Norman Police Warns Citizens Of Suspicious Van Around Town

Norman Police are investigating reports of a suspicious van in a neighborhood on the city's east side. 

Witnesses called 911 just before 11 a.m. Sunday to report a cream-colored van, with a Wisconsin license plate, trailing a female college student near 12th Avenue S.E. and Lindsey. Joyce La Mere, and her daughter, Shelley, say they intervened in an attempt to scare off the driver who they noticed was coasting behind the student as she walked down the street. 

"I pulled up and rolled down the window and asked what is wrong," 

La Mere says the student told her the van had been following her for some time. La Mere's daughter snapped a picture of the van and called Norman Police. They gave investigators the picture but also made their own attempt to generate leads. 

In a Facebook post, they warned of the potential danger and it's gone viral. At last check, the post had more than 1,000 comments and nearly 9,000 shares. Some have speculated it's a fake story because the account for La Mere's daughter, Shelley, is registered in Texas, However, they explained she'd been in Norman visiting her mother at the time of the incident.

Norman Police say they are taking the incident seriously. Investigators ran the Wisconsin plate but say they still need leads. 

"At this point," police spokesperson Sarah Jensen explained. "we are really asking people if they know anything about this van, if they know of its whereabouts, if they know who owns the van, to contact the Norman Police Department. We want to gain some insight into exactly what they were doing in the neighborhood." 

Norman Police also posted the picture to its Facebook page. The license plate had been blurred per department policy.

"We are trying to determine a motive," Jensen explained. 

La Mere is hopeful that happens sooner than later. 

"It was scary. It was sickening to think what might've happened if we hadn't stopped."