Harrisburg, SD (KELO AM) - Parents in Harrisburg, South Dakota, can relax. The school system now says that there is absolutely nothing to a young student's story about being approached by a stranger and offered cash to get in his van.
When the young boy first told his story on Thursday, the school system e-mailed a warning to parents, even describing the van. Investigators subsequently learned that the story was false, so the school system sent out a second e-mail to parents on Friday that the incident never happened.
Harrisburg Superintendent Jim Holbek told KELO Radio News in an E-Mail that "We tell our students to report suspicious activities to a trusted adult or police and to never get into a stranger's car. We are never 100% sure if these reports are of a dangerous situation or a misunderstanding by a youngster but if we error we want it to be on the side of safety. It is a good reminder for everyone to educate their children on how to be safe. It also alerts police to be on the lookout of a possible perpetrator."