Vernon, B.C. parents put on alert after two stranger-danger reports made to police

Vernon, B.C., parents are being reminded to tell their children what to do when a stranger approaches, following a series of unusual incidents.

RCMP issued a press release saying that there were two incidents Wednesday in which an unknown man approached students near or at  Vernon elementary schools.

From their initial investigation, police said there’s “no criminality involved” but children acted appropriately after each incident and any and all cases, such as the ones that happened, should be reported to police.

The schools impacted appear to be Harwood and Ellison elementary schools.

A letter sent home to parents of children at the affected schools said that at Harwood Elementary, several children were approached by an older man and “staff and students acted swiftly and promptly following all safety procedures.”

RCMP helped with dismissal and precautions were put into place.

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RCMP confirmed those details, adding that in that case, a group of students near the edge of school grounds were asked for directions to a local business by an unknown man who then left the area

The second incident happened later that day, at approximately 3:20 p.m. Police received a report that a 10-year-old girl walking home from Ellison Elementary in the 4300-block of 15th Avenue had an unsettling interaction with a stranger.

“Initial information was that the girl was following behind a man walking a medium-sized brown dog who got into a vehicle. As the girl walked by the vehicle, the dog was in the passenger seat with the window rolled down,” RCMP said in a press release.

“The man asked the child if she wanted to pet the dog. The girl replied no and the man drove away.”

These incidents are on the heels of another report made on Oct. 11 about a child being approached by an unknown man at Harwood Elementary at dismissal time. In that case, RCMP said that the man grabbed a child’s arm, who then went home and told police.

Const. Chris Terleski, media relations officer for the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP asked that parents remind their children what to do when a stranger approaches as they carry on their investigation.

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“We want to ensure our children have the tools and knowledge to keep themselves safe when they are out in public and parents and caregivers play an important role in that. Safety education is important and helps kids prepare for situations they may encounter,” Terleski said.

“Talk to your kids and establish safe habits for interacting with strangers, what to watch out for, and what to do if they feel unsafe. We also want to remind the public that any suspicious activity or occurrences should be reported immediately and directly to police.”

Mounties are working closely with their partners at School District 22 and are continuing to investigate the incidents.

“Based on the information we have at this time, there is nothing to indicate any criminality in either. In each of these situations, the children acted appropriately and notified a trusted adult,” he said.

“We felt it necessary to inform the public for their awareness or to invite the persons involved to contact the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP.