Police Investigating Two Suspicious Incidents

Anne Arundel County Police are warning parents about several incidents where a man tried to lure a child into his work van in Sherwood Forest and in Millersville.

Police said on Thursday at about 8:30 p.m., officers responded to Shipley’s Choice Elementary School on Governor Stone Parkway in Millersville for a report of a man in a van approaching children.

Officers spoke to the father of a 12-year-old boy who was riding his bike earlier in the day around the school when he saw a white van pulling out from the front of the school. The child said the van pulled up next to him and the front passenger window came down slightly, according to the police report.

The boy said the van was a white minivan with tinted rear windows and the driver was possibly a white or Hispanic man with short to medium length hair, police said. Additionally, another boy reported a similar incident a short time after the original incident took place, according to the report.

About an hour earlier on Thursday, officers responded to the 200 block of Nottingham Hill in Sherwood Forest for a similar report of a suspicious man approaching children in a van, according to a police report.

Officers said they spoke with a 56-year-old man who said a 9-year-old boy told him he was outside of his home around noon in the 800 block of Robin Hood Hill in Sherwood Forest, when he was approached by a white van.

According to the report, the man driving the van asked the child to enter the van so that he could take pictures of the child. Officers also spoke with the child’s grandmother, who said she saw the van leaving the area with dark lettering on the side referring to a carpet business. The suspect is possibly a white man.

Sherwood Forest is a gated community located off of Route 175 near Crownsville. Police said they are working with the community's security personnel on the incident.

Both of these incidents remain under investigation by detectives from the Eastern and Western District. Detectives are attempting to determine if these incidents are linked. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Eastern District at 410-222-6145 or the Western District at 410-222-6155.

Safety Tip: Parents should remind their children to never enter the vehicle of a stranger, travel in groups and immediately report suspicious activity to a trusted adult.

 If you have information on the above incidents, please call, email, or text your tip to Metro Crime Stoppers Hotline Available 24-Hours A Day Toll Free at 1-866-7LOCKUP or Text “MCS plus your message” to CRIMES (274637)

Visit the website at http://www.metrocrimestoppers.net

Phone calls are not recorded and callers remain anonymous. You may also be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.