Boy Says Male Approached Him At Bus Stop, Grabbed His Arm
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Alleged Enticement
NBC 4 uncovers new information after a boy allegedly was enticed at his school bus stop Wednesday morning.
NBC 4
UPDATE: NBC 4 uncovers new information after a boy allegedly was enticed at his school bus stop Wednesday morning.
MIFFLIN TOWNSHIP, Ohio—Authorities were investigating a report of an attempted abduction Wednesday.
NBC 4 reported with the FAST FACTS.
A 12-year-old boy was waiting at a bus stop at Mecca Road and Perdue Avenue on the city’s Northeast Side when he was approached by a white male in his 50s, according to Deputy Chief Steve Martin with the Franklin County sheriff’s office.
That was at about 8:15 a.m.
The male allegedly asked the boy where he went to school.
The boy said he told the male to mind his own business and the male grabbed his arm.
The boy backed away, picked up a brick and told the male to leave him alone.
That was when the school bus pulled up and the boy got on his bus.
“(He is a) smart little kid. Apparently, he’s listened to somebody, whether it be mom or dad or school talking about stranger danger issues,“ Martin said.
The boy attends Medina Middle School, 1425 Huy Rd., which is part of the Columbus City Schools district.
The bus driver reported the incident.
The male was described as a white male in his 50s who is 6 feet tall and weighs 170 pounds. He has brown hair and was wearing a red hat, a yellow and blue shirt and black tennis shoes.
Martin said it was believed the male was on foot.
Franklin County deputies and Columbus police were involved in the ongoing investigation.
Martin said his office has alerted surrounding law enforcement agencies about the incident.
Columbus City Schools sent a letter home with students at Medina Middle School, alerting parents to the incident and reminding them about stranger danger tips. The text of the letter is included below.
NBC 4 first reported two boys were involved in the incident as that was the available information on the scene.
For additional information on this developing story, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com—Where Accuracy Matters.
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LETTER SENT TO PARENTS
May 20, 2009
Dear Medina Middle School Parents and Guardians:
The education and safety of our children are the top two priorities at Medina Middle School. As principal, I want to make you aware of a situation that occurred within the neighborhood this morning.
A male student reported he was approached by an unknown, white male thought to be in 50s as the student was waiting at the school bus stop near Mecca Drive and Perdue Avenue. Fortunately the student was not physically harmed. Upon arrival of the bus, the student informed the driver, who was able to further describe the man to the police when a report was filed. In addition, our own Department of Safety & Security has been notified and will provide an additional diligent watch in the area.
Detectives are investigating the report, and will keep us apprised of any specific recommendations or precautions that need to be taken.
The intent of this letter is not to alarm you, but to inform you of this situation. Detectives are investigating the report, and will keep us apprised of any specific recommendations or additional precautions that need to be taken. Meanwhile, I want to encourage you to speak with your child about safety rules and practices including:
1. Don’t talk to strangers, get into cars or accept anything from them.
2. Walk with an adult or group of friends to and from school and after-school activities.
3. Follow the appropriate walking routes and stay in well-lit areas.
4. Come straight to school and go directly home after school.
5. Agree on a time when your child should be home after school.
6. Tell a trusted adult if you are ever approached by a person you don’t know or find yourself in an uncomfortable situation.
The best security is everyone working together to maintain a positive learning environment. Please work with us to ensure that all children are safe. Call me at 365-6050 if you have additional questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Michelle I. Myles
Principal
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Reader Reactions
mom22girls, while i admit there are perverts in the world and children need to understand caution, there is also a VAST need for parents to teach children that they should have respect for adults unless that line is crossed. a stranger making small talk with a kid is probaly harmless far more often than it isnt and it doesnt give kids the excuse to tell an adult to F off or mind their own business or anything else rude. if the child was uncomfortable answering, the polite response would have been “i’m sorry but i’m not allowed to speak to strangers.“ the problem is that parents like you have NO control over their children and teach them nothing about respecting themselves or others. hence, 2/3rds of the trouble we have in the world.
“I really hope that those of you that think it is acceptable for a child to give a stranger personal information have no children.“ Excuse me? No one here has said that or even hinted at it. I guess I hope you don’t have any children, since you are unable to understand basic English.
A grown man has absolutely no business approaching or questioning a child if that child is not his. The boy reacted with the correct response. It is not the business of a strange man where the boy attends school. Then, the man actually put his hands on the child. That is when the boy picked up a brick, to defend himself if he had to. I really hope that those of you that think it is acceptable for a child to give a stranger personal information have no children.
fixfireleo, no I wasn’t referring to you, I was referring to whomever wrote the caption
fixfireleo, I agree. This story leaves out more than it shares (par for the course here) but all I see is a man asking a boy where he goes to school and the boy responding with a threatening overture. This probably did tick the man off. At the very most the man grabbed the boy’s arm. So the F what? There is just too much paranoia in general. People should be able to talk to each other without warning letters going out, etc. Far from being a “brave little kid,“ this was a 12-year-old who responded to a query by picking up a brick. Unless there is more we’re not reading, of course (and I suspect there is).
renegade…are you referring to me? the story doesnt describe enticement. it sort of leaves out all the details. and captions are written by seperate people than those who investigate and write the story.
The caption beside the picture says the boy was “enticed”. Someone needs to look up the definition of enticed.
not many details given. while this could have been some sort of pervert, it could also have been a friendly older guy who got pi—err—ticked off when he was told to “mind his own business” and grabbed the kid to tell him, not so gentley, that he should be more polite to strangers. but stories of molesters make better news i guess.
“enticed” ??????
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