Investigators with the Pocola Police Department said a call came into their department on Sunday about a possible attempted child abduction. They said two girls young girls told them a man driving a black Jeep drove by their home several times on East George Avenue. The girls told police they were waiting on the church bus. They also told police they ran away from the man when the vehicle stopped near them.
"He just stopped and I knew something was going to happen because that's not usual for him to just stop in the middle of the street," said Kadence Clifford. Clifford lives at the home and was waiting for the church bus with her friend.
She said she grabbed her friend and hid in a nearby shed.
"I ran in there and we ran in the back corner of the shed," Clifford said.
She said the man in the Jeep left once they were in the shed.
Her mother, Ashley Todd, did what many mothers would do. She called police and posted a warning on Facebook. The warning gave the description of the person her daughter said she saw. The post has been shared over 300 times locally.
Police started their investigation into what they were calling an attempted child abduction. They found the man they think drove that jeep.
"The conclusion that we have come up with is that we believe it was a matter of perception. Our young victims thought that they were being chased. Upon visiting with the person, we think there was not intending to chase them. He was trying to get some cats out of the street to keep from running over them. This person feels terrible for frightening the young girls," Said Pocola Police Chief Steve Howard.
Howard said the man is an elderly man who was visiting a relative near the girls home. He said the young girls did the right thing throughout this entire ordeal.
"We applaud the young victims for seeking out an adult and telling them what they thought had happened," Howard said.