The Collier
County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a report of a man who attempted to
lure an 11-year-old girl into his vehicle as she walked home from school in
East Naples on Wednesday afternoon.
The girl
told detectives that she was walking home to the Victoria Falls subdivision
from Manatee Middle School about 4 p.m. when a man she didn’t know drove up and
asked if she needed a ride.
Detectives
said the girl told him she did not need a ride. He then said that her mother
told him to pick her up and bring her home. Skeptical, the girl asked him for
her mother’s name and he replied, “She did not tell me her name.”
The girl
continued to walk home and the man proceeded to follow her before driving away,
detectives said.
The incident
was reported to CCSO Thursday afternoon.
Detectives
said the suspect is described as a black male with very dark skin, 20-25 years
old with short dark hair. He was unshaven with goatee-type facial hair and wore
a diamond stud earring in his left ear and a blue V-neck shirt.
He was
driving a dark blue or black four-door sedan that was shiny and had a small
tree-shaped air freshener hanging from the mirror.
Detectives
have released a composite of the suspect.
Anyone with
information is asked to call the Collier County Sheriff's Office at
239.252.9300, or to remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward call Crime
Stoppers at 1.800.780.8477.
CCSO OFFERS THESE SAFETY TIPS FOR
CHILDREN:
• Never go
with or accept rides from strangers.
• Do not
play near vacant homes.
• If anyone
should grab you, scream, jerk free and run away. Tell an adult immediately.
• Never walk
alone. Always travel with a buddy.
• Learn
about 911 and how to call for help.
