Spokane Valley child escapes possible abduction attempt

A Spokane Valley boy may have narrowly escaped being abducted from his yard by a stranger this afternoon. Officers responded to the 18900 block of East Sprague at 4:20 p.m. after a woman told them she caught someone trying to lift her child over her backyard fence. She said she was inside when she saw her 4-year-old son run toward the west side of the backyard fence, where she couldn’t see him, police said. She thought he was talking to other children, but when she walked outside, she saw a man on the other side of the fence reaching over for the child. When she asked the man what he was doing, he replied he was picking her son up at the son’s request. Police said he’s white, about 30 years old, clean cut with a bowl-style haircut. He was wearing a red fleece sweatshirt. Anyone with information should call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.