WHITEHOUSE, Ohio — Two separate "stranger danger" incidents are being investigated in Lucas County this week, according to a letter sent out by Anthony Wayne Local School District.
On Monday, an 11-year-old girl said a man offered her $100 to get in his car on Jeffers Road, and a student at Anthony Wayne High School reported a man was recording her with his phone Wednesday in the parking lot.
Authorities were unable to say if the same person was responsible for both incidents. The Lucas County Sheriff's Office said it has stepped up patrols and is asking the public to report anything suspicious.
Local organization Sierah Strong teaches kids what to do in these types of situations and focuses on watching for strange behaviors rather than just stranger danger.
The free community program has been around since 2019 and has taught self-defense and self-awareness to more than a thousand children.
Children are taught to pay attention to their surroundings, notice when something doesn't feel right and listen to their gut feeling in a situation with a stranger according to Sierah Strong Founder and President Tara Ice.
"We're seeing it happen and it can happen to you, so we need to educate our kids on the importance of situational awareness," Ice said.
They use a traffic light to illustrate this gut feeling in three different colors so children can determine how safe it is.
"If you have that 'red' feeling, it's danger, it's 'get away, get out, get help,'" Ice said. "It's that 'yellow' feeling of 'hmmm this doesn't seem right,' or the 'green: you're good, carry on.'"
Ice said the kids involved in this week's situations did the right thing and were aware of those feelings, eventually getting help.
The program also teaches families to make a list of neighborhood boundaries with their children and interact with their neighbors.
Ice said adults never need help or directions from a child and this could be a trick, and if being followed, go to a public place like a store or gas station and tell an adult.
Recently, Ice said the program has also made kid print IDs for children and their parents to use with their fingerprints on them and other vital information to give to an authority or trusted figure in case of an emergency.