Blue sedan near school spurs alert

Spokane police are on alert for a man in a dark blue four-door car hanging out around Wilson Elementary School.

The bulletin was prompted by three calls to police regarding a suspicious vehicle seen in the South Hill area.

The first call came on Sunday, said police Cpl. Tom Lee. A woman reported that her daughter was playing in a yard about a block from the elementary school at 911 W. 25th Ave. when a man stopped his car and offered her a ride. The girl, whose age was not released, refused and ran home.

Police received two calls on Monday regarding a dark blue sedan, Lee said. The first was from someone who saw the car go past Wilson Elementary School twice Monday afternoon. The second came from a woman who said she saw a similar car one to two weeks earlier in the same area.

The second woman thought the vehicle suspicious enough that she attempted to get its license plate number, Lee said. The number has been given to police as a possible or partial plate number.

Lee said reports of the suspicious vehicle have been isolated to Wilson Elementary School. Detectives on Tuesday were reviewing the three incidents to determine if an investigation is necessary.

School officials sent a letter home to parents on Monday reminding them of some general safety rules regarding strangers. The safety practices included walking in groups on established routes, avoiding wooded areas, developing a plan for what a child should do if approached by a stranger, and discussing the difference between friends and friendly strangers.

“A friend is someone who visits you in your home, or relatives you can trust,” wrote Rita Forsythe, the elementary school’s principal. “Friendly strangers are people you might meet in a store and say ‘hi’ to, but you don’t really know well.”