Petaluma Police Seek Witnesses In Michaels Incident

PETALUMA, CA — The Petaluma Police Department put out a request for witnesses Wednesday as it continues to investigate an incident Dec. 7 at Michaels that was initially reported as an attempted kidnapping of a child in a stroller in the parking lot of the arts and crafts store at 1359 N. McDowell Blvd in the Redwood Gateway shopping center.

Petaluma police said a woman came into the police department the day of the incident and reported that a man and woman followed her into the Michaels store and kept following her around the store as she shopped while pushing her two young children in a stroller.

The woman said the couple made comments about her children's appearance as they walked behind her, Petaluma police Lt. Ed Crosby said in a statement. She also told police the couple followed her out to her car and suspiciously loitered until someone noticed them and they left, Crosby said.

Working with the reporting party and Michaels, police tracked down the suspicious couple. Crosby said the couple agreed to be interviewed and fully cooperated with the investigation. While acknowledging they shopped at Michaels that day and were the couple shown in a photograph, they denied the woman's allegations, Crosby said.

Police announced Dec. 17 the case would be closed, stating that no evidence or witnesses corroborated the account provided by the reporting party; rather, evidence gathered supported the account provided by the couple.

However, police said, the incident became widely publicized when the child's mother posted a video and it went viral on social media.

In a Dec. 18 statement about the social media post, Petaluma police Chief Ken Savano said the mother "recounted and elaborated upon the incident with information alleging that a criminal violation may have been committed—information that was not disclosed with her original report."

Based on the social media post and other evidence, Savano called for an investigation into whether the incident was potentially falsely reported.

Despite the publicity that followed, Crosby said this week that no independent witnesses have come forward "to describe what (if anything) they saw on Monday, December 7, 2020."

The investigation indicates there were people present in the parking lot of Michaels who could potentially provide some insight as to what did —or did not—occur that day, Crosby said.

For that reason, the Petaluma Police Department renewed its request to speak with anyone who was in the Michaels store between 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 7.

The lieutenant described two people in particular police would like to speak with. One is an elderly man with white and gray hair and eyeglasses who on Dec. 7 was wearing a brown Pendleton-type shirt, gray or tan pants, and brown shoes. The second potential witness is a possibly middle-aged woman who may have accompanied the elderly man that day. She has dark hair and eyeglasses, and on Dec. 7 was wearing blue jeans or dark-colored pants and a two-toned pink shirt with vertical stripes.

The pair may have been driving — or riding in — a black or dark blue van or SUV, Crosby said.

"The persons described above are neither suspected nor accused of any wrongdoing; their value to the investigation would only be as potential witnesses," Crosby said.

Any witnesses or anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact either Lt. Ed Crosby by phone at 707-778-4325 or via email at ecrosby@cityofpetaluma.org, or Detective Corie Joerger by phone at 707-778-4456 or via email at cjoerger@cityofpetaluma.org.