Henderson police say 2 people tried to lure student into van
Students at a Henderson middle school and their parents are on high alert after two people tried to lure a student into their caricature-decorated van Saturday morning.
About 9:45 a.m. Saturday, a 911 call reporting an attempted abduction of a child was made to the Henderson Police Department.
While walking home from a friend’s house, a student was approached by two people in a white van near Patti Ann Woods Drive and Noble Isle Street, less than half a mile from Mannion Middle School.
The front windows of the van used in the attempted luring were dark-tinted, while the back windows were painted white. Animal caricatures also were painted on the white van, the Police Department said.
Police did not have a description of the driver, but the other person was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.
On Monday, Henderson police officer Rod Peña said no other calls for service in the area of Mannion Middle School with the same van description have been reported recently.
Mannion principal Todd Petersen sent a letter home Monday informing parents of the incident.
“The safety of our students is of the utmost importance,” he wrote.
Peña said at least 50 minutes had passed before the attempted abduction was reported to police.
“We want to remind parents and children to immediately call 911,” he said. “If children don’t have a phone, they should scream for help and continue screaming to create distance from their suspected abductors.”
On Monday, the Clark County School District said it had not received any similar reports.
Anyone with information about the incident may call the Henderson Police Department’s investigation services at 702-267-4750, Clark County School District police at 702-267-5000 or Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.
Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.
Safe practices for students walking to and from school
— There’s safety in numbers. Walk in groups to and from school.
— Never take rides from strangers.
— If you are approached by a stranger, keep a safe distance and think of a direction to run if needed.
— Shout and yell as loud as you can.
— Never give out your name or address to people you do not know. This is especially true on the internet.
— Run to a safe place, such as a school, church or store.
— Always let your parents or guardians know where you are.
— Take the same route to school every day.
— Be sure you know your parents’ full names, addresses and phone numbers.
— If possible, get a license plate number.
