Daily Police Blotter: Abduction Attempt in Bedford

Here's a daily list of recent activities drawing the attention of North Texas law enforcement. List compiled on Jan. 5, 2010.

BEDFORD POLICE INVESTIGATE ATTEMPTED ABDUCTION
Bedford police say a man tried to abduct and 11-year-old girl near the rear of Bell Manor Elementary School, which is in the 1500 block of Central Drive near Pennington Field. The girl told police a man approached her while she was waiting for a family member to pick her up from school. The man said he was looking for his lost dog and tried to get her into his van, she said. The victim told police he grabbed her when she refused and then she ran to a nearby apartment complex office. The man was described as a light-skinned black man with a slender build standing between 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall with shaggy, light-brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a red shirt with dark jeans and driving a white van with three windows on the side.

RICHARDSON OFFICER HITS PATCH OF ICE
A Richardson police officer crashed early Tuesday morning after hitting ice on the road after runoff from a sprinkler froze overnight. Richardson police said the officer was attempting to catch up to a speeding vehicle when his cruiser hit a thin sheet of ice on Audelia Road, south of Walnut Street at about 2 a.m. The squad car left the roadway, sheared off a utility pole and rolled over. The officer was treated by paramedics and released at the scene. Street crews sanded the roadway. Businesses and homeowners are reminded to turn off their sprinklers during the overnight hours to avoid creating ice on sidewalks and roadways. Watch NBCDFW.com report here.

A PLANO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EVACUATED
The Plano Independent School District reported that Sigler Elementary School was evacuated Tuesday morning because of an unidentified odor in the school. Students and staff were moved to Vines High School while the Plano Fire Department checked for the source of the odor. The school is located in the 1400 block of Janwood Drive.

SERIAL BANK ROBBER SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS
A Dallas man who was convicted of robbed or trying to hold up seven banks in North Texas during 2009 has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. A federal judge in Dallas sentenced 36-year-old Larry Dewayne Pritchett for the January-through-April crime spree. Prosecutors said Pritchett acknowledged robbing banks in Sachse , Dallas and Rowlett. He attempted to rob a bank in Dallas, and admitted to conspiring to rob a bank in Plano and two in Carrollton. Pritchett on Monday also was ordered to pay more than $18,000 in restitution.

FLOWER MOUND WARNS OF RABID SKUNKS
The city of Flower Mound is earning residents that a rabid skunk was found on Dec. 28, 2009, in the Westchester area north of Farm to Market 1171 and west of Farm to Market 2499. Residents are urged to eliminate anything that can attract wildlife, as well as report sick or disoriented animals and keep their pets' vaccinations current.

ARLINGTON GETS CUSTODY OF SEIZED ANIMALS
A court granted custody to come 27,000 animals seized last month to the city of Arlington. The judge said animals at U.S. Global Exotics were confined in cramped, dirty cages, denied food, water and veterinary care. The SPCA of Texas and animal welfare groups have been caring for the animals since the Dec. 15 raid.

RECALLED FLOOR MAT DID NOT CAUSE SOUTHLAKE CRASH: POLICE
Investigators said Tuesday that the driver's side floor mat that was recently recalled was not involved in a deadly car crash in Southlake last month. Four people were killed when their Toyota Avalon careened off the road and landed upside down in a pond. Southlake police said the floor mat was found in the trunk of the car. In September, Toyota recalled nearly four million cars and trucks, warning that the floor mat on the driver's side could snag the gas pedal, causing the vehicle to speed out of control.

VANDALS DESTROY BASEBALL TEAM'S FIELD HOUSE
Police said vandals trashed and burglarized Cedar Hill High School's baseball field house over the weekend. Investigators are still trying to add up the damage. Vandals spray-painted profanities on the walls and lockers, ripped panels out of the ceiling, poured gallons of paint onto the carpet and stole players' gear. Read this story on NBCDFW.com.

12-YEAR-OLD KILLED IN MULTICAR CRASH
Police said a 12-year-old boy was killed in a four-car crash in Flower Mound late Tuesday afternoon. Police said a driver rear-ended a pickup truck that then hit another car head-on at about 4:30 p.m. near the intersection of U.S. 377 and Stonecrest Road. The boy was a passenger in the car that was hit head-on.

DALLAS SEES FEWEST MURDERS SINCE 1967
Dallas police said the number of murders in city in 2009 was the lowest in more than four decades. The department said 166 murders were committed in the city last year, the lowest since 1967. The number is a 2.5 percent drop from 2008. The city saw the highest number in 1991.

FIFTH-GRADER ACCUSED OF BRINGING GUN TO SCHOOL
School officials in Wise County said they confiscated a handgun from a fifth-grader on Monday. The weapon was allegedly in the boy's backpack, according to the Wise County Messenger. The student, who attends Boyd Intermediate School, was suspended. The incident is under investigation.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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