By Sharon Turco
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The 13-year-old girl who was snatched off an Indian Hill road and repeatedly stabbed earlier this month testified Monday that she screamed for her father as she struggled to fight off her attacker.

"He picked me up like a baby and ran me across the street into the woods," said the girl, in her first public comments about the assault. "I was scared to death. I couldn't see my dad."

The girl testified that she recognized the 17-year-old boy, who was arrested on charges of attempted murder, kidnapping and felonious assault in the attack, from riding the school bus with him two years ago.

After listening to the girl's testimony, Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge Sylvia Hendon moved the case from Juvenile Court to adult court Monday. A grand jury must decide if the 17-year-old will be tried as an adult. The boy remains jailed.

The girl said she spent the day with her mother and aunt. After picking up dinner, she went for a 3-mile run with her father biking behind.

She said she saw a boy in front of her and moved out of his way, but he kept coming toward her and grabbed her. A knife fell of out his pocket as he threw her to the ground, she said:

"I grabbed the blade to protect myself. He started to cut me, I knew I was being stabbed," said the girl, who remained calm during her testimony.

The girl showed how the boy pulled her head back by her forehead and tried to slit her throat. She spent five days in the hospital for four stab wounds, including one to her throat, a millimeter from her jugular vein. Bandages remained on the wounds.

"I put my leg in the air and kicked him, I think on his head, and he ran off," she said.

She screamed for her father, who has been riding his bike about 150 feet behind her. Her father tore off his shirt and used it to stop the bleeding.

She said he carried her to a porch and asked the homeowner to call 911.

The teen, who talked to police after his arrest, sat silent during the hearing with his parents nearby. Police have said that the teen was in a "fit of rage." The teen's police statement, which is not public, was given to the judge. The boy did not testify Monday.

The teen's lawyer, Jim Perry, declined comment.

The knife used in the attack has not been recovered, police said.

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E-mail sturco@enquirer.com