Parents are on alert after a child was nearly kidnapped outside of his school. This latest incident happened near the Cornelius Elementary School in Southeast Houston.
A call, alerting parents about the attempted abduction, went out Tuesday shortly after the incident, but many parents were just learning about it on Wednesday. "I didn't hear nothing about, I just talked to my ex-husband and he said something about it," said Francisca Lopez, whose 7-year-old daughter attends school at Cornelius. "I just heard about it 5 minutes ago," said Marlene DeLeon.
DeLeon said she did get a call from the school yesterday, but didn't answer since her son was out sick. Wednesday, she was shocked to hear that a fourth grader was nearly abducted yesterday morning while riding his bike to school.
In a voice message sent out to parents, principal Karen Jackson said the man grabbed the student and attempted to drag him toward a driveway. She said the young boy was able to escape unharmed and report the incident to teachers.
"That's why I pick him up at the gate, I'm always at the gate whenever he comes out with his teacher," said the uncle of a 9-year-old Cornelius student.
This is just the latest in a string of attempted abductions at schools, not just here in HISD, but beyond the city limits.
Just in the last month there have been at least five. In one incident a Conroe student was actually abducted while walking home. The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office said the suspects sexually assaulted her before letting her go.
"It's happening more often," said DeLeon. But and HISD spokesman said it's not that there are more occurences, but since the district started the phone message alerts a year and a half ago, people are just hearing about it more.
In still, parents are using this very scary incident as a teaching opportunity, in hopes of preventing something like this from happening to their children. "I've always warned him that - I was just telling him that don't ever go with somebody you do not know - you kick, you scream, I don't care what you do - you don't go with anybody," said DeLeon.
The principal said, they are also reminding kids to walk in groups and never go with strangers.
As for the suspected kidnapper, police only have a very vague description, but they have stepped up patrols in the area to help keep the children safe.
A call, alerting parents about the attempted abduction, went out Tuesday shortly after the incident, but many parents were just learning about it on Wednesday. "I didn't hear nothing about, I just talked to my ex-husband and he said something about it," said Francisca Lopez, whose 7-year-old daughter attends school at Cornelius. "I just heard about it 5 minutes ago," said Marlene DeLeon.
DeLeon said she did get a call from the school yesterday, but didn't answer since her son was out sick. Wednesday, she was shocked to hear that a fourth grader was nearly abducted yesterday morning while riding his bike to school.
In a voice message sent out to parents, principal Karen Jackson said the man grabbed the student and attempted to drag him toward a driveway. She said the young boy was able to escape unharmed and report the incident to teachers.
"That's why I pick him up at the gate, I'm always at the gate whenever he comes out with his teacher," said the uncle of a 9-year-old Cornelius student.
This is just the latest in a string of attempted abductions at schools, not just here in HISD, but beyond the city limits.
Just in the last month there have been at least five. In one incident a Conroe student was actually abducted while walking home. The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office said the suspects sexually assaulted her before letting her go.
"It's happening more often," said DeLeon. But and HISD spokesman said it's not that there are more occurences, but since the district started the phone message alerts a year and a half ago, people are just hearing about it more.
In still, parents are using this very scary incident as a teaching opportunity, in hopes of preventing something like this from happening to their children. "I've always warned him that - I was just telling him that don't ever go with somebody you do not know - you kick, you scream, I don't care what you do - you don't go with anybody," said DeLeon.
The principal said, they are also reminding kids to walk in groups and never go with strangers.
As for the suspected kidnapper, police only have a very vague description, but they have stepped up patrols in the area to help keep the children safe.
