The Santee School District sent a warning to parents Monday about an alleged attempted abduction of a child waiting at a school bus stop.
The third grade student at Hill Creek School was waiting for the bus Monday morning when she said she was approached by a man who grabbed her arm.
Santee Schools' Superintendent Kathy Pierce said parents were notified as soon as possible.
"This is culture for Santee. We communicate with our parents in all respects and we try to do that in a timely and proactive manner," Pierce said.
Jeanette McCarthy said she was a little surprised when her granddaughter brought home the letter from the Santee School District.
Even though parents were notified within hours of the incident, they were still a little uneasy that something like this could happen in their neighborhood.
"This is a very quiet and safe neighborhood,” McCarthy said. “There's a lot of sports out here and families and everybody kind of knows everybody.”
Santee parent, Mike Vincent posted the letter to social media to help spread the word.
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"You know get some parents to understand that they can't be really so relaxed and comfortable and allowing their kids to go out at night. Walking around by themselves because this stuff happens everywhere," he told NBC 7.
The alleged suspect was described as a dark skinned man in his mid 40s with a shaved head and a short beard.
Pierce said anyone who sees suspicious activity should report it to the San Diego County sheriff’s deputies.
“In addition, if the students experience something, they need to seek safety quickly, they need to find a trusted adult and that adult needs to contact the Sheriff's Department as soon as possible," she said.
Thankfully the third grader was able to get away and ran to an adult who called the authorities.
