November 6, 2020
Update-We identified this man and met with him. He lives in the same neighborhood, was making conversation as he walked, and did not mean to frighten anyone. We are satisfied this has been resolved.
Original information is below:
Police received a report of a man who spoke with a 12-year-old after she got off the school bus today. The man did not say anything inappropriate but the encounter caused the girl to be nervous and call her parents immediately. Officers are not suspecting criminal intent at this time and are hoping to speak with the man to eliminate any unneeded concern.
On Thursday, November 5, 2020 at 12:13pm, a parent called police to report her 12-year-old daughter told her a man followed her for a short time when she got off her school bus on French St. and Manatee Rd. A man walked from French St. onto Manatee Rd. and asked the girl if she liked school as they walked in same direction.
The girl said yes and began to feel uncomfortable. The man asked if she was back in school full-time yet? She became more uncomfortable and did not answer him. She turned off Manatee Rd. and the man kept walking on Manatee Rd.
There was no other interaction between the two.
Once home, the girl locked her doors and called her parents.
Several Officers immediately responded to the area and to the surrounding neighborhoods but could not locate the man.
This appears to be a unintentional encounter in which the man did not have any criminal intent. We are hoping the man could contact Officer Bryan LoBianco at 781-749-1212 and confirm this.
We applaud the girl for being aware of her surroundings, following her "gut instinct" when a situation or person made her feel uneasy, and for calling a parent right away.
Contact: P.I.O. Sgt. Steven Dearth