Information: Suspicious Behavior/Possible Child Luring Attempt
Spokane Valley Deputies responded to a suspicious person call where a 10-year-old child stated a male talked to her in the toy aisle of Walmart and told her she needed to leave with him. The child was not grabbed, threatened, or hurt, and quickly ran to an adult family member in the next aisle.
On January 1, 2018, at approximately 3:15 p.m., Spokane Valley Deputies responded to Walmart, located at 5025 E. Sprague, for a report of a suspicious male who told a young child she needed to leave the store with him. The child did the right thing and immediately ran to an adult family member in an adjacent aisle.
Deputies checked the store and surrounding area for the male but were unable to locate him. The child was not harmed or injured and, with the information she and other witnesses provided, Deputies believe they have possibly identified the male.
This information has been forwarded to the Spokane Valley Sexual Assault Unit for further investigation.
Thankfully, this child knew exactly what to do when she was contacted by a stranger. We encourage you to take a few minutes to talk to your children about situations like this and explain/reinforce they should never go anywhere with anyone without first checking with a parent or guardian.
For additional information on how to keep your children safe and for educational tips/tools, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s Education webpage at http://www.missingkids.com/education.