April 25, 2008
Gary Davidson
Public Information Officer

LAKE HELEN POLICE INVESTIGATE ATTEMPT TO GRAB GIRL 

An 11-year-old girl walking in the woods on her way home from an elementary school in Lake Helen was accosted Friday afternoon by someone in black clothes and a mask. The girl was shaken up, but not injured or harmed in any way. The incident is under investigation by the Lake Helen Police Department. 

The girl told officers that she was walking through a wooded area west of Volusia Pines Elementary School when she noticed someone in a ski mask walking behind her. The girl said she bolted just as the suspect tried to grab her from behind, running out of the woods and to her home on Pleasant Street. The suspect, who didn’t say anything to the girl, was last seen ducking behind a tree on the edge of the woods. The girl ran in her house and told her father after he arrived home minutes later, and he called the police. 

Lake Helen Police units began responding to the incident at around 2:50 p.m. and called the Sheriff’s Office for assistance in setting up a perimeter. The Sheriff’s Office dispatched a helicopter along with several patrol deputies and K-9 units to assist in the search. The suspect was approximately 6’3” with a thin build, wearing a black shirt with a white shirt underneath and black pants. Because of the mask, it’s unknown whether the suspect is a male or female. The search was still ongoing late Friday afternoon. Officers located an abandoned pickup truck and a tent in the woods during the search, but it’s not known whether the items are connected to Friday’s incident. 

Anyone with information is asked to call (386) 736-5999 or Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida, toll-free, at (888) 277-TIPS. Callers to Crime Stoppers will remain anonymous and can qualify for a reward of up to $1,000.