Schools on guard for stranger danger

By CHRIS PORTER • Daily Tribune Staff

GRANITE SHOALS - School officials remain on guard after a suspicious-looking man approached two young girls waiting for a school bus outside their Granite Castle Street home.

Police Chief JP Wilson said the two girls escaped unharmed, adding the public’s help is needed to locate the man.

“We’re classifying (the incident) as being under suspicious circumstances,” he said. “We’re not labeling an attempted kidnapping, but it’s definitely a high priority.”

Wilson said the two girls, both students at Highland Lakes Elementary School, were waiting for the bus around 7:15 a.m. when a strange car pulled up.

“A white male exited the passenger door and started running toward the juvenile females waiting for the bus,” Wilson said. “The older child ran back toward the house, while the younger girl stood there.”

The girls’ bus driver - who was driving just down the street from the girls’ house - saw the incident and sped to the scene.

“The driver basically drove up as fast as she could and pulled the younger child into the bus,” Wilson said. “The male continued to run by the school bus and came with 10 feet of the child. Then he turned and kept running down the street.”

The girls’ mother witnessed the incident from the house, Wilson said, adding the suspicious vehicle’s driver left the scene after dropping off the passenger.

The bus driver took the girls to school, where Principal Keith Powell notified police.

“We checked on the kids and notified the teachers to keep an eye on them throughout the day,” Powell said. “The officers were out here as soon as we called them. They visited with the children, then went to see the parent.”

Powell said he notified the staff about the situation, asking them to remain vigilant.

“Everyone is aware of it here, they’re going to be vigilant and monitoring the area throughout the day,” he said. “We don’t want to create a sense of nervousness, but we’re at a heightened state.”

That heightened state extended to afternoon pickups, he said.

“We’re extra-careful in the afternoons, making sure the children are picked up by the proper legal guardians. Kids get into the routine.”

Superintendent Ryder Warren said district staff are trained to keep an eye out for suspicious-looking people on local campuses.

“We’re very diligent in making sure that we are aware of our campuses and who’s on our campuses,” he said. “We have several guests each day, and we make sure everyone’s following the correct procedures. Kids’ safety is always the first issue.”

Students are also trained to be wary of strangers, Warren said.

“Through our curriculum, we teach about stranger danger,” he said. “We contract with Clement-Wilcox (Funeral Home of Marble Falls). They have a program to talk about strangers and how to escape when there’s a threat.”

School staff went ahead with a pre-planned security drill after the incident, Powell said.

“We didn’t tie it in to the two students, we told them it was just a drill,” he said. The regular security drills call for teachers to lock classroom doors and turn out the lights, protecting students from external security threats.

So far, the two students appear to be fine, Powell said. Meanwhile, Warren has ordered staff members across the district to stay alert.

Wilson said his officers continue to search for the man, described as thin, 6-feet tall with shoulder length sandy red hair. The man was last seen wearing a white T-shirt with green shorts.

The vehicle was described as a bright red Dodge Neon with dark tinted windows and black racing stripes on the hood.

“We’re asking anyone who sees that vehicle to take down the license plate and contact their local law enforcement agency,” Wilson said. Officials in Burnet and Llano counties have received a description of the vehicle, he added.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the man or the vehicle can call the Granite Shoals Police Department at (830) 598-4818 or Crime Stoppers at (866) 756-8477.

chris@thepicayune.com

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Schools on guard for stranger danger