By Mike Lesko
Stow Sentry associate editor
STOW — For the sixth time since mid-May, Stow Police are reporting an incident of children being approached by strangers.
In all the incidents, the children of both genders are between the ages of 10 and 12, Stow Police Capt. Rick Myers said.
However, the reported suspects are different ages and drove different types of vehicles, he said, making the investigation more difficult.
“The problem is the lack of a common thread,” Myers said. “It’s important to know who we’re looking for.”
Myers said most of the incidents seemed to be in the Darrow-Graham road corridor of Stow.
“At this point, no one has been touched or grabbed,” Myers said. “But this would cause concern to any parent.”
Myers said undercover police cars have been on duty.
“But it’s difficult when you’re not certain who you’re looking for,” he said. “It’s almost impossible to guess ahead of them.”
The most recent incident was a report on Monday regarding two 11-year-old boys who reported being approached by three males at the Oregon Trail Skate Park on Graham Road near Lake Run Boulevard in Stow.
According to the report, the three males asked the boys to get in their vehicle, described as a black SUV, and go to their house. The males allegedly said they would not hurt the boys.
According to police, the boys ran home to alert a parent and were unharmed. Officers checked the area but did not find anyone fitting the descriptions given by the boys.
The driver was described as a white male, age 16-18, with dirty blonde curly hair, black T-shirt and jeans.
One passenger was described as a white male, in his 30s, balding with a very thin beard extending down the jaw line, and a thin mustache from the beard up and around the mouth, forming a ring around his lips and chin.
The other passenger was described as a white male, in his 20s, with very short hair in a semi-mohawk style.
The Stow Police Department is investigating these incidents and asks anyone with information to contact the detective bureau at 330-689-5734.