PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles School District has reported another “stranger encounter” involving a student.
The attempted luring incidents occurred in Gales Addition on Jan. 9 and at Stevens Middle School on Jan. 10, Port Angeles police and the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said.
The district reported the Gales Addition incident on Friday and the middle school incident on Jan. 11.
A Roosevelt Elementary School student, who had been dropped off from the school bus on Third Avenue in Gales Addition on Jan. 9, said a man pulled up beside him in a white van at 2:39 p.m., sheriff’s Sgt. Amy Bundy said.
The boy, who was listening to music on headphones, suspected that the man said: “Do you want some candy?” school district officials said. The student reported the incident to his parents.
The man was described as being in his 30s. He was wearing a green and gray flannel shirt, district officials said.
There were several boxes on the passenger seat of the clean, newer-model van, which was built around 2010, Bundy said.
The work van had no windows, she added.
“We encourage parents to discuss safety procedures and review stranger danger with their children,” Port Angeles School District officials said in a Friday announcement.
“If your child has a stranger encounter, the police should be called immediately, and school administration should be notified. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s school office.”
Port Angeles police said a Stevens Middle School student was approached in front of the school after wresting practice Jan. 10 and was offered a ride by an unknown male.
The man left in a dark-colored minivan after the student refused to get in his vehicle, School Resource Officer Jeffery Ordona of the Port Angeles Police Department said.
The man in the Jan. 10 incident was described as being a white male, about 30 years old, 6-feet-tall with blue eyes, a deep voice, mustache and brown hair with hair gel.
He was wearing a red-and-white long-sleeved shirt with its sleeves rolled up, jeans and Romeo work shoes.
Bundy noted that both incidents occurred after school was let out.
“That’s concerning that somebody is actually timing it,” Bundy said Saturday.
“And these happened a day apart.”
Bundy encouraged parents to educate their children about stranger danger.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@ peninsuladailynews.com.
