Man tries to lure girl at North Richland Hills school bus stop

A man in a sports utility vehicle who called out to a 10-year-old to “come here” at a school bus stop is being sought by authorities, police said Thursday.

The girl used her cellphone to call for help and the unidentified man drove away. The incident occurred at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday at Emerald Hills Way and Galway Lane.

“There is not enough information that makes this a criminal offense at this moment, but we did want to put this information out,” said Investigator Keith Bauman on Thursday in an email.

Officials sent letters to parents at the Academy at C.F. Thomas and Richland Middle School, schools near where the incident was reported.

“Safety education is one of the best defenses in protecting our children,” wrote Principal Sabrina Lindsey at the Academy at C.F. Thomas. “Schools remain among the safest places for our children. However, we must continue our efforts to educate our children about personal safety whether they are on or off campus.”

The letter included reminders to parents such as: students should walk in groups, never accept rides without first getting permission from home and have an emergency plan.

The girl told police that she had just arrived at her school bus stop when the man in a gold SUV parked nearby and called out to her. He also motioned her towards his vehicle, police said.

The girl ,who told police she didn’t know the driver, became frightened and started to walk westbound on Emerald Hills Way, heading back to her home.

The man in his SUV drove slowly behind her, police said.

The girl used her cellphone when she could not flag down any other motorists, police said.

The girl described the vehicle as a gold SUV, with a white pin stripe down the side, four-door, with rear side windows that appeared to be missing and replaced with something that looked like metal.

The driver was described as a white male, bald, clean-shaven, 30 to 40 years old, clean skin and wearing a red T-shirt. He apparently is a smoker, police said.

Police said on Thursday that they were concerned about the suspicious activity.

Anyone with information should call North Richland Hills police at 817-427-7000.

This story was originally published August 27, 2015 at 1:37 PM with the headline "Man tries to lure girl at North Richland Hills school bus stop."