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Stranger danger: Man invites 12-year-old student into van

By VICKIE MOSS, Herald Public Affairs Editor

Ottawa police and school officials are asking people to be alert and report any suspicious activity around local schools, after a student reported a stranger invited her into a van.

A 12-year-old girl was waiting for her mother outside Lincoln Elementary School, 110 N. Milner St., at about 3 p.m. Thursday when a man invited her to get in his van and out of the rain, she reported to the Ottawa Police Department.

She did not get in the van, police said.

The man was described as white, in his late 50s to early 60s, heavily built and wearing glasses. He was waiting outside Lincoln Elementary School near a tan mini-van, according to a police report.

Ottawa police are increasing patrol in the area of the schools before and after school, a press release from the department said.

“We’re trying to stay on top of it and we hope people will let us know if they see something or hear something,” she said.

Anyone who witnesses suspicious activity around the schools is asked to report it immediately, the police press release said.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Franklin County Crime Stoppers at (888) 311-8477 or 911 and ask to speak to an officer.

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