School officials have issued a warning after a student was grabbed by a stranger while walking to King Middle School in Portland.
According to King Middle School Principal Amy Marx, an eighth-grade student was grabbed by the wrist by an unknown person while walking to school along Park Avenue on Thursday.
Marx said a teacher was also walking in the area when the incident occurred and immediately called police. The teacher helped the student and walked with her the rest of the way to school.
The student gave a full report to police.
Brad Nadeau, a spokesperson for the Portland Police Department, said Friday that officers located the man and determined what transpired wasn’t “nefarious in nature.” Nadeau said the girl’s parents don’t wish to press charges.
The 14-year-old student wasn’t injured, according to Nadeau.
“We wanted to share this with the King community for awareness and so you can remind your child about the importance of safety when walking to and from school, and it is best to walk in pairs/groups if possible and to always take the safest routes,” Marx said.
Marx said the school will be working with police to monitor the areas where many students are walking before and after school.
BDN writer Christopher Burns contributed to this report.
