SYLVANIA TOWNSHIP, OH (Toledo News Now) -
Sylvania Township Police say for the second time in two weeks they received a report of a possible attempted abduction of a child on Wednesday.
Police say a 12-year-old girl was dropped off by the school bus on Robert's Road when a stranger in a white van tried to talk to her.
"There was a gentleman inside that called out to her 'how are you doing' at that point she became very alarmed thankfully and ran away, she ran home. Her home was a short distance away and the van proceeded up the street," said Sylvania Township Police Chief Robert Boehme.
Boehme says police are investigation whether or not the incident is related to a similar encounter last week. In that case, a 9-year-old boy was offered a ride home by a stranger.
"The vehicles match up, we've got a white panel van, windowless van. The suspects match up a little bit at this point in our incident we've got a white male with gray balding head, gray hair," said Chief Boehme.
Parents say they are shocked something like this would happen in their area.
"It's scary that it's happening in Sylvania because you don't think things like that happen here and nobody wants to think it's going to happen to their kid or in their neighborhood," said parent Jill Barror.
Chief Boehme says this is a great illustration of the importance of parents to talking to their children about stranger danger.
"Both children did exactly the right thing they didn't approach the vehicle closer as soon as the gentleman said something to them they became alarmed and fled the scene they ran and then they told somebody," said Boehme.
The McCord Jr. High Parent Club distributed the following letter to parents on Thursday:
On February, 6, 2013 at approximately 4:00 p.m., the Police Department received a report of a second incident involving a suspicious vehicle in which a white panel van with a ladder rack on top approached a female junior high student. The student promptly ran home and is safe. The white male driver is described as being in his 40's and is bald. This incident occurred on Roberts Road near Alexis Road.
We commend this student for doing the right thing. As parents we teach our kids to get away as quickly as possible. Now is a good time to review your stranger safety rules with your children. Please include:
- Say No
- Get Away
- Tell Someone
- Children who walk home from school should walk in groups for safety.
Thank you, we appreciate your attention and vigilance in this matter.
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