LEHI, Utah — Police in Lehi issued a public safety bulletin after two reported instances of a teenage male allegedly attempting to lure young girls into a bathroom stall at a public park, and in one instance the suspect asked the victim to remove her clothing.
According Officer Gabe Westover from Lehi PD, both incidents occurred at Olympic Park, 1650 North 2640 West, on October 28 between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., when multiple people were attending soccer practices and other activities.
In one of the two instances, the juvenile lured a young girl into a bathroom stall and asked her to remove her clothes. In the other case, Officer Westover said the teen approached two sisters.
All three, he said, were under the age of seven.
No one was hurt, but the reports have local parents on edge.
“It just scares me, it really scares me,” said Maria Sanchez, who comes to the park once or twice a week with her three kids. “It just alerts me that I need to be more cautious on where my kids are, keep them within eyesight.”
Police say the three girls all gave the right response. They encourage parents to go over safety and stranger danger with children.
“In both cases they did the right thing and they left,” Westover said. The three all alerted their mothers, who called police.
“By the time officers arrived, we were unable to locate the suspect,” Westover said.
The suspect is described as appearing to be between 15 and 17 years old, and in both cases, appeared to be a Caucasian male with fair skin. Though the original bulletin listed the suspect’s hair as being dark, police later stated his hair is blond. He was wearing a red shirt and blue pants. Anyone with information regarding the two events or any similar incidents are asked to contact the Lehi Police Department.
Police also ask parents to be vigilant at area parks, and report any suspicious activity immediately.
