WASHINGTON TWP. — The father of the girl a man tried to entice to get into his sedan in Washington Twp. on Sunday, in what is being investigated as an attempted abduction, told News Center 7 tonight that until the suspect is apprehended, “we’re very nervous” for ourselves and others in the community.
>> RELATED: Deputies ask public to help find suspect in Washington Twp. attempted abduction
Mike Rake said he doesn’t want his daughter’s name mentioned and whio.com is not identifying her by name because the suspect has not been apprehended as of Wednesday night.
The 13-year-old girl was walking her dog in the area of Spindletop Lane when a gray four-door sedan with tinted windows slowed and approached her, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators are looking for that gray sedan and the suspect, described as an older white male with a gray beard.
“We were very, very rattled by what happened,” the father told News Center 7′s Brandon Lewis in an exclusive interview.
“The community has done a very good job of rallying around her,” he said. “If there is somebody out there who has some information and can help us to make sure that this person is brought to justice, we would be very grateful.”
The girl immediately recognized the danger and ran to a neighbor’s home. They let her in, he said, and she used her mom’s cell phone to call her father.
He said he raced to go get her.
“I felt my stomach drop,” he said. “I felt like I didn’t even take a breath until I knew she was in the car with me.”
His daughter is doing well, he said. “She’s a tough kid. My wife and I are very proud of her because of how she has handled the situation.
He praised the people who let his daughter in when she knocked Sunday afternoon. He lauded his neighbors, who have been checking their doorbell and home security cam footage for any clues about the suspect. The neighborhood has been considered to be relatively safe, he said, noting that parents and children know one another.
“But unfortunately, as of Sunday, things have changed.”
The incident, he said, is a reminder to everyone that no matter who you are, or where you are, you have to watch your children very closely.
“We are going to do our very best not to be complacent,” he said.
He put out the call for anybody who may have doorbell, home security camera footage or an eyewitness account of the gray sedan in the Saddle Creek development (neighborhoods between Clyo and Atchison roads) about 5:30 p.m. Sunday to share that information with the sheriff’s office.
If you have information you believe would help the investigation, you are asked to contact Montgomery County Regional Dispatch, 937-225-4357.
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