Lake Forest Park Elementary Student Approached by Stranger

Lake Forest Park police are reminding parents to talk to their kids about walking to and from school safely, after a 9-year-old Lake Forest Park Elementary student reported being approached by a stranger this week.

On Wednesday around 8:40 a.m., the boy was walking to school south on Forest Park Drive when he was approached by a man at Ballinger Way NE, according to Lake Forest Park Police. The boy told police the man spoke to him in English and Spanish while walking him to the area of 35th Ave NE and Ballinger Way NE at the Lake Forest Park Elementary.
 
Later that day, around 3:30 p.m., the child left school and encountered the same man, who walked with him almost to the child’s home, according to police. During this second contact, the man told the child they could be friends and that he knew where the child lived. At some point, the subject also put on a pair of gloves, according to police.
 
The child told his mother who called 9-1-1, according to Lake Forest Park police. 

Lake Forest Park Police responded and it was determined that no crime took place, but the police department will continue to patrol the areas around Lake Forest Park Elementary and Brookside Elementary. Police spoke to a man in the area on Thursday, but it could not be proven that it was the same man.
 
However, the Lake Forest Park Police issued a reminder to parents about talking to kids about strangers:

The Lake Forest Park Police want to remind parents that if their children walk to school without their parents or guardians, they should educate their children on stranger safety and to report all suspicious persons by calling 9-1-1. The Lake Forest Park Police Department will continue directed patrols at Lake Forest Park Elementary and Brookside Elementary and the areas surrounding both schools before and after school hours to enhance safety for the children who walk to and from school.