A registered sex offender released from prison Jan. 6 was sent back to jail Friday after his arrest by East Lampeter Township police.

Edward Lee Silcox, 33, of Nottingham, Chester County, was arrested Thursday on charges that he tried to lure an 8-year-old girl from her mother at the Target store on Lincoln Highway East on Feb. 13.

Silcox has a long criminal record of lewd behavior and was released after spending about 15 months in prison related to convictions in Lancaster County on multiple deviant-behavior convictions for incidents that occurred in August, September and October of 2007.

He was arraigned Friday before District Judge Denise Commins and committed to county prison in lieu of $150,000 bail. Silcox is officially charged with criminal attempt at interference with the custody of children.

East Lampeter Township police Detective Michelle Velez, who made the arrest, said Silcox also is a suspect in a similar incident that occurred at Rockvale Square Outlets just prior to the one at Target.

Velez said the incident at Target occurred as a mother was shopping with her two daughters, ages 10 and 8. Silcox allegedly made several attempts to lure the younger daughter using voice commands and gestures.

According to court documents, the girl told police the man alleged to be Silcox said, "Hi," then in a lower voice, "Come here. I want to show you something."

The girl told her mother, who alerted security at Target. The suspect was questioned by store employees, but left before police arrived, according to court documents.

Velez said the incident at Rockvale Square did not warrant a criminal charge. However, a store manager at Rockvale gave police a description of the suspect's vehicle, an older red Chevrolet Cavalier.

On March 3, police were told that a man in a red Cavalier was observed watching teenage female clerks at a local supermarket. The Rockvale store manager gave police a vehicle registration number that was traced back to a person who has the same address that Silcox used to register as a sex offender.

A Target manager and a security employee identified Silcox from a photo lineup as the man who tried to lure the girl at the store on Feb 13.

Silcox, formerly of Willow Street and Lancaster, is registered under Megan's Law in Chester County, but not in Lancaster County. He also is a registered sex offender in Florida.

Silcox's criminal record includes convictions on multiple charges from four different incidents in East and West Lampeter townships in 2007. They include multiple counts of indecent exposure, open lewdness and corruption of minors.

He also was convicted on similar multiple charges in Chester County in 2004. He was convicted on two separate sex charges in Duval, Fla., on July 1, 2002, according to court records.

According to court records, Silcox was in and out of prison from May 2000 to May 2006, and he was in prison from Oct. 3, 2007, until Jan. 6.

Silcox has a preliminary hearing before Commins scheduled on March 13.

E-mail: pburns@lnpnews.com