Suspicious Man Near Clermont ES Prompts Safety Meeting

Fairfax County police, school officials and about 100 parents met Thursday night at near Franconia Road to discuss truck who was seen talking and waving to children five times in the last month.

On three different occasions in December 2011, students on their way to or from school reported a suspicious man staring, waving or calling to them. Then, in the past two weeks, two more incidents were reported, the last of which took place on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

As of now, police have only been able to confirm that the person in question drives a red pickup truck. The truck is old, and has dents, scratches and rust. The police have not been able to determine a model.

“That [truck] is where we’re starting from,” said Franconia District Station Officer Eduardo Azcarate. “From there, we’ll try to find who this individual is.”

The police believe the man is white or Hispanic, and that he was wearing brown work boots when he stepped out of his truck during one of the December incidents. They do not know for sure that it is the same man in December and January incidents.

"Keep in mind what source of information we’re using," Azcarate said. "Elementary and middle-school-aged children."

Amid TV news cameras, Azcarate stressed to a roomful of concerned parents that no crime had occurred, and the reported events were only suspicious.

“There is no crime,” he said. “It’s not illegal to stop and stare at kids. It’s not illegal to wave at anybody, children or otherwise.”

But Azcarate did agree that it was strange, and probably not “socially acceptable” to most of the parents in the room.

Regardless, Azcarate, who said he too has a child in elementary school, assured parents that this was a high priority for Franconia District Station, and that they were treating it very seriously. “We’ve got a good detective on it,” he said. “He’s been around a long time.”

Franconia Crime Prevention Officer Jim Reid strongly encouraged parents to not just look for the red truck, but for any odd behavior as well, as the man could have more than one vehicle.

“This guy has been seen five times in a red pickup truck,” Reid said. “But what happens next week, if he wants to take his brown Toyota Camry?”

If community members see suspicious activity, Reid urged them to call the police immediately. He also asked anyone who saw the red pickup truck to try to write down the license plate number, but not put themselves in danger.

Azcarate and Reid assured parents that there would be a heightened police presence, with officers in uniform and plainclothes.

“Those are the officers I’m glad to know are there,” Azacarate said. “The ones you don’t see.”

There was a heightened police presence after the December incidents as well, and parents were notified of the suspicious activity, Azcarate told Patch. But after the January reports, it was time to involve the community on a wider level.

Parents from neighborhoods all over the area, including Bush Hill, Rose Hill, Franconia and Burgundy, attended the meeting, which was organized by the Clermont PTA and attended by Aimee Holleb, principal at Mark Twain Middle School, newly elected school board representative Tammy Kaufax, and Frances Ivy, assistant superintendent for the area.

Clermont PTA President Kristyna Meyer was pleased with the turnout for the meeting and how the community has come together in light of the events. “It’s scary,” she said of the reports. “As a parent you think, ‘Oh, that can’t happen in my community,’ but it absolutely can. It definitely heightens your awareness with your own children.”

“Let’s harness the energy and make our kids safer forever,” Reid said. “The kids in this situation did the right thing. I was so proud to read those reports and hear that they ran and told an adult.”

For a , see our story. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, e-mail at www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES/274637 or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.

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