Judge Acquits Man of Attempted Kidnapping, Convicts Him of Assaulting Two 8-Year-Old Girls

ARBUTUS–A man accused of attempting to kidnap two 8-year-old girls was acquitted of the kidnapping charges Tuesday but convicted of two counts of second-degree assault.

Douglas Orem Jr., 55, grabbed one girl from behind in the courtyard of an apartment complex in the Arbutus area of Baltimore County on Aug. 8, 2025. A short time later, he was found on top of a second girl who had been walking her dog.

Orem’s attorney, Amy Stone, argued that the State had overcharged the case. Orem denied trying to kidnap either girl but admitted grabbing the first child. He claimed he later fell on the second girl because he lost his balance as several little boys were hitting and kicking him playfully.

Several children were playing tag and hide-and-seek in the courtyard on Hooper Avenue around 10 a.m. when Orem walked into the area and approached the first girl.

The girl testified that Orem initially pulled her hair and then grabbed her from behind by her shoulders and legs. Her twin 4-year-old brothers and another boy hit Orem with sticks and pulled her away from him.

Prosecutor Natalie Scurto argued that home surveillance video showed Orem attempting to lead the girl toward one of the apartment buildings.

“If his intent was not to come here and take a female child somewhere, what was he doing?” Scurto asked Judge Charles Peters.

The girl ran into her apartment and told her parents what had happened. When she looked out a window a short time later, she saw Orem on top of another girl who had been walking her dog.

The court heard a recording of the second girl’s mother calling 911 after finding Orem on top of her daughter. On the call, the mother said she pulled Orem off the child.

The second girl told police that Orem approached her, told her to stay still and pushed her from behind, causing her to fall to the ground.

“With the defendant on top of the juvenile victim, his arms were wrapped around her, and he was touching her stomach area,” police wrote in charging documents.

Officers responding to the call encountered Orem near a wooded area holding a sheathed knife. Body-camera video showed an officer ordering him to drop the knife. Orem can be heard on the video refusing and telling the officer, “I’m going to cut you.”

After Orem ignored officers’ repeated commands to drop the knife, police deployed a Taser and took him into custody.

He was not charged with resisting arrest.

Orem, who declined to give police an interview after his arrest, testified in his own defense Tuesday.

He told the judge he lives in Virginia and was staying with his brother on Maiden Choice Lane on the day of the incident. He said he had argued with his brother and went for a walk to calm down.

When he entered the apartment courtyard, Orem said, several young boys began teasing him, hitting him with sticks and kicking him.

“They weren’t really hurting me at first, so I was letting kids be kids,” Orem said.

Orem said he played along for a while but eventually became tired of the teasing. He admitted grabbing the first girl, saying he believed the boys would leave him alone if he grabbed their sister.

After the girl ran into her apartment, Orem said, the boys continued hitting and kicking him. He claimed that he fell on top of the second girl and that back problems and other injuries made it difficult for him to get up quickly.

Peters called Orem’s explanation “beyond preposterous” but ruled that prosecutors had not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Orem intended to kidnap the first girl.

Earlier in the trial, Peters had granted a judgment of acquittal on the attempted kidnapping charge involving the second girl. The girl has moved out of the country and was unavailable to testify.

“I do absolutely have no doubt that he intended to assault these two girls,” Peters said.

Orem has been held at the Baltimore County Detention Center since his arrest and will remain jailed until his sentencing Aug. 19.

Second-degree assault is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $2,500.