Santa Rosa police investigate girl’s attempted kidnapping

Santa Rosa police will be present outside several schools each morning and afternoon this week following an attempted kidnapping of a 12-year-old girl on her way to class Monday morning.

The attempted abduction occurred about 8:30 a.m. at Calistoga Road and Piedmont Drive while the girl walked to Sequoia Elementary School in Rincon Valley, according to the Santa Rosa Police Department.

Officers will be upping security there and at Rincon Valley Charter School and Maria Carillo High School, which are all in the area.

School staff also will be present on streets leading to the elementary school, Rincon Valley Unified School District Superintendent Tracy Smith said.

“We’re taking this very seriously. Safety is our No. 1 priority,” she said.

Investigators determined a driver was heading south on Calistoga, made a U-turn and pulled over on the east side of the road Monday morning.

He opened the front-passenger door, threatened the girl and tried to pull her into the vehicle before she fought him off and ran home, police said, adding that the man was a stranger to the girl.

The driver was last seen going north on Calistoga.

Smith said all students and staff were safe Monday and parents were notified about the encounter. Counseling is available to students and presentations on safety tips are being planned.

In part, the statement to parents read “It is important that all students who are walking and/or biking to and from school are in groups or with adults at this time. I will keep you aware of any updates as I find out more.”

The driver is described as a white man in his late 40s to early 50s and about 5 feet 8 inches tall with a thin build. He was balding with a beard and wore torn blue jeans and a tan shirt with an unknown emblem on the left side of the chest.

The vehicle was an older four-door black BMW sedan with no front license plate.

Police want anyone with surveillance cameras in the area to check their footage and for witnesses to come forward.

Anyone with information may contact police at 707-528-5222 or its Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Team at 707-543-3595.

Information leading to an arrest may secure a reward of up to $2,500 from the Sonoma County Alliance Community Engagement and Safety Rewards Fund.

Santa Rosa police Sgt. Chris Mahurin said his office had received calls from the public saying they’d seen the car before and all tips will be investigated.

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi