A Kentucky man was charged in federal court Thursday after he reportedly tried to kidnap a 3-year-old boy and then tried to buy the child for $1,000.

Ronnie L. Helton, of Corbin, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one charge of attempted kidnapping.

On April 7, Helton, 73, reportedly tried to kidnap the child, who was playing on a trailer in the yard.

Helton reportedly took the child by the hand and tried to lift him over the yard’s fence.

According to the Corbin News Journal, the child’s grandmother yelled at Helton, who let go of the child. The child then reportedly ran to his grandmother in fear.

Helton then reportedly approached the grandmother’s boyfriend and offered to pay $1,000 for the boy.

The boyfriend chased the man away, but not before the grandmother wrote down the license number of Helton’s car.

Helton was arrested four hours later on American Greeting Card Road in Corbin and charged with attempted kidnapping and promoting human trafficking, according to the citation.

Federal authorities have since taken over the case. The federal indictment does not include charges relating to Helton offering to buy the boy and does not include a human trafficking charge.