want to be identified. "Even now, him trying again he didn't learn his lesson. And to think after so many years, who know from then until now, that he hasn't tried, attempted to do anything."
MORE: Sex Offender Arrested After Visiting Campus
The victim was age 9 at the time and in fourth grade when she said Lorigo kidnapped her at her apartment complex. She said Lorigo asked if she would babysit his puppies and lured her into his car.
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"I was really scared to run away," she said. "I thought he would chase me, so I just went along with it and got in the car."
They drove a few streets down where Lorigo stopped the car and went inside.
She eventually got out of the car and away from Lorigo. The victim even hid in a bush while Lorigo tried to find her. She said Lorigo drove around her apartment complex for days after the kidnapping.
"I would play with my dolls and Barbies in the window and he would pass by and he would look up and he would smile," she said. "I would have nightmares that there would be a way for him to come up."
The incident at the Sunnyvale school has triggered a memory she has tried to suppress. She's worried Lorigo will be back out again and kidnap someone else.
"I've always thought to myself thank God I got away," she said. "And I just feel so bad when I hear about kids being kidnapped. It always brings back that memory and I was lucky."
