BEWARE: Strange Man Talking to Young Children in the Magic Valley

There are things you see and hear on the news that you often think will never happen to you. You think it only happens to certain people, or perhaps in another state or another town, and would never happen in your life. So many believe this until something does happen, and they realize they aren't immune to these scary situations and incidents. Every parent fears a stranger offering their child candy or trying to take them or approach them, but overall you think most adults know to leave kids alone. Sadly, that isn't the case, and incidents like these occur closer to home than you may realize. Recently, there have been reports of a strange man asking children if they want candy in the Magic Valley or seen talking to younger children, and it has many parents spooked.

Strange Man Talking to Children in the Magic Valley

Over the last week or two, multiple reports of a man approaching children in Buhl have circulated on a Facebook chat page. Each story describes a similar man, and each time approaching a child. The first occurrence was offering a child candy while he sat in his truck, with another being him talking to two boys as they rode their bikes, claiming he wanted to watch them do tricks. While thank goodness, no children have gone missing at this time, these occurrences have many parents spooked, and it is hitting too close to home for many. The man is described as being an older white male with facial hair and is driving a black Toyota Tacoma. As of this writing, these are all accusations, but there are multiple stories with similar descriptions from multiple families. 

Stranger Danger in the Magic Valley

The most important thing is to sit down and talk to your kids about what to do if a situation like this occurs, so they can know how to best handle a stranger approaching them. Make sure to keep an eye on them as they play outside and if your child walks home from school, make sure they are with a friend, or perhaps let another parent know and see if they can give them a ride or help watch them to be safe. One problem with the way parents have dealt with the situation is that they have been posting to Facebook, which is great for tipping off the community and other parents, but nobody had reported it to the police until recently. After a few posts, someone went to the police, and it was the first they had heard of it. Make sure to report any odd behavior or occurrences like this to authorities, so they can be aware of the situation and help. 

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Nobody wants to see something happen to the children in the Magic Valley, and as a community, we can help stop that by keeping an eye out for incidents like the one above. The man in question, technically has not done anything illegal as of now, and the hope is that it continues to be that way. Keep your eyes open and make sure to educate your children, as well as report anything you see or hear to authorities. Let's keep the children safe from strange adults in the area.