On Oct. 26 at approximately 2:40 p.m. an adult male driving a white pickup or van approached a ten year old female as she walked home from her school bus stop. The male rolled down the window of his truck and asked the child if she could help him find his lost dog. The child immediately ran home and the male drove off. The incident occurred in the area of 35th Avenue North and Lawndale Lane.

Suspect Description
The suspect is described as being 20 – 30 years of age with a dark complexion, possibly of East Indian descent. He had short black hair, a goatee and a slight accent.

Vehicle Description
The vehicle is described as a full sized white van with a ladder on its top. The van did not have any writing on it; however, the vehicle did have a large scratch or dent on the rear passenger side.

What You Can Do

• Parents – use this as an opportunity to talk to you child about personal safety. Point out that the child in this case did the right thing – she ran away and is safe.
• Be sure that your child knows their full name, phone number and address.
• Have your child walk only the routes to and from the school/bus stop that you know and point out residences along the way that they can run to if help is needed.
• Remind children to pay attention to their surroundings and not to wear headphones or be distracted by a hand –held game.
• Encourage them to trust their instincts – if they feel they are being followed or something is not right, seek help immediately and to tell you.
• Tell them that if a stranger approaches them, they do not have to speak to the stranger, just keep walking. They should never to accept gifts or candy from a stranger, and to be aware of luring tactics.
• Like the child did in this situation, tell your child to remember details of the individual and vehicle. Parents should talk about the importance of this so that an arrest would be more likely made by the police.
• Tell them that if a stranger grabs you, do everything you can to stop them from pulling you away or dragging you into his or her car. Drop to the ground, kick, bite and scream. Do whatever it takes to attract the attention of others who can help. If someone is attempting to abduct them, have then scream, “This is not my dad!” or “This is not my mom!"  

While sharing the above tips with your child is extremely important, the best way to teach personal safety lesson is through role-playing scenarios. Give them power through knowledge and play the “WHAT IF” game. And, always encourage them to ask you questions and work to alleviate their concerns. 

Anyone with further information is asked to contact the Plymouth Police Department at 763-509-5160 or by calling Hennepin County Dispatch at 763-525-6210. 
 
If you prefer to remain anonymous, you may contact the Plymouth Police Department Crime Tip Line at 763-509-5177 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or at www.crimestoppersmn.org.