Mustang schools, police offer statements on attempted abduction
Suspect in the investigation. (Image provided from Facebook)
Mustang law enforcement is looking for assistance in the investigation of an attempted abduction on March 23.
Here is the released statement from Mustang Public Schools to families in the Mustang School District.
“Mustang Families,
The safety of our students and staff is of paramount priority and we are writing today to inform you of an incident that took place yesterday, and to pass along a request for help from our law enforcement partners.”
“Mustang Police are asking for assistance identifying a suspect and vehicle from an attempted abduction in the 600 block of W. Elder Dr. The incident occurred yesterday evening, March 23, 2022, at approximately 5:45pm. The suspect, a white male, 20-30 years of age, had brown hair, a beard and brown eyes, lured a young juvenile to his vehicle where he attempted to abduct the juvenile and force the juvenile to touch him. Fortunately, the juvenile was able to escape and alert authorities. If anyone has any information, they are asked to contact Detective William Carpenter by calling (405) 376-7733 or (405) 376-2488.”
“Although this did not happen at or during school, we are thankful for our law enforcement partners for alerting us and allowing us to help get the word out concerning this situation. In light of the above situation, we would like to take this opportunity to remind parents and students to report suspicious activity.”
“Additionally, we encourage you to please review the following stranger safety precautions with your children:
Whenever feasible, children should walk in groups or pairs rather than alone;
If someone follows them on foot, children should get away as quickly as they can by going to someone’s house they know or run toward other people;
If a car pulls beside a child, the child should turn around and go in the opposite direction if they do not know the driver and/or if the driver makes the child feel uncomfortable;
Children should avoid shortcuts through empty parks, fields, or alleys;
Children should be taught to recognize suspicious behavior and remember a description of the person or vehicle to give to the police.”
“We encourage parents/ guardians to reinforce these tips with their children and to ask them to take the same precautions during non-school hours and on weekends. If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact your child’s building principal. As always, we sincerely appreciate your continued partnership, support, and understanding.”
The Mustang Police Department issued the following statement on Facebook following the incident.
“Mustang Police are asking for assistance identifying a suspect and vehicle from an attempted abduction in the 600 block of W. Elder Dr. The incident occurred yesterday evening at approximately 5:45 PM. The suspect, a white male, 20-30 years of age, wearing a white hoody and no pants, had brown hair, a beard and brown eyes, lured a young juvenile to his vehicle where he attempted to abduct the juvenile and force the juvenile to touch his genitalia. Fortunately, the juvenile was able to escape and alert authorities. We are asking our community for extra diligence and assistance in the identification of the suspect. With your help we are hopeful to bring this criminal to justice.”
Mustang Police Chief, Robert Groseclose, issued a statement when the Mustang Times reached out to him.
“We are thankful for the safety of the juvenile and we will diligently pursue the suspect with all of our resources,” Groseclose said.
