HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) – The mother of a 7-year-old told ABC13 that her son fell victim to one of the oldest scams in existence when, according to Houston police, a neighbor of her apartment complex lured him and took him away.

HPD said it happened around noon Sunday in the 3100 block of Hayes Road on the city’s west side.

“I keep telling him, ‘They like little boys too. It’s not just girls,'” said the mother, who asked not to be identified. “It’s scary.”

According to the mother, it all started when Kenneth Gage approached her son with his dog.

“He (saw) the dog and started petting him, and when he went to leave, he pulled him up there and said, ‘Hey, you want to play this game?’ and ‘I have snacks,'” the victim’s mother said.

She said she started looking for him as soon as she noticed her son was missing.

“I called his name,” said the victim’s mother.

About 30 minutes after the search began, the boy appeared at the bottom of a staircase. After telling her what had happened, he pointed to the apartment of his alleged kidnapper.

“So I asked (the suspect), ‘Why is my son in your house?’ And he replied, ‘Well, (he) and another little boy come and play with my game console,’ and I said, ‘I don’t know you. My son doesn’t know you,'” said the victim’s mother.

The woman called police shortly afterward. HPD said when officers questioned Gage, he admitted to bringing the boy into the apartment and taking indefinite photos of him.

“He is a child. He has no consent,” said the victim’s mother.

Gage is facing kidnapping charges. According to court documents, Gage, 33, is disabled and unemployed.

The thought that he might return to this apartment complex scares his mother.

“To me, you are a predator,” she said.

What Gage did and what he didn’t do is up to a judge to decide.

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