No Kidnapping At El Morro Park: Oak Forest Police

OAK FOREST, IL —Oak Forest police are downplaying rumors of an attempted kidnapping near El Morro Park last Thursday. No such incident occurred, police said.

According to police reports, two girls were walking home from El Morro park in the evening of July 11 when they saw a man in a white van with a white dog drive slowly past them. One girl reported that he looked at them as he drove slowly by. The girls ran away, circling the park, and then noticed someone they said was the man who was letting other children pet his dog by the "ditch" in the park, which police said they believe was at the intersection of Arroyo and Victoria. They took pictures of him, his dog and his van as he walked away, and they called police.

"The man never had any interactions with the juveniles," Police Chief Tim Kristin said.

Officers found a van that matched the one in the picture parked nearby. They went to the man's home to investigate, and found him home with two dogs they described as huskies, one gray and white, and one white. He told police that he had never been at the park and had never asked children if they wanted to pet his dog. He said he arrived home at about 8 p.m. and took his 13-year-old white dog for a walk at Boca Rio and Arroyo. He said the dog was old and had a hard time walking, so he never goes as far as the park with her.

Police said the man told him he was a Christian and had lived in the area for 28 years. He strongly denied following anyone or asking children to pet his dog. The girls, police added, never accused the man of trying to lure or kidnap them.

Kristin said police found no evidence that a kidnapping or other crime occurred. The man has not been named because he has not been charged with a crime. Rumors on social media are unfounded, he said.

"It's good that if people are alarmed or scared or if they see something out of the ordinary that they us know," he said. "But we can't take action on conduct that is not criminal."