UPDATE (1:47 p.m.) Richmond Hill Police Maj. Mike Albritton said Tuesday afternoon that officers have spoken to the subject in question and that the issue has been resolved, with the male in question being deemed no threat because of a cultural misunderstanding.
Albritton said a call came in to RHPD about 12:30 p.m. from an individual that a male matching the description given was spotted near Bristol Way East, which is near where the alleged incident happened.
Officers located the male walking near Carter Funeral Home on Highway 144 and approached him for a consensual talk. The male is from Nigeria and is visiting family members in the area. He admitted talking with the girl. However, based on his culture, he thought it was OK to approach strangers on the street and talk with them.
Officers explained to the male that he should not do that here.
Original post follows below
The Richmond Hill Police Department is investigating what is being called on the RHPD’s Facebook page as an alleged attempted kidnapping that occurred Monday in the Mainstreet-subdivision area in Richmond Hill.
According to RHPD Maj. Michael Albritton, a father called to report that his daughter was walking in that area when she was approached by a black male with a bald head who asked for her name and phone number. The girl told the man her age — according to a report on the RHPD’s Facebook page Tuesday, the girl is 10 years old — as her brother approached them. The subject then walked away toward Constitution Street.
“There was never any physical contact between the (girl and the male),” Albritton said.
The major said police canvassed the area, but did not find the male. According to the Facebook post, Albritton also said no other reports of juveniles being approached in the Richmond Hill area have come in to RHPD.
The RHPD’s Facebook post Tuesday states that the department “has received numerous calls and Facebook messages” about the incident and that people with information should contact the department.
“We’re not taking it lying down. If other people have information, by all means we want to know,” he said.