THORNDALE, Texas — Parents are concerned about the safety of their children, following three reports of attempted child abductions in Thorndale and Milano Thursday.
- The Milam County Sheriff's Office is still investigating three reports of attempted abductions in Thorndale and Milano.
- Students reported people in vehicles following them while walking home and even trying to force them to get in cars.
- Officials encourage residents to watch for these vehicles identified in the incidents: a white Honda Accord, allegedly driven by a Hispanic couple, and a blue pickup truck driven by a tan male.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Kelly Kovar’s kids walk all the time in Thorndale.
But now, she’s a bit worried after three reports of attempted child abductions.
“My initial reaction is 'Wow'," Kovar said.
"Being a small town, I'm not naive that things don’t happen here, but one incident, I think there was three, and that was kind of alarming."
Her kids go to Thorndale ISD.
One of the two schools where students reported that a couple in a Honda Accord followed them while walking home.
The other happened in Milano where a male in a blue pickup truck tried to force a female student to get in.
“We sent information out to the community. We have been receiving some information in from the community about different things that they’ve seen or they have been concerned about," Special Operations Lieutenant John Helenberg said.
Now, school districts are gearing up to increase safety.
“Anytime something like this occurs, we become extra vigilant. We increase our visibility before school, during school, after school and in the community. Through our partnerships with the county and locally we’re able to put more officers in the area,” Thorndale ISD Superintendent Zach Kleypas said.
Kovar is already teaching her kids safety tips, and she and law enforcement are encouraging other parents to do the same.
"I don’t think it’s hard to find people you can reach out to but just know we need to stay together,” Kovar said.
