SCHERTZ, Texas –
Police are sending a safety alert to families after an attempted kidnapping in Schertz Thursday. Officers arrested 24-year-old Zachary Schultz and accused him of trying to abduct a 14-year-old girl from the local H-E-B.
Friday police warned parents and children about what to do in that situation.
Schertz police said quick reports and accurate descriptions from the victim, her mother and other witnesses allowed detectives to track down Schultz.
Now, those same officers are talking safety.
"A lot of it just comes to being aware of your surroundings. That means making decisions about when it's appropriate to go to certain locations, the hour, trying to go to businesses when a lot of people are in that particular business," said Lt. John Correu with Schertz PD.
Correu said parents should always have their keys in hand when walking back to the car, so they're not distracted and can keep an eye on their children. He said parents should also have an emergency law enforcement number on their phone's speed dial, in case something happens. He said if someone does grab the child, yell loudly and make a scene.
"Make as much noise as possible if you're in a situation where people are coming at you in a threatening manner or you just feel unsafe," he said.
The good news, Schertz police, San Antonio police and the FBI all told KSAT Friday, is that this is a very rare situation. It's the first attempted abduction Schertz police have dealt with in years.
SAPD said, "We have not had any recent reports filed in our jurisdiction for these types of incidents."
The FBI said, "The San Antonio (office of the) FBI has not seen an increase or a trend where children are targeted in public places rather, we have observed a trend where child victims are increasingly targeted online, using social media sites."
It said that is why the “stranger danger” conversation should now include talk about the Internet.