Attempted abduction report in Swansea was false, police say
The attempted abduction of a girl in the Castle Acres subdivision of Swansea on Tuesday was a false report, police say.
The girl had reported to police that at 4:08 p.m. in the 200 block of Fournie Drive, a white panel van had followed her home, that a man jumped out of the van and that he had chased her into her home. The girl told police she made it home safely and that the suspect had fled on foot.
The girl also told police that a second suspect was driving the van, which allegedly had no windows and an unknown license plate.
Swansea Police Chief Steve Johnson said Wednesday that the girl had made up the story. Police had reviewed home surveillance video from the neighborhood, talked to witnesses and re-interviewed the girl to determine if the report was true.
“In Swansea, we try to quickly get information out to the community even if we are unsure that something really happened,” Johnson wrote. “We will error on the side of caution even if not all the facts are known yet. If we didn’t give out the information we had at the time, and something bad happened later, that would not be good.”
When investigating, Johnson said police send a message to residents through the Ring Neighbors computer app to solicit surveillance camera footage from around the time of the reported incident. Several neighbors provided police with footage. The app is free.
“...this initial report is a good reminder to have situational awareness in everything you do,” Johnson said in a release. “Focus on your surroundings and watch who is near you, around you and coming towards you. Don’t be paranoid, but prepared. Swansea is an amazingly safe community to live in.”
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