Approached By Strangers - What Would You Do?

Yesterday the boys and I went on a long walk, and when we were about a block from home we had a strange experience. We were walking in our own little world, where the boys were talking about ghosts etc., when I heard someone yell from behind.

A man was standing with the front door open calling at us from a house we had just passed. I turned around and he asked:

"Do you and your kids want to go see my pets?"

There is no way I would ever go into a strangers house, and I thought it was a very strange and crazy question. We have greeted the man once or twice before, if he has been outside, when we have walked by, but that is it. Even though I would never accept the offer, I was already very guarded, because the sex offender registry has two men listed right in that immediate area, where we were.

I said "No, thank you", as we continued walking.

I guess the man realized that I was uncomfortable with the situation, and he said.

"But it is a big iguana, and it is in the back yard."

Still, no way I would even consider it.

"No, thank you I have to go home to feed the baby. Thank you for asking though."

This was the end of it, and we continued walking. Right afterward another guy in a truck called from the street over to ask where a particular street was, and I yelled the answer to him.

After that I used the experience to tell my kids once again what not to do, when they are approached by a stranger. Outside of school and the Boys & Girls Club they are never alone without me anyway, but still you never know.

I explained to them that although I was an adult, I still did not know the man, so to me he was a stranger. I told them (once again) that you never go into a strangers house or car, and that if asked they should just say "No thank you, I need to go home, because my mom is waiting." I also emphasized that they should not stop and chat with a stranger, and if approached they should have as much distance between them and the stranger as possible, and that they should try to just keep walking after they say no thank you, so they get more distance between them and the stranger.

I told them that it was not a lie, because I would want them home, and I would never want them to go into a strangers home.

 

I do not want my children to become paranoid, but this was not a neighbor, it was a man we had greeted once or twice before as we had walked by his house. I wish we lived in a world, where I would not need to have any suspicious. However, that is not the case. Not only did someone try to kidnap a child on two different occasions in our area this fall, but we also have way too many sex offenders living in a five mile radius of our home.

Because of this strange experience, I went to check the national sex offender registry, and while the guy we saw was not listed, I did find that a couple of new sex offenders had been registered within our immediate neighborhood. A new sex offender against children has moved in only 0.2 miles from our home, and 0.4 miles from us a guy has just been convicted.

These are the details I could find as well as his photo and specific home address:

Lewd Lascivious batt sex w/victim 12-15 years old; F.S. 800.04(4)(a)   Conviction Date: 11/12/2009  Age at conviction: 24

 

As if it is not enough that we have sex offenders living so close to our home, I find it horrific that there are lots of red dots in the area surrounding my son's school. It does seem that none of them are right next to the school, but they are still all way to close, and they are all convicted for offenses against children. Every day I see children walking home alone in these areas.

Do you know where the sex offenders live in your area?

Wha would you do, if you were approached the way we were yesterday?

 

 

You can check out specific details of where they live at www.familywatchdog.us