Waukee Deals With Two Attempted Abductions: 2012 in Review

Editor's Note: As the year winds down, Waukee Patch is looking back at some of the stories that made you talk, cry, laugh or just scratch your head.

______________________________

By Jody Gifford

This story first published Aug. 16.

Waukee parents and police dealt with two attempted abductions of Waukee girls this year.

No children were harmed, and no perpetrators were caught in either case.

On Aug. 14 at about 9:08 a.m., according to a news release, Waukee Police received a report from a fifth-grade girl that she was waiting for her bus in the 3300 block of Ashworth Road when a van pulled up next to her at the stop. 

The driver reportedly got out of a "deep purple-colored van with three black stripes on the side and tinted windows" and told the girl to get into the vehicle. The victim ran toward her home and the van left in an unknown direction.

The driver was described as a black man, about 30 years old wearing black shoes, a long gold trench coat, a black hat and black sunglasses with red rims.

Parents of Maple Grove Elementary students near where the attempted abduction occurred were notified of the incident via e-mail late that morning.

The school's address is 1455 98th St. in the city of West Des Moines.

Anyone with information about the vehicle or the driver is asked to contact the Waukee Police Department at (515) 987-1073.

Strangers Tried to Lure Kids in May

In May, both Adel and Waukee children reported strangers trying to entice children into vehicles. On May 15 the Waukee Police Department received a call about a suspicious gray minivan in the area of the 400 block of Gray Avenue which followed two fourth-grade girls. 

The girls gave a description of a balding older man with white hair wearing a blue polo-type shirt and driving a silver four-door SUV, cross-over type. The driver did not slow down, stop or say anything to the girls. 

Later that same day in Adel, police were called on a report of a child who was approached at the corner of North 14^th Street and Grove Street. A man and a woman in a gray minivan stopped asked an 11-year-old boy if he wanted a ride and if he wanted candy.

The boy told the two individuals “No” and walked home. The minivan drove away and the youth told his mother of the incident; she called police. 

Other 2012 in Review Stories:

Former Waukee Cub Scout Leader Sent to Prison in Child Porn Case: 2012 in Review

Waukee Man Gives Back After Transplant: 2012 in Review

Brad Tofteland Remembered With Scholarship and Wrestling Tournament: 2012 in Review

Ward Pushes Back Challenge From Evangelical Pastor Jeff Mullen in Senate District 22: 2012 in Review