An attempted child abduction shocked Jefferson City residents Tuesday. It was an eye-opening experience particularly for parents, many who chose to raise their children here because we're known as a family-friendly community.
These things aren't supposed to happen here. And fortunately, it's not often that they do.
A West Elementary School student was riding her bike to school Tuesday morning when a man grabbed her and tried to pull her into his pickup truck. It happened near the west intersection of Hayselton and Allen drives - just north of the Hayselton-Boonville Road "Y" intersection.
The girl got away, rode her bike to school and reported the incident to school officials. The unnamed girl should be a role model for other children. She did exactly what she should have, and it very well may have saved her life.
The Huffington Post has reported about 300 children are abducted each year, and between one third and one half of them are killed.
The suspect - a white man in his mid-30s, with scruffy, brown hair and crooked teeth - got away. He was driving a four-door, bright red pickup with step rails and chrome brush grille with a Missouri license plate that had an "8" in the plate numerics. Investigators believe the truck is a Ford with the letters "FX" indicating the model type.
If you have any information that could help Jefferson City police find this creep, call them at 634-6400 or CrimeStoppers at 573-659-TIPS.
Jefferson City CrimeStoppers is offering a $500 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Meanwhile, parents, now is a good time to have a talk with your children about child abduction and ways to prevent it. Here are a few specific things to remind them:
Don't ever go with anyone you don't know or trust. Don't go in a car, on a bus, for a walk. Don't go with them. Period.
If an adult tries to grab you, run away and scream for help. If you need to, grab onto something and continue screaming.
If an adult says they need "help" from a child, that should be a warning sign. The same goes for an adult who offers something to a child to enter their vehicle.
Parents teach children to obey them and to "respect" all adults. To a child, that easily can be confused with "obeying" all adults. Let your child know that it is imperative that they not obey strangers.
An open discussion with your children could remind them to do the same thing that a local girl did Tuesday - break away and run away - and it could save their lives one day.