Neighbors On Alert After Man Approaches Children

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ind. -- Neighbors in a small Tipton County community are on alert after two children reported being approached by the same man.

Both children were playing outside in a Sharpsville neighborhood when a man in a pickup truck approached them and tried to get them to come closer, 6News' Renee Jameson reported.

The latest incident happened Friday evening, when Nicki Piel's daughter's 9-year-old friend was in the family's front yard.

She said the man, in his late 50s, stopped and asked her to come over and see him.

"He asked if she wanted to get in the truck and she said, 'No thank you,' and she said she tried to get her cell phone up to take a picture, and the man sped away," Piel said.

When police went to investigate, they learned about another similar incident that had happened in the same neighborhood two weeks ago.

"The same vehicle was in the neighborhood two weeks prior and went up to a 6-year-old boy who was playing in his yard, and apparently tried to do the same thing, (saying) 'Hey do you want to talk,'" said Tipton County Sheriff's Department Deputy Korey Henderson.

Police said the man drove away when a neighbor went outside to check on the boy.

The man's vehicle in both incidents was described as a red, four-door Chevrolet pickup truck with tinted windows.

Neighbors said they will be on the lookout.

"This is supposed to be summertime when they're having fun and playing outside," Piel said. "They shouldn't have to worry about someone trying to steal them."

Authorities have stepped up patrols in the area and ask anyone who has seen something suspicious to call police.