An unknown person attempted to get inside a student’s vehicle as she was leaving for school this past Friday morning, December 15. According to a Medina County Sheriff’s dispatch report, the incident occurred in the 2100 block of County Road 5710 (Calame Store Road) right outside Devine.
The local residents reported that before the male attempted to get into their daughter’s vehicle, she had first seen the two suspicious people (a male and a female) standing near the driveway of their residence as she was getting ready to leave for school around 7:50 am.
According to the dispatch report, the male and female were described as “a bald, white male, wearing a grey jacket, and a white female, wearing black leggings.”
“The daughter advised, she was pulling on to CR 5710 from her driveway, and proceeded to lock the gate behind her when she observed the male in the middle of the roadway, near HWY 173, and the female was no longer with him. Then, the daughter advised, as she was stopped on the road, the male approached her vehicle and attempted to reach for the passenger door handle, but she drove off before the male could grab the door handle,” the report states.
After driving off, the student later saw the male get into a white truck with a flat bed trailer.
Unfortunately, the incident was not reported until after school that day when the student spoke with her parents about what had happened. According to the Medina County Sheriff’s Office, deputies are now patrolling the area of CR 5710 in attempts to locate any suspicious activity.
A letter signed by Devine ISD Superintendent Scott Sostarich states:“The purpose of this letter is to let you know about an incident that happened with one of our students on the way to school on Friday morning. According to the parent of the student, a man was said to be in the middle of the road as the student was driving to school. The person moved to try to open the student’s passenger door on the vehicle as the student had to stop. Luckily, the student drove the vehicle away before he could get in or anything further happened. The student saw the person get into a white pick-up truck with a flatbed trailer attached. The parent reported the incident to the Sherriff’s Department on Friday night, and to us and our School Resource Officer today.
“Even though this incident did not happen on school grounds or during school hours, we feel it is important to make parents aware whenever a concern like this arises.
“There have been several national stories in recent months about children being taken, and possibly being entered into human sex trafficking. This is a concern for all parents, so we need to talk with our children about the importance of basic safety and situational awareness at all times. As always, student safety is our first priority. We all need to be aware of our surroundings at home, or out in the community to ensure the safety and well-being of all our children. Please do not hesitate to contact your campus principal if you have any questions or information to report.”
