Montgomery Co. school communities alerted after students report being followed home after dismissal
School communities in Montgomery County are on alert after several students reported being followed by a stranger as they walked home after dismissal.
CHEVY CHASE, Md. – School communities in Montgomery County are on alert after students at two different schools have reported being followed by a stranger as they walked home after dismissal.
In a letter to families, Chevy Chase Elementary School principal Jody Smith says two separate incidents were reported by students since last week.
Smith said that three boys reported a man wearing a ski mask and driving a silver pickup truck followed them as they walked home from the bus stop after school last week. The students claim the man followed them for several days in a row. They told their parents and police were notified.
Then on Tuesday, a female student reported that an older man she described as having gray hair and who was wearing a blue and yellow jacket followed her for six blocks as she walked home. Smith said this was also reported to police.
The principal of Wood Acres Elementary School, Dr. Sweta Zaks, said a student reported a similar occurrence on Friday following dismissal. Zaks said this incident was also reported to police.
Montgomery County Police say they investigated two separate reports of suspicious vehicles being driven in the Glen Echo and East Parkhill sections of Bethesda during the first two weeks of January. Investigators say those reports were unsubstantiated.
School officials say parents should remind students to head directly home after school and not to speak with strangers. Anyone who spots something unusual in their neighborhood can contact Montgomery County Police non-emergency number at 301-279-8000.