Man being sought after attempting to lure girl

The Leadwood Police Department is looking for a male who approached a 13-year-old girl near Spradfield’s Market located off Church Street in Leadwood.

Leadwood Police Chief Tim Hansen said that his department is actively trying to locate the man.

“Tuesday afternoon a man tried to lure the girl into his vehicle by stating that her mother had been in a car accident and he needed to get her to the hospital,” said Hansen. “The girl, knowing that they had no car, knew it wasn’t true and ran into Spradfeild’s screaming for help and to use the phone to call her mom.”

Hansen said in the process he believes the girl dropped her cell phone and it broke. The man, described as a white male in his 40s with gray hair and cleanly shaven was last seen in a truck described as a white Ford Ranger or a Chevy S-10 with an extended cab.

“It’s a smaller truck with a bunch of scratches on the side,” said Hansen. “Right now I am going to the sheriff’s department to review the sex offender registry to see if anyone fits the description or has a truck similar to the one reported.”

Hansen hopes to find the suspect as quickly as possible so an incident doesn’t occur again.

The Daily Journal will bring updates as they become available.

Renee Bronaugh is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-518-3617 or rbronaugh@dailyjournalonline.com