OKC Parents On Alert After Suspect Touches Young Girl At Bus Stop

Parents were worried Thursday afternoon while picking their children up from Putnam City's Arbor Grove Elementary School after a suspect approached a group of students and touched a young girl.

The students were at their bus stop near NW 44^th and Meridian Avenue Tuesday morning when the incident happened.

According to Putnam City School District administrators, the students came face to face with the man. Their bus stop was located about a mile away from the school. They were waiting for the bus when they say a man approached them, began talking to them and then rubbed a young girl's stomach.

When the group of students got to school they told administrators what had happened. District officials applauded that move and said it is imperative that students feel comfortable reporting suspicious and unacceptable behavior.

The students said is was a white male with blonde hair and a small amount of facial hair who came up to them at the bus stop. They said he also had brown eyes and was wearing jeans and a shirt.

A letter describing the suspect was sent home to parents Tuesday with the descriptions. Steve Lindley with Putnam City Schools also said an automated call went out to parents.

The incident happened along a busy stretch of Meridian, so anyone who may have seen something is asked to call Oklahoma City Police and report it. Since the students were neither at home nor in school when the incident happen, school administrators said it highlighted the importance of talking to children about their safety to and from school.

Steve Lindley with Putnam City Schools says that school counselors go classroom to classroom in elementary schools to teach children about dealing with strangers at the beginning of the school year.

He said the counselors talked about things like walking in groups, not responding the stranger requests and making sure to check in with parents after school.