‘Suspicious person’ in Indian Land asked child to play ball Lancaster officials say

Police and school officials in Lancaster County are warning parents and children after an adolescent boy said a man he didn’t know tried to lure hi into a vehicle Sunday in Indian land, officials said.

Lancaster County deputies are investigating the incident in the Walnut Creek neighborhood of Indian Land, said Doug Barfield, spokesman for the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office.

“Right now we are investigating to see what happened,” Barfield said. “What we know people should tell their children is never get in a vehicle with a stranger.”

The man purportedly told a 12-year-old boy he wanted the child to come with him to play baseball, officials said. The child involved was riding a bicycle on Cortland Drive with friends when a man in a silver car apparently asked the child to come to his home to play baseball with his grandchildren. The man did not make physical contact with the boy, leave his car, or commit a crime during the incident, Barfield said.

Lancaster deputies received several calls from alarmed parents in the area, said Barry Faile, Lancaster County Sheriff.

“If a stranger approaches a child, the child should leave the area and immediately report the incident to an adult he knows and trusts,” Faile said in a statement Monday afternoon. “Teach your children, ‘If you see something, say something.’ “

The Lancaster County School District issued an alert to parents Monday afternoon through a district authorized Facebook posting urging parents and students to be vigilant.

“We wanted you to be on the lookout for a man who may be attempting to abduct children,” The school district posting states. “The Sheriff’s Department received a report yesterday from the Walnut Creek area of Indian Land that a man in a gray four door possibly Honda tried to get a child to go with him to play baseball.”

Lancaster school officials advised bus drivers and staff to be watchful.

The accusation of an adult attempting to lure a child into a vehicle is the second in the area since school started last week. Two children in York reported an incident Wednesday.

This story was originally published August 27, 2018 at 3:22 PM.