DES MOINES – A child on the way to the school bus stop on Friday was approached by a man coming out of a wooded area.
Des Moines police are investigating the incident now, and are reminding parents to supervise their children and make sure they go around in the neighborhood in pairs. Luckily, the female student ran to a nearby home for help. The students were traveling in a group on the way to the bus stop on Indianapolis Road. They all go to Stowe Elementary.
“Regardless of the child’s age, there’s some kind of parental involvement when you’re talking about young kids,” said Sgt. Paul Parizek with the Des Moines Police Department. “They need to have a parent walking them to school and I think as kids get older and a little more mature, we give them that responsibility. The parent needs to plan the route.”
Parizek told Local 5 that police do not walk children home or station an officer at bus stops around the city. They do patrol areas throughout high traffic times.
