ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — WFTV obtained the taped interview of an Orange County teenager accused of taking a toddler out of a Burlington Coat Factory. Investigators released interrogation tapes Friday morning of Edwin McFarlane, his mother, the toddler's mother, a store employee and an eyewitness.
False imprisonment charges were dropped against McFarlane earlier this week.
The interview with McFarlane is about 45 minutes long (hear it) and was done by investigators from the sheriff's office.
"How do you feel about being here today?" the investigator asked in the recorded interrogation.
"Scared," McFarlane told him.
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It's the first time the public has heard from McFarlane about what he was doing the day he got arrested.
"If I wanted to take the little girl, I have no way of getting her home or taking the little girl anywhere," McFarlane told investigators.
The then 14-year-old boy talked to investigators just a short time after he walked out of the Burlington Coat Factory store in west Orange County holding the hand of a 3-year-old girl. The arrest for false imprisonment has been the center of controversy since it happened last month.
Edwin McFarlane Presser 070110 Edwin McFarlane "If I said, 'Edwin, in a yes or no question, did you kidnap that little girl today?' What would you say?" the investigator asked.
"No," he said.
McFarlane claimed he was just trying to help the girl find her mother. Detectives doubted his claims based on what they saw on the surveillance video.
"I don't know if you're being honest with me, because the tape shows something different than what you're telling me," an investigator told McFarlane.
Thursday during a news conference, McFarlane's lawyer refused to let the teen talk about what he was doing that day; that came after all the charges against him were dropped.
WFTV does know the teen had been in trouble at school for making obscene gestures and had failed a voice stress test during his interview with investigators. He also didn't have a good answer when detectives asked him about walking past the little girl's mother.
"You thought that was her parents, right?" the investigator asked McFarlane.
"Yes."
"So, how come you didn't just say, ‘Hey, is this your little girl?'" the investigator asked.
"I don't know," McFarlane said.
WFTV also learned McFarlane had some records on file with DCF that could not be released as part of the public record.
Previous Stories: July 1, 2010: Edwin: "I Felt Relieved When The Charges Were Dropped" June 29, 2010: Charges Dropped Against Teen Accused Of Taking Girl June 29, 2010: Sheriff Wants State To Forego Charging Edwin McFarlane June 25, 2010: WFTV Learns Arrested 14-Year-Old Failed Lie Detector Test June 25, 2010: Judge Lifts Home Confinement For 14-Year-Old June 22, 2010: Lawyer Defends Teen Accused Of Taking Child June 21, 2010: Sheriff Defends Controversial Arrest Of 14-Year-Old June 18, 2010: Attorneys: Drop Teen's False Imprisonment Charge June 17, 2010: Teen Accused Of Taking Girl: "I Was Just Trying To Help" June 12, 2010: Teen Accused Of Taking Toddler Faces Judge June 11, 2010: Was Teen Trying To Kidnap Toddler Or Help? June 11, 2010: Teen Accused Of Leading Child Out Of Store