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MPD warns of enticing
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by Courtney Johnson
Friday, March 16, 2007
Two possible cases of child enticement have been reported to the Madison Police Department in a two-day period this week.
The first case occurred Monday on Magnolia Lane when a 13-year-old girl was walking from her home to a nearby bus stop on her way to school. According to a release from the MPD, the girl was approached by a green SUV. The driver then exited his vehicle and allegedly grabbed at the girl's backpack.
The girl was able to escape from the suspect and ran away toward a McDonald's restaurant. The suspect went back to his SUV and allegedly followed the girl as she ran down the street. The victim watched the van drive by from inside the McDonald's before catching another bus to school, where she told school officials about the incident.
As a result, several schools in the Madison Metropolitan School District have issued warnings to parents, urging them to talk to their children about safety and strangers.
"In these cases, we did have a concern that these did take place, and … we wanted parents to remind their children of good safety practices," said Mike Hanson, public information officer for the MPD.
The second case of enticement occurred Tuesday, when a child was walking home near Traceway Drive. The child was reportedly approached by a man in a gray van, who drove by the child several times, Hanson said.
In both cases, the suspect is described as a 30- to 35-year-old Hispanic man. The MPD is currently investigating the possibility that these two enticement cases are related.
Hanson said there are many things parents can do to teach their children how to be safer when walking to school or being out in the community.
"They should remind them about being approached by someone and what to do if an adult comes up to them and either grabs them or talks to them," Hanson said. "If they feel their child is mature enough, they should do some role-playing with their child about what to do if they were ever approached."
Parents should also point out safe areas where their children can run to, such as a neighbor's house or a local business, Hanson said.
According to Dane County Assistant District Attorney Mike Verveer, instances like this have been rare in the Madison area.
"I would say that, over the course of a year, there are definitely a handful of cases that I recall in Dane County, at least that are charged in court, but it's not really a common crime," Verveer said.
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