Three incidents of men approaching teen girls in Byron reported

Brian Todd, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·3 min read

Apr. 2—BYRON — Two more incidents of men approaching teen girls have been reported in Byron.

Capt. Scott Behrns of the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office said that after a similar report involving a man approaching a 12-year-old girl along a wooded path east of Byron Middle School on Wednesday, a second report of a similar incident happening Wednesday was reported to law enforcement.

MORE INFORMATION: Byron Middle School student reports encountering suspicious man after school Wednesday

The second incident reportedly occurred about 7:30 p.m. at Brook Lawn 10th Park near Fifth Avenue and 12th Street Northwest, Behrns said.

A white man in his early 20s approached a girl and asked how she was doing. The girl left the park, went home and told an adult about the incident, and law enforcement was contacted, Behrns said.

In the earlier incident, a girl, age 12, told deputies Wednesday evening that she was walking home from school shortly after 3 p.m. on a trail along a wooded area east of Byron Middle School when a man asked if he could walk with her.

The man, who appeared to be in his 20s, was facing the woods with his back to the trail wearing jeans and a grey hoodie with the hood pulled up.

The girl said she declined the offer and told the man her mom was waiting for her in a nearby car. The student's family contacted police later that evening, Behrns said.

Behrns said while approaching and talking to someone is not illegal, the incident is of concern to law enforcement, and the sheriff's office increased its presence in the area because of the first incident.

Byron Public Schools Superintendent Joe Page told parents that the sheriff's office is "taking additional measures to help ensure the safety of the kids that walk in the area."

A third incident, Behrns said, is likely unconnected.

About 6:30 p.m. Thursday, two 13-year-old girls, one from Byron and one from Rochester, were walking along the 300 block of Ninth Avenue Northwest in Byron when a man in a dark-colored sedan asked the girls if they wanted a ride, Behrns said.

The girls described the man as being in his 20s, mixed-race with light skin, medium-length hair in either braids or dreadlocks, and a small amount of facial hair, Behrns said.

After the girls declined to get in his car, the man drove past them a couple of more times, Behrns said. At that point, the girls ran to a residence and law enforcement was called.

Behrns said investigators don't believe the incident with the man in the car is related to the other man who approached girls while he was walking. None of the cases are related to a stabbing that occurred Thursday evening in Byron.

However, Behrns has asked that anyone with doorbell cameras or other security cameras who live near the site of incident of the man in the car who approached the two girls — near Third Street and Ninth Avenue or near the middle school in Byron — check their cameras for a dark sedan about that time. If anyone finds anything suspicious, they should call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477 or call the non-emergency number at (507) 328-6800.

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