
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 19, 1992                   TAG: 9203190243
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B4   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ALEXANDRIA                                LENGTH: Short

LINK SOUGHT IN ABDUCTION ATTEMPTS

Police are looking for possible links in a rash of attempted abductions of elementary school-age children in the last two weeks.

Police said three children reported attempted abductions Tuesday. As many as 10 children may have been similarly stalked in the past week, police said.

In each case, a man in a car followed a young girl or tried to entice her into the car. All the reported incidents occurred as the children walked to or from school.

"Among the things we are looking at is that they may be connected," said Mark Bergin, a spokesman for the city police. "There have been a surprising amount of these reports lately and some of the children say they have seen a suspect within the area for a couple weeks."

Several of the children reported being approached by a Hispanic or Asian man in his 30s, Bergin said.

Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.

by CNB