After social media posts whipped up a frenzy of concern over a non-existent attempted child abduction, police are assuring residents that there is no public safety concern.
“The community can trust that if we do identify a concern we will advise the public,” said Chestermere RCMP Detachment Commander Staff Sgt. Mark Wielgosz.
Posts to the Facebook page I Love Chestermere indicated that there had been an attempted child abduction in the community of The Cove on June. 10.
While no such incident occurred, Wielgosz said that RCMP did respond to a complaint of, “a male making a hand gesture.”
Police responded and after investigation found no evidence to suggest anything criminal occurred.
Police received the complaint at about 6:30 p.m. on June 10 about a male walking along a pathway in the Cove.
The male made a hand gesture at two youths playing on a backyard trampoline. The youths were upset by the gesture and went inside to tell their parents about it.
“No further observation was made or reported, this interaction caused concern for the parents,” said Wielgosz.
The parents called police who conducted patrols of the community but were unable to locate the individual.
No further complaints were made concerning the male.
As part of the investigation, police were able to identify and check home security cameras.
Surveillance video showed a male in a dark hoodie, but no suspicious behavior was observed.
“Based on the cold, windy and rainy weather, the male appeared dressed appropriately for the conditions,” said Wielgosz.
While no criminal activity was found, there was significant social media activity erroneously warning of an attempted abduction.
Wielgosz said that the public can rest assured that, “the male did not make any attempt to approach the two youths, nor was there any indication he left the walking path.”
“The RCMP has investigated this complaint and we have not identified a safety concern,” said Wielgosz.
