A Northern California community is on high alert following a handful of reports of attempted lurings near an elementary school within one week.
Each incident involved an adult approaching and trying to talk to children in the vicinity of the Fairview Elementary School in Modesto, California, according to KCRA 3.
The recent uptick in strangers approaching kids promoted Stanislaus County officials to broaden the presence of patrols not just around the school, but across the county at large. (RELATED: Child Predators Take Full Advantage Of Instagram: REPORT)
Both Modesto Police as well as Stanislaus County deputies are bi-laterally investigating.
However, Modesto Police concluded that the most recent reports was but a family member of a student trying to “track down a child,” CBS News Sacramento reported.
Police debunk reports of stranger near Fairview Elementary in Modesto https://t.co/jwshErA3Ea pic.twitter.com/UeUHStQkUf
— CBS Sacramento (@CBSSacramento) September 2, 2023
The situation seemed suspicious since when school staff approached the person they believed to be luring students from outside of a fence across a field on campus during a lunch block Thursday, the man “quickly” scurried away. The next day, a report about a man jumping the fence brought the school into a state of lockdown.
Elementary school in Modesto locks down temporarily due to ‘misunderstanding’ with family member https://t.co/vHlf6xYUHk
— kcranews (@kcranews) September 2, 2023
By Friday afternoon, Modesto Police found that these two incidents were the actions of the family of a student, according to CBS Sacramento.
The other three incidents remain under investigation by local law enforcement. Each case involved school children being approached by a someone while walking home from class or the nearest bus stop, KCRA continued. (RELATED: Mexican National Who Overstayed Visa Arrested At Northern Border For Alleged Child Trafficking)
A gray vehicle was also described in each report.