Keller Independent School District officials warned parents and students to be on alert after a man approached a student walking to school Tuesday morning.
Fort Worth police said the female student was walking to Hillwood Middle School on Parkwood Hill Boulevard when a man driving a black Chevrolet SUV drove up and offered her a ride.
When the girl declined, the man asked if the student wanted to pet his puppy in the back of the vehicle, according to district officials. She again declined and pulled out a cellphone, causing the man to drive away. The girl then flagged down a teacher who was nearby and they called the police.
"Keller ISD’s Safety and Security Department has been made aware of the incident and will be increasing its presence in the area," said Kathleen Eckert, Hillwood's principal, in a note home to parents.
Police described the man as white, bald and in his 30s. The department released a sketch of the man on Wednesday afternoon and ask anyone with information to contact them at 817-335-4222.
Parkwood Hill Intermediate School posted a letter to parents about the incident on the school's website and also e-mailed parents. The school is across from Hillwood.
On Wednesday afternoon parents were well aware of the attempted abduction.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"I’ve always been over protective anyway, this reinforces why I should be over protective, there are creeps out there unfortunately," said Catherine Garcia, who has a child at each of the three area schools.
The note home to parents reminded them to talk to their kids about how to respond if a stranger tries to offer them a ride. That's something Garcia and other parents say they've already done.
"Run the other way, because there’s no reason why an adult should stop and ask them a question," Garcia said.
"If they don’t say the password, that it’s probably a stranger trying to do something, something you should teach all your kids," said Robert Nguyen, a Keller ISD parent who uses a password so his daughters know if someone is legit or not.
In May 2014, there were two other attempted abductions in north Fort Worth near Keller ISD schools. However that suspect does not match the description in this latest case.
