COLUMBIA, S.C. — An attempted kidnapping in the Lake Carolina neighborhood in Columbia over the March 9 weekend has a community on edge.
News19 spoke with Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott about how you can help in the investigation. He also talked about how to start the conversation about encounters with strangers with your kids.
On Saturday the Richland County Sheriff’s Department responded to an attempted kidnapping in the 200 block of Baysdale Drive in Lake Carolina in northeast Richland County. The department said a man tried to take a girl from in front of her home but she was able to run away.
Sheriff Lott said this is the type of situation parents should try to teach their kids about before it happens.
“Stranger danger. You have to start talking to you kids at an early age. Don’t wait until they’re a teenager. This case shows that it can be any age,” he said.
He said the conversation starts with the basics, what to do if someone does try to grab you. Lott says there are a few things you can do before and after.
“Start screaming, as loud as you can. If somebody grabs you, make sure you tell your parents. The best tool is education,” Lott said.
The sheriff said, for children, he uses the reading approach to spark the conversation.
“Officer Buckle and Gloria, which is about a policeman that goes to the schools with his police dog and talks about safety tips. I read the book to them and then we talk about other safety tips. Stranger danger is one of them. We talk about what does a stranger look like -- not a monster with horns growing out of their heads, it’s just someone you and your parents don’t know,” he said.
In regards to the case in Lake Carolina, the department is still looking for the suspect.
“If you’ve got a Ring camera or surveillance camera on your houses, let us know. We have an investigator that’s going around through the community now contacting people trying to get that,” he said.
He adds, even if you don’t live in Baysdale where the kidnapping attempt happened you’re footage could be helpful. According to a press release from the sheriff’s department, the suspect was a man with facial hair, dressed in all black, a hoodie, and gloves. He was driving a black suv.
If you have any information that may help in this investigation, contact CrimeStoppers at 1(888) CRIME-SC.
