August 16, 2022–5:21 p.m.

CALHOUN POLICE

Calhoun Police Chief Tony Pyle reminds parents to please talk to children about the dangers of talking to or accepting rides from strangers following an incident Monday afternoon.

A 16-year-old had missed the school bus and was walking home on South Wall Street when he was approached by a black male with a foreign accent, driving a 4-door compact car with Florida plates.

The man asked the student if he needed a ride; the child further stated the man was pressuring him to get in the car.

A concerned citizen, who recognized the child, pulled in behind the car and blew the horn, and approached the vehicle the child was in.

She asked the driver three times what he was doing with the student in his car, but the driver never responded.

The woman then told the child to get out of the car, which he did. The driver of the car then stated “I was just gonna drive him home.”

The child stated he did not know the man and felt like he was pressuring him to get in the car.

According to KidsHealth.com, children should avoid a stranger’s car completely.

If a stranger asks a child to look in the car, don’t do it.

Don’t agree to look in the trunk or in the back of a truck or van.

Don’t put your arm in the window to take something or point to something.

Don’t agree to come closer to see a pet or to get a toy that’s offered.

Also, if a stranger walks up or pulls up in a car and you’re too far away to hear the person, don’t go closer, even if the person waves you over. Just get away.

Run the opposite way that the car is heading.

If anyone sees a car matching this description, please call the CPD at 706-629-1234.