Unknown Adults Approaching Kids In Canton Area: Cops

CANTON, GA — The Cherokee Sheriff's Office and Canton Police Department are reminding residents to be aware of their surroundings after three reports have been made of unknown adults approaching children in Canton area neighborhoods. In the last two days, sheriff's deputies have responded to two calls of this "unusual activity," it said on its Facebook page.

The first incident happened Wednesday in the Bethany Manor subdivision, which is located off Lower Bethany Road north of Canton. The Cherokee Sheriff's Office said a white male driving a silver truck pulled up to a child at a bus stop in the subdivision.

"The male asked the child some questions before driving away," the agency said.

The sheriff's office Friday said it talked with the driver of the truck who "saw a child alone on the street and was simply checking on the child."

"After discussions with both the man and the reporting party, detectives are confident that this was a misunderstanding," CSO added. "Additionally, the decisions made by the child at the bus stop were smart and reporting the incident to his parents was absolutely the right thing to do. We also appreciate the man coming forward to explain that it was him that stopped to check on the child."

On Thursday afternoon, a person described as a Hispanic male driving a white van slowed down in front of a home on Morris Hill Drive, and "motioned for a young girl in her yard to come to his van." The child refused and the male driver left the area. Morris Hill Drive is located off Marietta Highway near its intersection with Bells Ferry Road.

"The sheriff’s office would like to urge parents to speak with their children about talking with strangers and tell them to never approach a vehicle in a similar situation," the agency said. "We would also like to remind citizens to call 911 and report any suspicious activity in their area."

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Something similar also happened Thursday in Canton's city limits, its police department said. The agency obtained information about a woman claiming to be an Uber driver who spoke to several children while they were waiting at their bus stop in the Summer Walk subdivision.

The woman was described as having a large build, black, ear-length hair, and was driving a newer model SUV with a small pink sticker on the back, the police department said on its Facebook page. Detectives are working to determine what was said and "what may have been the intentions of this person."

Canton officers and investigators were on patrol and monitored this area Friday during the school bus pickup time in an effort to locate the woman in question and ensure the children were safe.

"Canton Police encourage parents/guardians to talk to their children and tell them not to continue a conversation with a suspicious person and to never go with anyone you have not given them permission to be with, no matter what an individual tells them," the department said. "Furthermore, let's tell our children to report any strange circumstances of this nature immediately."

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