Suspicious Incident Determined to Be a Misunderstanding
- Details
-
Published on Tuesday, 03 May 2011 16:49
A suspicious incident involving a young boy that had Ave Maria residents concerned over the weekend has been resolved with a conclusion by the police and the boy's family that there was no attempt by a landscaping company employee to endanger the boy in any way.
The major crimes unit of the Collier County Sheriff's Office investigated the incident and after interviewing the man involved determined that he had been speaking into a wireless phone earpiece near the 10-year-old boy when he asked, "Do you want to come with me?" The boy, thinking the words were directed at him, ran home and told his family who called police.
Residents became concerned after the Ave Maria University Security department sent out an alert about the incident Saturday night that indicated there was an attempt to abduct the child.
Collier County Sheriff's Office public information officer Michelle Batten confirmed Tuesday that the case is closed, and the boy's mother told The Ave Herald that she is satisfied that the landscaping employee did nothing improper.
She did say, however, that the incident has raised awareness among residents about how contractors, such as landscaping companies, handle their responsibilities and that local homeowners' associations need to clarify guidelines for how contractors' personnel access residents' property.
