KATY, Texas – A 12-year-old girl is now on alert in her own neighborhood when she walks to and from school.
She's been forced to take extra precautions after a woman drove up to her and tried to lure her into a white van or SUV as she was walking to a friend's house after school on Thursday.
She was in a Katy neighborhood at Silent Flight and Merlin Roost Drive, close to Kingsland and Katy Gap Road.
"The whole time I'm just thinking about like, everything that my mom has told me to say and told me to do if that happens," recounts the junior high student.
The woman repeatedly asked the girl if she wanted a ride. She drove away only when the girl continued to ignore her. The incident has parents concerned and reminding their kids what to do to avoid possible danger.
"The conversation I'm having with my daughter is look over her shoulders, front and back," said parent Christine Sellers. "Be alert at all times."
This is the fourth stranger alert in Katy ISD in just the seventh week of school. Compare that to seven in the district by the same time last year.
A spokesman says Katy ISD isn't more dangerous than other area districts. He credits the number of reports to vigilant parents who are encouraged to communicate with their children and in turn communicate these incidents to authorities.
"They're reporting these incidents to police," said spokesman Steve Stanford. "That gives us an opportunity to send these bulletins out."
The woman who tried to lure the girl is described as a white or light-skinned Hispanic female in her late 20's to early 30's. She has dark brown hair and was wearing a ponytail and sunglasses. She was driving a white SUV or service van.