Families claim sex offender who allegedly tried to buy girls at store also approached their daughters
PORT ORANGE, Fla. - A Florida man is behind bars for allegedly offering to buy a woman's child for $100,000. As two families tell FOX 35 News, this isn't the first time he has done this.
Families who claimed they were harmed by Hellmuth Kolb spoke with FOX 35 News about what they said were very similar incidents that happened to them.
"I didn’t know what to say. It just blew me away. Really did," said Brandon Nigh. He was taken aback when he saw Kolb’s face again. He said he thought the 85-year-old man would never have the chance to harm another child. "It pisses me off really. I think about if I was there and that happened I would probably be in jail as well," said Nigh.
Back in 2018, Nigh's wife was approached at the Walmart in Port Orange by Kolb. The man sat next to his wife and offered to buy their young daughter for upwards of $200,000. "That’s when she got up and grabbed my daughter. He grabbed my daughter by the wrist, pulled her back and kissed her wrist," said Nigh. "My wife pulled her away and got out of there."
Kolb was accused of doing the same thing just days before at the same Walmart to Tecoa Rose's daughter. "He grabbed her arm and stroked her forearm and said wow your skin is even smooth like ice cream," said Rose. "He says, ‘I’ll tell you what,’ and took her arm and put it up under and says, 'This is the one I’ll take. How much for her?'"
Kolb had been charged in both cases and sentenced to six years of house arrest. They thought that would be enough to stop Kolb but then nearly the same thing happened at a Port Orange Winn-Dixie just last week. Kolb is accused of making "creepy" comments toward an 8-year-old girl. He then offered her mother $100,000 for her.
FOX35 went to Kolb's home for comment, but the woman who answered the door didn't have anything to say.
"Hopefully, they lay the law down on him this time. We tried. We pushed it. We got what we could get," said Nigh. "Hopefully this time they wipe the floor with him."
The families we spoke to believe there are even more victims than just these stories. Those families are urged to contact law enforcement. Kolb was taken back to the Volusia County Jail for breaking his parole. He is being held on no bond.