Archive
Authorities warn of possible attempted child abduction in Libertyville
LIBERTYVILLE — Authorities in Jefferson County don’t know who tried to approach a pair of Libertyville girls this week from a pickup truck, but they’re hoping the public does.
Sheriff Jerry Droz said the incidents took place shortly before 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. Two young teenagers were walking away from their bus stop when a dark blue or black pickup approached them from behind.
The driver, described as a male in his 50s with black-and-gray hair and a mustache, leaned out and asked the girls to touch or pet the dog laying in the bed of the truck. The truck also had a teenage male in the passenger seat.
The girls refused and the truck drove away on Douds Road.
Several minutes later the same truck approached one of the girls. The driver, this time without his passenger, again asked the girl to pet the dog. She ran and the truck again departed south on Douds Road.
Droz wants to know who was driving the truck and why he repeatedly approached the girls. He conceded the driver’s actions sound like an abduction attempt but was cautious about assigning motive.
“We can’t say it’s an attempted abduction because there was no overt act,” he said. “But we’d sure like to talk to them.”
This was not the first time the girls saw the truck in Libertyville. Authorities say they had also spotted it on previous mornings and afternoons.
Libertyville Elementary School Principal Susan McCracken said the community worked last year to set up a network of safe houses for children in the community. The children are taught the houses, marked with stars, are safe havens if they find themselves in an uncomfortable or dangerous situation.
Jefferson County deputies will step up patrols in Libertyville in response, Droz said.
The public is also being asked to keep an eye out for the vehicle and its occupants. The truck is a full-sized, blue or black pickup with Van Buren County plates. It was dirty when the girls saw it. The dog was a golden retriever or yellow labrador.
In addition to the driver, authorities are looking for his passenger. He is a teenager, approximately the age of a high school junior or senior. Dirty blonde hair hung over his forehead and he was wearing a faded black sweatshirt.
Anyone with information about the vehicle or occupants is asked to call the Jefferson County Law Center at (641) 472-4146.
Matt Milner can be reached at (641) 683-5359 or via e-mail at mwmilner@mchsi.com
