Newcomerstown police investigate report of attempted child abduction
NEWCOMERSTOWN (WJER) (Sept. 15, 2022) – Police are investigating after taking a report about a pair of men trying to abduct two children in the 600-block of Oak Street Wednesday evening.
Chief Gary Holland says it came from the grandmother of one of the children, who were 7 and 8 years old. They told police that it happened between 5 and 6:30 pm and involved a black four-door sedan with some gray in it.
“That it was sitting up beside the [Christ United Methodist] church when the white male driver got out of the car and waived for the kids to come to them, and they took off running. They said the car was occupied by the driver and a passenger who was a Black male.”
There’s a post about the alleged encounter on the Newcomerstown Police Department’s Facebook page urging residents to keep an eye on their children. Holland says they haven’t yet been able to confirm the children’s story, but they aren’t taking any chances.
“At this point, I don’t really know that any of it is correct. I just know that the complaint was made and in this day and age, you just can’t sweep it under the carpet. You’ve gotta really take a serious look at it and try to look at every angle and see if there’s any validity to it.”
Anyone with information or surveillance video showing the area or vehicle in question should call the Newcomerstown Police Station at 740-498-6161.