Wyoming police: Man in truck tried to abduct child

WYOMING, Ohio - A man driving what police and Wyoming schools call a "shiny red pickup truck" apparently tried to lure a child by asking if the child wanted to see a puppy in the back of the vehicle.

In a letter to parents, Wyoming Primary School's principal, Jennifer Klein, says the truck's driver approached the child Thursday morning as the child was on Reily Road, near Hickory Hill Lane. The girl was on her way to school at the time of the encounter.

Wyoming police say the girl did the right thing by getting away quickly.

"She did do the right thing. When she was approached by the subject, she felt uncomfortable and she ran off and ran to school," said Lt. Rusty Herzog of the Wyoming Police Department.

Klein's letter indicates the truck's driver is being described as a black male. The truck, besides being a shiny red color, is said to have a decal of a cross, perhaps an Iron Cross, on the back window. The truck also apparently has front and back seats.

Another resident claims she saw the same vehicle around the same time in the same area.

Parents say they intend to take precautions with their children.

"It's very upsetting but I think the nice thing about the community here is people really are very close knit," said Laurie White, a parent with two children in Wyoming schools. "We watch out for each other. The whole community is like a neighborhood watch and we just have to be even more cautious."

Wyoming police are asking parents to review stranger safety procedures with their children and notify police if they see a truck matching this description.

"We just always encourage kids, that if a stranger approaches, especially in a vehicle, to make the right decision," Lt. Herzog said. "If it's a stranger, you don't need to be around him. If it's a sidewalk and something makes you uncomfortable, whether it's a vehicle driving by slow or another person that's coming toward you, to make an effort to get away from that person or that vehicle."

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