Too close to Home

You know how read about something in the papers,  a hit and run accident or a child being abused. You read it, your heart aches for the affected person, you hug your babies a little closer and then life goes on.What happens though when the said crime actually happens in your neighbourhood? The one you mistakenly thought was safe and sound and nothing bad ever happens here.

Monday evening, an email was sent out by the school principal. An attempted kidnapping on a 3rd grader.

Newspaper Report here

This 3rd grader is someone we know. She is a gutsy girl who knew what to do. She fought him off and ran home. It could have been much worse. When the girls came home yesterday, I asked them about this.They didnt know which girl personally but they were both a bit scared.

We talked about people men who try to lure you with promises of cute dogs or a stranger that says your mummy and daddy sent me to pick you up. We talked about screaming and shouting and running away if some one is making you comfortable. After 10 mins of hypothetical scenarios, both said, can we stop now.

At night, when I was lying down beside Avasha, she said Mama, will someone try to kidnap me? I said no.. but you have to be careful and not talk to strangers.I then said sleep Avasha, dont worry I am here.

But I am not. The girls are gone from 7.30-3.00 every single day. They ride the bus home. Anything can happen. What does one do?

Updated Info:

Boulder County Sheriff’s deputies have made an arrest in an incident reported Monday afternoon, October 13^th, that was initially thought to have been an attempted child abduction. However, after extensive investigation, circumstances lead investigators to believe that the suspect’s intentions were far less nefarious.

Sheriff’s deputies were notified at about 3:15 p.m. Monday that a young girl had been accosted in the Heatherwood subdivision while walking home from Heatherwood Elementary School. The third-grader reported that a man in his late teens or early 20′s, standing near a silver Toyota that was parked along the street, grabbed her by the arm as she passed by. The girl kicked the man and ran home to report the incident to her parents.

Investigators located the Toyota Wednesday afternoon and spoke with the owner, who confirmed that she had been visiting an acquaintance in the area at the time of the incident. She was accompanied by her grandson, Aksel A. Taylor, 19, of Boulder, who remained outside with the parked vehicle, tending her dog. Interviews lead detectives to believe that Mr. Taylor, suspecting that the girl’s presence incited the dog’s incessant barking, inappropriately attempted to frighten the girl by lurching at her and grasping her arm. Follow-up interviews with the victim did not reveal any statements made or actions taken on the part of the suspect that would indicate the intent to abduct the child or support a kidnapping charge. The victim was uninjured.

Mr. Taylor was booked and released from the Boulder County Jail on a misdemeanor charge of Harassment. Sheriff’s detectives have been in contact with the Boulder Police Department regarding recent suspicious incidents involving children in the Boulder area and are confident that this incident is not related to them.

This media release may be found on the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office web-site at: www.bouldersheriff.org