Authorities Probe Attempted Child Abduction Report

Fliers posted recently at Cardiff State Beach depicting an alleged kidnapping suspect are being removed pending further investigation of the incident, according to a state parks official.

The fliers, containing a sketch of a white male allegedly involved in the Jan. 17 incident, were created by an area resident, according to Brian Ketterer, state parks superintendent for the San Diego coast.

The report is being referred to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department for further investigation, he said.

The fliers were posted in the wake of the report taken by a state parks employee about the incident. The fliers identify the person in the sketch as an "attempted kidnapping suspect." Fliers were also posted at other locations around the area, including Seaside Market, urging people to "call 911 if you see this man."

Ketterer, interviewed via telephone on Monday, was in meetings out of the county. Based on his recollection of the original report, he gave this account:

A woman took her child, no older than 10, to the beach. The mother read a book in a vehicle while reportedly keeping an eye on her child whom she allowed to play on the beach, Ketterer said.

A man approached the child and started a conversation. The unidentified man pointed to a restroom area and the child began following the man toward the restrooms.

As they walked toward the restrooms, the mother exited her vehicle and confronted the man. 

Reportedly, the man told the woman he and his wife had discovered some toys in a shower and told the child to follow him if the child was interested in playing with them.

The mother told the stranger his actions were not appropriate, retrieved her child and called 911.

A state parks officer, busy on other calls, did not respond until approximately 35 minutes later and took the report, Ketterer said.

At that time, neither the woman nor the juvenile were able to provide the state officer with a further description of the suspect, his vehicle, or a woman who was reportedly with him at the time, according to Ketterer.

While there is some "gray area" involved in the law, Ketterer said, the incident could be classified as an attempted kidnapping because the child moved a short distance of about 10 feet.

"Mom went home and downloaded some sketches and pictures of people she thought the person looked like and she put those up," Ketterer said.

While authorities are taking the incident seriously, the fliers are being removed pending further police work to ensure any sketches released properly depict the suspect. The fliers were posted without authorization sometime during the hours before sunset that same day, he said.

Ketterer sought to make three points in regards to the report.

First, he said, residents who witness suspected criminal activity should work with a local agency. "Make sure, you as a witness, obviously, dial 911 and make sure you have positive information," such as a detailed description of the potential suspect, alleged accomplices and descriptions of any vehicles and, ideally, a license plate number.

Second, Ketterer urges anyone with children to keep with them at all times when in a state park or beach setting. Ketterer said he has young children and they are not allowed to go to such areas unattended. "There are too many dynamics in those environments that can go wrong," he said. 

Finally, he said, while the actions of the person who put up the fliers may have been well-intentioned, because a law enforcement agency was not involved in preparing the information, the appearance of such sketches in the community can cause undue alarm and perhaps unfairly tar an innocent person.

"The street justice mentality doesn't have place," he said. "It is inciting fear in [an] area that may or may not be. It's not the right way to go about things."

As of Thursday, sheriff's deputies confirmed they would look into the report. The
detective assigned to the case did not return a call seeking comment.