GRESHAM, Ore. (KATU/CNN) – An Oregon mother says a driver attempted to lure her 10-year-old into his SUV on Sunday.
The girl was walking her dog on the sidewalk and quickly ran to safety.
The fifth grader is learning about responsibility. Recently, she learned a difficult lesson: the world can be a dangerous place.
She said, “Like, when I was walking, I heard this car started going down Stark Street and then he did a u-turn coming down the street I was on and started asking me questions.”
Her mother, Kalah Bowles, said she is shocked about what he said to her daughter. “Started asking her about her panties and her underwear and if she wears bras and asking her, “Can you get in the car? Can you get in the vehicle?’”
The 10-year-old ran home.
Bowles searched for the car herself and called 911. “Probably 20 minutes later I received a call from an officer telling me that he doesn’t even feel a crime was committed,” she said.
Gresham police searched for the SUV but didn’t locate the driver.
Officer Ben Costigan explained, “In some situations, our hands are tied.”
Costigan said asking a child to get in a car or making inappropriate comments is wrong, but not criminal. “I spent quite a bit of time today trying to find some sort of crime that this would fall under and I wasn’t having any luck.”
Bowles said Alder Elementary told her this isn’t the first incident. “She can’t walk to school on her own now and she’s afraid to walk on her own now.”
Three police officers said they spent 20 minutes searching for the car, but they didn’t have any luck finding it.
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