Update 12:15 p.m.: This article has been updated to include a comment from the Sheriff’s Office regarding the reported incident at Englewood Elementary.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a male who approached a student walking home from school from Mary Eyre Elementary School on Thursday.
“The stranger is reported to have offered the child a ride and continued to follow them after they said no,” said Sgt. Jeremy Landers, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office, in a press release. “The stranger drove away after the child went inside their home.”
This is the second time this week a stranger has offered elementary school students a ride while students are walking to school, district spokeswoman Lillian Govus said.
A similar incident happened Thursday morning as Englewood Elementary students were walking to school. An adult walking with students confronted the stranger and reported the encounter to police and the school.
Landers said he couldn’t say if it was connected.
“We’re aware of the other incident inside the city of Salem. At this point we don’t have any information to indicate they are directly related,” he said.
For the Mary Eyre incident, Landers said the child could only describe the suspect as a male. The vehicle is said to be a black or dark-colored, two-door car with a red sticker on the hood. The license plate could contain the letters “T” or “Z,” Landers said.
“The Sheriff’s Office encourages parents to ensure they talk to their children about the dangers of talking to strangers,” Landers said.
He added that there will be additional deputies in the Four Corners area of Salem, near Mary Eyre Elementary School, this afternoon.
The district has also increased security at the school and will send an automated phone call to school families today, Govus said.
Deputies ask that potential witnesses or people with information contact the Sheriff’s Office at 503-588-5032.
