OKEECHOBEE COUNTY, Fla. — The Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating two attempted child abduction cases reported in the county within one week.
The first incident happened near the 3800 block of Seventh Street in Okeechobee. In a report from the Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office, a young girl said a man in a red truck pulled up next to her and the driver allegedly said, "she was cute." The man motioned for her to get closer to him.
In a second police report, the sheriff's office said a boy was playing outside in his front yard when a van pulled up twice and allegedly offered the 14-year-old $300 to get into the vehicle.
In both cases, the children were not harmed.
Dana Pryor has lived in the same Okeechobee County neighborhood with her family for the last 13 years.
She said, "there’s a whole lot of kids in this community. I mean right here alone there’s probably like 30 kids down this one street."
Pryor said her grandchild was outside when the incident happened.
"The kids that they was trying to get to come was the one there and one of them lives here, one of the little kids and so they were smart enough not to go and to run in the house and tell," Pryor said.
She said it’s not the first time it’s happened in her neighborhood.
“It really shouldn’t happen. It really upsets me because I got kids, I got grandkids, and watch the neighbor’s kids come outside and play. Kids should be able to come in their own yard and play without being worried that somebody’s gonna take them,” she said.
Pryor added that her grandkids do not play outside without an adult watching, but now she plans to keep an even closer eye on them.
Jacob Farris, who lives just down the road, agrees.
“Yeah it’s sickening. I got a 1-year-old daughter. You got to watch your kids like a hawk at all times,” Farris. said.
The Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office said the two incidents are separate and they are working to monitor, investigate and apprehend those who are found to be involved in either case.
