LEESBURG, Fla. — A Leesburg man was arrested late Thursday after police said he grabbed 10-year-old boy in an arcade and told him he “looked good,” prompting older boys to chase the suspect across U.S. 441.

  • Tyler Houston Rathel, 27, arrested in Leesburg
  • Report: Rathel asked two boys to sell marijuana 
  • Suspect is being held at the Lake County Jail

The suspect, 27-year-old Tyler Houston Rathel, is also accused of asking other patrons at Via Entertainment arcade, two 14-year-old boys, to sell marijuana for him, according to a Leesburg Police report.

Rathel, a cook, is being held on a $45,000 bond at the Lake County Jail for one charge of false imprisonment-luring or enticing a child and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of minors.

He was booked into the jail at 1:30 a.m. Friday.

Authorities said they heard a large disturbance at U.S. 441 and Radio Road at 9:24 p.m.

“As I looked up, observed several young men chasing after one person across US HWY 441,” an officer wrote in a report.

The person who was being chased, Rathel, said he left Via, and people started hitting him for no reason. He was interviewed in the parking lot of Tijuana Flats, 10300 U.S. 441. He later acknowledged asking the 14-year-old boys to sell marijuana for him, the report said.

“The defendant stated he knows Lake County weed is 'bad' and Orange County weed is 'better,' " the report said.

The 10-year-old boy told authorities he was at the arcade at 10401 U.S. 441 when he left a group to find his sister.

“As he was walking alone near the front of the business the defendant approached him,” an arrest report said. The boy said Rathel told him he looked good and asked if he wanted to work outside of the arcade.

“The juvenile stated the defendant then grabbed his forearm and told him to come with him,” the report said. “The juvenile stated he could not pull away and took one step with him and then the juvenile was able to pull his arm away.”

The boy ran back into the arcade, telling an 18-year-old man who was supervising him about what happened. That is when the two 14-year-old boys said Rathel asked them if they “wanted to sell weed” for him.

One of the boys told him “we don’t talk to strangers,” the report said.