PORT ANGELES — Police are investigating the attempted abduction of a 9-year-old girl on West Fifth Street.
The girl told police that a dark-skinned man between 20 and 30 years old — who was less than 6-feet tall, and weighing about 140 pounds — got out of a dirty, white four-door car driven by a woman, and told the girl to get into the car at about 5 p.m. Thursday, said Port Angeles Sgt. Barb McFall on Friday.
The girl, who was retrieving a ball outside her home between A and E streets, screamed and ran to her parents, who were both inside the home, McFall said.
“She did exactly what she should have done — scream and yell and make people look at you,” McFall said.
McFall said the man came to about 20 feet from the girl, but that he returned to the car after she screamed.
She said no one is known to have witnessed the attempted abduction of the girl, who is unidentified because of her age.
The woman driving the car was described as “very skinny,” either white or Hispanic, with medium-brown hair streaked with blonde and worn in a ponytail, McFall said.
The car was described as dirty, appearing almost tan, with a sticker just above the license plate.
McFall said there is no ongoing custody dispute related to the girl, and that the parents told police that they know of no one who would want to harm them or the girl.
McFall, saying that most child abductions are by parents in a custody dispute or by a sexual predator, said that police have identified a convicted sex offender who matches the description of the man.
“We’re trying to sort through anyone we know of for that description,” she said.
McFall said she didn’t know if that sex offender had attempted to abduct children before.
She said there have been no other reports of abductions or attempted abductions recently.
McFall said anyone with information on the man, woman or car, should phone Clallam County Crime Stoppers at 888-242-4442 or the Port Angeles Police Department at 360-452-4545.
She said people with tips can be anonymous.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
