City of Goodland Police Department - Press Release
January 17, 2012
The Goodland Police Department is currently investigating several suspicious incidents involving local school children.
On Friday, January 13 a student at Central Elementary School reported that a suspicious man approached him and his sister. The boy said that he and his sister were walking home from West Elementary when and older white male exited his car. The man allegedly told the children that they looked cold and offered them a a ride (as well as a blanket and some candy) in his car. The children described the man as an older white male with a beard and mustache. They described the vehicle as gray in color, possibly an SUV or crossover type vehicle.
On Monday, January 16 several concerned students approached their bus driver. They advised that a gray car had been following the school bus. The students, who were subsequently interviewed by Police, described the man as an older white male with facial hair.
The Goodland Police Department is currently following all possible leads in an attempt to verify these stories and identify possible suspects. The Police Department (as well as other law enforcement agencies) is also conducting extensive extra patrols of school areas, especially during times that children may be coming and going from the schools.
The Police Department requests that parents of young children take this opportunity to talk with their children about what to do if any suspicious people approach them. The Department is also asking that parents pay extra attention to where their children are going and with whom they are going to be. It is also advisable for younger children to walk in groups when not in the custody of their parents.
Chief Couch said "these types of investigations always involve difficult decisions from a Law Enforcement perspective. While we don't want to cause panic, we also believe that the public has the right to know when investigations like this are occurring. Regardless of how this investigation turns out, we believe it is best to err on the side of caution. We ask that anyone having information that may be helpful contact the Police Department."
