Man charged with a 2nd child abduction

NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WIVB) - News 4 was there when a chaotic scene unfolded during a suspected kidnapping in North Tonawanda five years ago. Now the man at the center of that case is in trouble again.

David Grover of the Town of Tonawanda is facing charges in a case very similar to the one from five years ago. Both cases involve taking very young girls from their homes.

In April of 2007, News 4 was there when a four-year-old girl was returned to her family, following the issuance of an Amber Alert.

At the time, North Tonawanda Police Capt. Roger Zgolak said, "I can't imagine the fear, the anxiety, the trauma that this family went through for four and a half hours."

David Grover, who was friends with the girl and her family, had taken the child from her home. Grover later blamed his addition to cocaine for his role in taking the girl, driving her in his car for hours. He publicly apologized to the child after being sentenced to thee to six years in state prison for a guilty plea to first degree child endangerment.

"I'm sorry and I never meant to scare you, I mean, obviously she wasn't scared, but I still feel really bad and I'm sorry," Grover said back in 2007.

He went on to serve almost four years in prison.

Now, this past Saturday, Grover was arrested again and charged with taking a five-year-old girl from the home of a family he knew. He was with the child for four or five hours. After initially saying Grover sexually assaulted the child, police now say they are not certain where she was taken or what took place.

Capt. Zgolak said about the present incident, "In the City of North Tonawanda, he's charged with kidnapping as a predatory sexual offense and endangering the welfare of a child."

Back in 2007, Grover said he was thinking of becoming a drug counselor when he got out of prison.

"I'm going to look into becoming a drug counselor to help people like me so they never get to this position," Grover said back then.

Capt. Zgolak said, "He's got some issues. I mean you can draw whatever parallels you want between 2007 and this latest incident, but yeah, he's got some issues."

Grover is being held at the Niagara County Jail without bail.