As the sun was setting, David Smoot was watching his son during soccer practice in Pearland. Another thing on his mind, though, was an attempted child abduction near his son's school last week.
Jamison Middle School sent out an email alert.
"So we got an email middle of last week saying that there had been an incident and that everybody was OK," Smoot said.
Pearland police say about 3:45pm on October 11, an 11-year-old girl was walking home down this sidewalk on Woody. She stopped to let friends catch up and was almost abducted.
"And as she waited there, a truck came down the street, stopped right next to her; the driver rolled the window down on the passenger side and asked her to or told her to get in the truck," Pearland Police Department Lt. Onesimo Lopez said.
The girl, already coached by her parents, backed up and ran toward the school looking for an adult.
"That's the one area, I tell my child it's OK to break the rules and kick and scream and run and holler and make a fuss. You just have to do your best to prepare them to deal with that eventuality," Smoot said.
Pearland police are now looking for the suspect. He's been described as a white male with brown eyes and said to have tattoos on his left forearm and right biceps. Investigators also say he was driving a blue pickup with tinted windows, shiny wheels and big tires.
Glad to hear the girl got away. It only reinforces Smoot's belief that parents should talk to their kids about strangers.
"Sounds like the parents of that young lady did a good job and they should be proud of themselves and thankful," he said.
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the Pearland Police Department at 281-997-4100.
