A Center Township
girl is reporting having been approached by a stranger in a pickup truck on
Thursday and offered a ride, the Porter County Sheriff’s Police said.
According to
police, at 12:15 p.m. the 13-year-old girl was dropped off at her bus stop,
in the area of Burlington Beach Road and Charles Street, on the last day of
school. She was then approached by a male subject in a white pickup truck
who asked her “Do you want to go somewhere with me?”
The girl refused a
ride and, fearful, ran home and immediately told her mother, police said.
Officers from the
PCSP and the Valparaiso Police Department were on the scene within four
minutes, flooding the area, but were unable to locate the suspect.
The subject was
described as a white male, possibly in his thirties, with short stubby blond
or brown hair, clean shaven, with no visible tattoos and wearing a
reflective vest, police said. He was the pickup truck’s sole occupant and
spoke to the girl through the passenger’s side window.
The truck itself
had a dark blue or black interior, an empty bed with no work box, and small
scratches along the passenger’s side door, police said.
“There are no
further incidents reported in this area,” police added. “However, as summer
approaches, we remind everyone to be mindful of their surroundings and to
report any suspicious incidents similar to this immediately.”