ETNA GREEN – Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Dept. is seeking the public’s help in identifying a car involved in a possible child abduction attempt in Etna Green Thursday. First Sgt. Chad Hill, public information officer with the KCSD, said the vehicle is a white Ford Taurus-style or similar make of car. It is a compact to mid-size vehicle. KCSD officers were able to extract video and photos from a neighboring surveillance camera of the vehicle, but officers weren’t able to get the license plate number. The driver of the “suspicious” vehicle is a “person of interest,” according to Hill Friday night, but no formal charges have been filed. An Etna Green woman contacted police Thursday morning saying a man had attempted to gesture her two young grandchildren to his car. According to a KCSD incident report, police responded to the 100 block of South Walnut Street in Etna Green around 8:30 a.m. Thursday. While en route, an officer made contact with the woman who said she had left her residence and requested the area be checked. Dispatch advised that the suspect vehicle was heading south on Walnut Street. The report stated the woman’s two grandchildren, ages 10 and 8, had been riding their bicycles in front of the residence. The children told their grandmother an older, white man in a white passenger car had been trying to motion them to his car. The woman stated the man did not say anything, only made gestures toward his car. The woman told police the children did not recognize the man and could only describe him as wearing a red hat. Police checked the area and made contact with the schools and with Marshall County Police Department, but were not able to locate the described suspect. Hill said the video shows the boys on their bikes and the driver deliberately slowing down and approaching them. Hill said it was not like an accidental or incidental slow-down. “He purposely slowed down, turned around the corner and slowed down again," he said. If anyone recognizes the car or has more information, they should contact KCSD at 574-267-5667 or the TIP Line at 574-372-2494. The TIP Line does not have caller ID and callers can leave a message.
