Police say no new leads on suspicious man seen at Saline's Heritage Elementary School
Saline police say they haven't yet identified a man who was recently seen riding his bike through the Heritage Elementary/Woodland Meadows parking lot during dismissal on consecutive days.
The man, who school officials deemed suspicious after a brief confrontation with Heritage Principal Les Sharon on Oct. 1, hasn't returned to the school on the city’s north end since Sharon threatened to pursue trespassing charges.
Saline police are on the lookout for a suspicious man seen hear Heritage and Woodland Meadows schools.
Art Aisner | For AnnArbor.com
Police reports show the man entered the parking lot as children boarded buses at about 3:40 p.m. and peered inside the buses as he rode through the lot on Sept. 29 through Oct. 1. Sharon approached the man and stopped his bike to issue the trespass warning on the third day. The man responded by saying, “Are you kidding me?” before forcing his way past Sharon and out of the parking lot, reports said.
Police received information about a possible suspect, but neither the man nor his bike matched descriptions given to police.
Saline Area Schools issued an e-mail explaining the situation to parents. Police said they would like to know what association, if any, he has to school to explain his actions.
“School officials thought the person was suspicious and contacted us, as they should have, however, we can’t determine what his intentions were and don’t know that a crime was or would have been committed,” Detective Don Lupi said.
The man was described as about 40, with short brown hair and brown eyes. Reports said he had a darker complexion, but witnesses could not identify a specific race. He was on a red bicycle in all three incidents.
Police departments in Pittsfield Township, Milan and Chelsea recently issued community-wide alerts about suspicious vehicles or people seen near schools and bus stops. There does not appear to any obvious connections between the reports, officials said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the department at 734-429-7911, or e-mail Lupi at dlupi@cityofsaline.org.
Art Aisner is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.
Comments
john
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 6:24 a.m.
now condeming / villian...none of these words were used in the article...it's evidently a crime now to be suspicious. Rights are equal and should be... but if people cant at least be cautious and suspicious when children (who are vulnerable)are involved, then we're doomed. lets just all hide our heads in the sand so we don't offend anyone. That's the most important thing.
casmom
Mon, Oct 18, 2010 : 6:58 p.m.
I'm sorry but I think that most grown men have more common sense/no interest in riding around an elementary school. Maybe this man wasn't trying to abduct a child as that would be hard to do on a bike,but could be a non-custodial parent trying to gain access to his own child. Or maybe this guy gets his kicks just looking at children. Better safe than sorry.
Atticus F.
Mon, Oct 18, 2010 : 3:29 p.m.
I just get the sense sometimes that people think their suspicions of a stranger are enough to trump that persons rights. As if their lives somehow hold more value than the life of another. And as I stated earlier, I just dont have all of the facts. And I certainly dont have enough facts to condemn this suspected villian.
Atticus F.
Mon, Oct 18, 2010 : 3:21 p.m.
I never said that John. However, I would be just as likely to believe that this guy was not a danger to anybody, than to believe that he had the motive of harming the children of Saline... Call me crazy.
john
Mon, Oct 18, 2010 : 3:04 p.m.
omg, really? You read this and round it up to 'harassment', violated rights, and now prision?
Atticus F.
Mon, Oct 18, 2010 : 2:40 p.m.
I simply dont know all of the facts tracyann. I'm sure you're ready to put this person in prison based on the assumption that he might be a danger to your child. Or based on the fact that his behavior isn't considered normal. I would rather hear all sides of the story before condemning someone in that way.
tracyann
Mon, Oct 18, 2010 : 2:24 p.m.
There's been nothing reported stating that the man had been harrassed. It's not like he was approached the first time he was there. Besides, why would anyone want to ride their bike in an area where two schools are being let out at the same time? It's crazy busy.
Atticus F.
Mon, Oct 18, 2010 : 2:13 p.m.
The police have the right to investigate a suspicious person. However, they do not have the right to harass or violate that persons rights based on the suspicions of an overzealous parent.
tracyann
Mon, Oct 18, 2010 : 1:52 p.m.
I have to agree with deucedweller. Sorry, but my child's safety comes before someone's offended sensibilities. And as for the asides regarding the man's skin color, should we just stop giving discriptions of 'people of interest' because it might be misconstrued?
deucedweller
Mon, Oct 18, 2010 : 12:18 p.m.
Police are more than welcome to investigate me, especially if I'm seen around a school multiple days in a row. And don't make assumptions about who I am based on a comment, who said I wasn't dark skinned?
KeepingItReal
Mon, Oct 18, 2010 : 12:03 p.m.
@A: I too would prefer that police took a proactive role in investigating this incident, but obviously you have never been questioned based on someone's else suspicion. Believe me, you are not treated as an innocent until proven guilty. I would advise all "dark skin" men whether on a bike or not, to be careful traveling in and around Saline.
Greggy_D
Mon, Oct 18, 2010 : 11:59 a.m.
"I would prefer they investigate an innocent man, than let something happen to a child. " Wow. Playing the "it's for the children" card? So it's fine to investigate an innocent person, as long as it is not you right? From the limited information above, it sounds like Saline is overreacting.
deucedweller
Mon, Oct 18, 2010 : 11:10 a.m.
The police are in a tought spot here. If they had not investigated this man, and something had happened...like a kidnapping or worse, everybody would be wondering why the police did nothing to stop this suspicious man. Now they are trying to be pro-active, and they are being attacked for assuming an innocent man is a criminal. Lose-lose. I would prefer they investigate an innocent man, than let something happen to a child.
SMAIVE
Mon, Oct 18, 2010 : 10:47 a.m.
Well, reading the article in Sunday's news, obviously something else is keeping them busy. What that something is though has yet to be determined. http://www.annarbor.com/news/clearance-rates/
Jim
Mon, Oct 18, 2010 : 9:21 a.m.
I have never heard or seen a abduction by bicycle before. The things they come up with now.
actionjackson
Mon, Oct 18, 2010 : 8:08 a.m.
Dark colored skin? In Saline! Riding a bicycle on a public property. Wow sounds like Don Lupi is being called out to find out if he can find a person of color on a red bike riding by school buses. I bet he has more important things on his plate than this.