“Rest assured, we are doing all we can with the information we have,” Wake Forest Police Chief Jeff Leonard said to parents and concerned area residents during a press conference Tuesday afternoon.
Leonard and his officers are pressing the investigation of at least three incidents when two men, described as white males in their late teens or early 20s, in a gray or silver work van or SUV approached children in town subdivisions. In each case the children did the right thing, Lt. Brian Mote said: ran away, told their parents and their parents called the Wake Forest Police Department. The driver has been reported as wearing a green or red baseball cap while the passenger was said to have a short Mohawk-style haircut and possibly a nose ring. None of the children were harmed.
Leonard, the father of two young children, said, “As the police chief I can tell you nothing is more important to us than the safety and security of our residents, especially our children.”
Unfortunately, he added, some people, a minority, have used Facebook and other social media in ways that added to the anxiety or panic in the town. “In some instances we have been forced to use resources attempting to track down inaccurate information based solely on rumors and hearsay.
“So, respectfully, I ask that if you plan to post something on Facebook, please consider whether what you are posting is helpful to the public discourse.” Leonard closed by saying the police department, all its men and women, “endeavor year-round to build a relationship with our community that is based on trust and mutual respect.”
He urged people to call the department first if they see something in their neighborhood that is suspicious. “We’d much rather you call and be wrong than not call and later find that you could have prevented a crime or helped catch a criminal.” Leonard also pledged to use all channels of communication, including the police department’s Facebook page, to alert town residents when the department has something to report.
Mote said an incident Monday night where a 13-year-old girl was approached by a man wearing a mask and forced to take a handful of unidentified pills is not believed to be related to the other incidents. The girl ran to a nearby house for help. She was treated and released from WakeMed. The incident occurred near the intersection of Jones Dairy Road and Green Mountain Drive.
Although there have been other reports on social media that were never reported to police, Mote said, “Our officers are working around the clock to locate the people responsible for these incidents.”
Anyone witnessing or experiencing suspicious activity is urged to call the police department at 919-554-6150. You may remain anonymous.
