Protecting Your Children From Predators

     Prompted by a recent local police report that was followed by a law enforcement bulletin issued by a neighboring agency, Mason County Sheriff Wayne Youell is alerting parents to safeguard their children from the potential dangers of abduction. “I am disturbed and concerned by the information that our office received this past week. Although random child abduction by strangers is very rare, I feel that it is necessary to notify our residents of the reports that our area’s law enforcement have recently received and also provide some safety tips for parents to discuss with their children to help ensure their safety.”
     Last week, a thirteen year-old Forest City Township girl reported to police that while she was walking home, a man approached and forced her inside a silver vehicle. The man, said to be a stranger, was described as being a slender, white male, in his 20’s and having brown hair. According to the girl, she was driven to the area of the Forest City cemetery where she struggled with her abductor and was able to escape. This event reportedly occurred sometime during September 2003. The Mason County Sheriff’s Office and Forest City Police are investigating this incident.
     On March 11, 2004, the Mason County Sheriff’s Office received a bulletin of two possible abduction attempts in the Tazewell County area.
     According to the bulletin, on March 6, 2004, a male approached a twelve-year-old girl in a store parking lot and began asking the girl questions. The male fled when the parent was seen.
     In a separate Tazewell County complaint, during the early evening of March 10, 2004, a man approached a seventeen-year-old female at a store parking lot and asked her for directions. When close enough, the man reportedly grabbed the female by the wrist, pulled, and ordered her into his vehicle. When another customer neared, the man quickly released the female and drove away. This man was described as being a white male in his 20’s or 30’s with brown hair and a goatee. The man fled in a newer model blue, four-door vehicle.
     It is not known if any of these three incidents are related.
     In light of these recent reports, Sheriff Youell is providing the following tips to safeguard your children.
Teach your children: 1.     If they believe they are being followed or being forced to move to another location, to scream, drop anything they may be carrying, and run away to the nearest public place. 2.     To tell you or a trusted adult as soon as possible if anyone attempts to touch or grab them 3.     To learn to recognize suspicious behavior and remember a description of the person or vehicle to give to the parent or police. If possible, write the license plate number in the dirt or snow if nothing else is available. 4.     To tell you where they are at all times or leave a written or recorded message at home. 5.     That it is always safer walking or playing with friends. 6.     Never to hitchhike anywhere they are trying to go. 7.     To avoid shortcuts through empty parks, fields, laneways or alleyways. 8.     To always come straight home from school unless you have made other arrangements. 9.     Never to give any information over the telephone, particularly their name and address, or that they are alone. 10.     That no coins are needed to call 9-1-1 on a pay telephone.

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