Stranger at school bus stop offers rides to 3 boys

STAFFORD -- (Press release) The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office is investigating reports of a suspicious male subject who approached three juveniles at a bus stop on Thursday morning in the southern end of the county. On April 4, 2019, at approximately 7:15 a.m., three middle school-aged boys were reportedly waiting at their bus stop at the intersection of Hartwood Road and Reserve Way when a male subject drove by the bus stop laughing and smiling at the boys. A few moments later, the man returned and stopped in front of the bus stop. He rolled down his window and asked the boys if they had missed the bus. The man then told the boys to get in his vehicle and he’d drive them to school. The boys refused and began walking home, prompting the subject to ask them again to get in his vehicle. He told the boys not to be scared. The man then exited his vehicle. At that point, the bus appeared and the man got back into his vehicle and sped off. The juveniles reported the incident to their parents later that day and they called the Sheriff’s Office. The suspect is described as a black male in his 30’s or 40’s with a gray beard. He was driving a beat-up silver four-door sedan. The incident remains under investigation. The Sheriff’s Office deployed additional patrols to the area this morning and will continue to have a heightened presence at bus stops. Anyone with information on this incident or similar incidents is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office immediately at (540) 658-4400.