Suspect wanted for trying to lure youths
Local police are on the lookout for a man driving a green van, who is accused of trying to lure children into his vehicle in Newell. According to Southwest Regional police Chief John Dale Hartman, a man tried to lure a Newell boy into a van near the Newell post office around 10:20 a.m. Wednesday.
Hartman said the 11-year-old, along with his 9-year-old brother, had a table set up across the street from the post office, where they were selling mulberries.
Just after 10 a.m., a green van parked up the street and a white man went into the post office, Hartman said. The boys told police that the man went into the post office with nothing and came out of the building empty-handed as well.
He returned to his van and then drove up to the boys and lured the 11-year-old over to the van by offering potato chips, Hartman said.
“At that point, he grabbed his right arm with his left arm and tried to pull him into the van. The 11-year-old yelled to his brother to go to the post office for help, because the guy was trying to drag him into the truck,” Hartman said.
Hartman said the descriptions of the van provided by the boys is nearly identical to a van described by two girls who told police that two men tried to lure them into a van in Jefferson Township.
“We have a striking resemblance with (an) incident in Jefferson Township,” Hartman said. “We have a green van with white stripes that are yellowing and two side cargo windows as well as two windows on the back doors. It is an older model van and it was last seen near Newell road.”
Hartman said the boy suffered some bruising to his arm, where the suspect grabbed him.
He said police are actively pursuing all leads.
Anyone with information regarding the incident or the suspect can call police at 724-929-8484.
The incident occurred just days after a suspect driving a similarly described van tried to lure two girls into a vehicle in Jefferson Township.
Trooper Douglas Urey said that two girls, ages 8 and 9, reported that two men approached them between 5 and 5:15 p.m. Sunday at 101 Washington Drive. One of the men had a gun and “motioned for them to be quiet,” Urey said.
The girls ran from the men, who then fled the scene in an older green van with a roof rack, police said.
The man with the gun was described as white, in his 20s, with black, short spiked hair. He is about 5 feet 9 inches tall and was wearing black jeans, a black short-sleeved shirt and brown and black boots. Police said the handgun the man had was silver.
The other suspect was described as a white man in his 20s with spiked brown hair, police said. He was wearing a red shirt, blue shorts and boots, police said.
Anyone with information regarding the incident in Jefferson Township is asked to call police at 724-929-6262.
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