Kids say man tried to get them into car

CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) - Cedar Park police are trying to track down two men whom children said tried to lure them into a car. The most recent case happened Thursday morning.

"I was just scared and didn't know what to do," said 10-year-old Conor.

The fourth grader said he was approached by a man while he was walking to Faubion Elementary . His mother had just dropped him off at the corner in the 1200 block of Woodhollow Cove at 7:15 a.m.

"He asked if I wanted him to take me to school," said Conor. "I told him that my school was just right there."

But Conor said the man raised his voice and demanded he get in. That is when Conor took off running down the sidewalk toward the school and found a security officer. The school called Conor's mother.

"My heart sank into my stomach. This has been one of my greatest fears," said Kathy, Conor's mom.

She had just started letting Conor walk a short distance to school. He had been begging to because some of his friends do it.

Kathy had coached Conor on how to deal with strangers, and told her son she was proud of his reaction and fast thinking.

Conor told police the stranger was an older white man with brown and grey hair. He was driving a dark blue newer-model Chrysler sedan with a damaged left front bumper and scratches down the driver's side of the car.

When Conor got home, his mother had him sit down at the computer and see if he recognized any of the sex offenders in the state's online database.

One Cedar Park man looked familar, and police are checking into it.

Police said a second similar incident happened near the same spot Saturday morning at about 10:00.

Three 9-year-old boys were riding their bikes in the 200 block of Buttercup Creek Boulevard. They said a white man with bushy dread-locked, reddish hair approached them.

The boys said the man offered them candy and asked them to get in the car. The boys raced away on their bikes.

The man's car is described as a mid-sized car with a damaged left-rear bumper and a rusty hood.

Police do not believe the two cases are related, but urge parents to take action.

Faubion's principal, Sarah Grissom, e-mailed a letter to parents Thursday morning to notify them of the situation. In the letter, she reminded parents to talk with their children about staying away from strangers. School staff will be holding a special assembly Thursday afternoon to review safety tips with students.

Anyone with information about either of these cases is asked to call Cedar Park police at (512) 260-4772.