Fairfax County police are looking for two men who followed a 9-year-old Centreville girl home from school, recently, trailing her in their car. The incident occurred Monday, March 24, around 1 p.m., and the child is a fourth-grader at Deer Park Elementary.
The girl told police that, while walking home in the 15000 block of Ulderic Drive in Country Club Manor, she noticed the pair following her in a red car. And when she reached her house and walked inside, she saw that the car had parked in her driveway.
But when the driver looked into the living-room window, it was his turn to be frightened. The girl's family has a pet rottweiler dog and, when the stranger peered inside the home, the animal jumped at the window and scared the man away. He and the other man then drove off.
The driver is described as white, about 30, 5 feet, 11 inches and 180 pounds. He wore a blue shirt and dark pants. The passenger is described as white, also about 30, with short black hair. He wore a light-colored shirt. The car was a two-door, red compact with a white stripe.
The child immediately told her mother what happened, and her mother called the police. Several officers responded to the area and looked for the suspects and their vehicle, but to no avail. They also canvassed the neighborhood, the next day, alerting neighbors about the situation.
At Deer Park, after police notified Principal Doug Brooks about the stalkers, he sent home a letter to the parents of every child in the school. "I asked the parents to review with their children the proper procedure for walking home," he said. "Children should walk with a buddy, go directly home without [dawdling] along the way, lock the door when they [arrive] and let their parents know they're home."
Brooks reiterated that advice to the students, the next morning, via the school's in-house, TV news program. And he noted that, since the occurrence, police have increased their presence in the local community. As for the girl's actions that day, he said, "She absolutely did the right thing."
On Monday, police spokeswoman Amy Lubas said police have "made some headway on the case, and we're actively following up on some leads." Meanwhile, anyone with information about the men, their car or this incident is asked to call police at 703-691-2131 or Fairfax County Crime Solvers at 703-691-8888.