West Allis Neighborhood on Edge After Man Tries to Lure Girl
CBS 58—A neighborhood is on edge after a man tried to lure a girl with candy Thursday morning.
West Allis police say the attempted child enticement happened just after 8 am in an ally near 62nd and Grant Streets. The girl was suspicious right away, and ran. The man tried to grab her coat, but she got away. He ran off in the other direction.
“I think it's scary you know?” said Kevin Weber, who lives nearby. “Little kids shouldn't have to worry about that, right by their house.”
Weber says he is keeping a close watch on his 6-year-old nice, in light of the incident.
“It hits right to home,” Weber said. “You read about it in the paper, you see it on the news, but till it comes to your neighbor you don't really plan for it.”
Police describe the suspect as a thin white man with a mustache. He was wearing a white baseball hat, white tennis shoes, a jean jacket and dark denim pants.
This happened less than a mile from where a 10-year-old girl was grabbed and sexually assaulted last month, near Liberty Heights Park. The cases don’t appear to be connected. The suspect in the April case is described as a Hispanic man.
“I wouldn't let my grandkids go to the park by themselves,” said Darlene DeBack.
And though she's always watching, Darlene says it's comforting to see the neighborhood officer keeping an eye on the area too.
“I've been here when they walk through the park, introduce themselves to kids, make themselves present,” DeBack said. “Even if they don't get out of the car, sometimes they just drive around the park several times and I think that's a good thing.”