Warman parents, grandparents on edge after abduction attempt

After the attempted abduction of a girl in Warman on Wednesday, parents are feeling concerns about the safety of their children.

Emails from the Prairie Spirit School Division on Wednesday and Thursday alerted parents and guardians to the incident.

The messages said a female Warman student was approached at a bus stop in the area of Eighth Avenue and First Street, near the Brian King Event Centre in Warman, on Jan. 11.

A bus stop near the Brian King centre on 8th Avenue near 1st Street on Jan. 11, 2023. (Libby Giesbrecht/650 CKOM)

The suspect, who was described as a white man in his 20s driving a 2000 to 2004 black Chevrolet two-door pickup truck, allegedly tried to get the girl into his vehicle by telling her that her parents had asked him to pick her up.

Police said the girl, whose age was not shared, was able to get away to a safe location without suffering any injuries.

Janette Saccucci’s kids are 11, 13 and 15 years old, and her two youngest children walk to school every day. Saccucci said it’s “unsettling” to hear about incidents like the attempted abduction happening in a small community where so many kids walk or ride the bus.

“I guess you kind of usually feel safe in a small community, so when something like that happens, it kind of is a reality check,” she said.

Shelley Smith’s grandson rides the bus regularly. She said it’s scary that something like this happened in Warman, but noted she wasn’t entirely surprised to hear about it. She said small towns are sometimes tempting targets for criminals.

“People are more relaxed,” she said, adding kids tend to be out and about quite often in smaller communities like Warman.

Debbi Sawatzky said the incident didn’t scare her too much, even though her kids also regularly walk to school.

“It seemed kind of weird (to happen in Warman), but also I know it happens,” Sawatzky said.

Parents in Warman said they’ve spoken with their children about public safety and how to deal with strangers, as the school division requested in its emails.

“Before we even went to the bus stop … we had that conversation,” Smith explained, “not only looking out for yourself, but looking out for your friends.”

Sawatzky said her kids are still quite young, so she has age-appropriate conversations with them, like telling them never to leave the park with a stranger.

Anyone with information about the incident or security footage that might help the investigation was asked to contact the RCMP.