Girl, 11, thwarts abduction
Lisa Roberson | The Chronicle-Telegram
Cascade Elementary student Tiara Moon said she was walking to her home on North West River Road when a man grabbed her by her coat, causing her to fall. She said she started kicking and screaming — making enough ruckus to prompt the man to push her to the ground for a second time, call her a foul name and run off.
Tiara said she learned what she should do if someone grabbed her in the same way a lot of other kids do — by watching a presentation during a school assembly when she was in the third grade in an Akron school.
“I thought it was kind of silly back then, but that’s all I could remember,” she said. “I felt scared. I was worried about if he was going to take me.”
Her father, Atha Owens, 31, is grateful for that long-ago lesson.
“She was terrified,” Owens said. “She told me was just kept kicking until he ran away. I’m so proud of her because she did what she was told to do. She fought back.”
Owens said his daughter is walking with a slight limp and has to wear a knee brace because she was hurt when she was pushed to the ground, but otherwise is doing fine. Now, he wants to spread the word to other parents in the neighborhood.
“There’s nothing anyone can do about situations like this but warn other people so they can watch out for their own kids,” he said.
“We know things like this happen all over the world, but now it’s in our backyard.”
Tiara said she thinks she kicked the man in the shin before he ran away. She immediately ran to a nearby crossing guard, who called police. The sixth-grader was able to give police a description of her attacker. Police Lt. Andy Eichenlaub said officers immediately went to the area, but were unable to find the man Tiara described. Officers will continue to hunt for him.
School officials were notified of the incident Monday morning, district spokeswoman Amy Kren said. As a result, Cascade Principal Aretha Dixon sent a letter home to parents, alerting them to what happened and also reminding parents to tell their children what to do if faced with a similar situation.
“The good thing about this is the student got away and immediately told someone what happened,” Kren said. “Unfortunately, that’s what we have to keep reminding our children of.”
A police report said there were no witnesses to the altercation. The crossing guard called police after a dirt-covered Tiara ran to him crying and shaking.
Tiara’s father dropped her off at school Monday. It’s a sacrifice the family is prepared to make until Tiara feels safe walking again, Owens said.
“It doesn’t feel good to know her school and home are not that far apart and this can happen,” he said. “Thank God she was able to fight back. I guess I can’t yell at her for being feisty anymore.”
As for Tiara, she has a message for other kids.
“Be safe and walk with a couple of other people,” she said.
Contact Lisa Roberson at 329-7121 or roberson@chroniclet.com.
Police are seeking:
- White male in his 40s
- About 5-foot, 6-inches tall
- 130 to 140 pounds
- Brown hair, described as being shorter and “sloppy”
- Brown eyes
- Wearing a blue jacket with black sleeves and white stripes around the shoulders and blue jeans that had a hole near the knee, white spots on one leg and a red spot on the other leg. The white spots are believed to be paint. If anyone has any information, they are asked to call the Elyria Police Department at (440) 323-3302.
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Filed by Lisa Roberson | The Chronicle-Telegram February 5th, 2008 in Top Stories. Popularity: 5% |
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