When her two young children arrived home after school on Nov. 23, Chantal Sadlowski knew something was wrong.
“When my kids walked through the door, I could see the fear in their eyes,” she says.
When her two elementary aged students get off the bus after school, they have about half a block to walk to their house. In that short walk, a vehicle had stopped and asked the two children if they wanted candy.
Thankfully, the kids continued to walk away as the suspect kept asking. When the children got home, they immediately told their mom what had happened.
“My first thought was to call the RCMP, which I did,” says Sadlowski, adding, “As a parent, you never believe that things like this can happen to your children.”
After notifying the RCMP, Sadlowski took to social media to share the experience with other parents.
“I know many parents in this town with kids the same age as my kids,” she says, adding, the post was shared over 500 hundred times in just a few hours.
And while she was heartbroken to realize that her children do have to worry about suspicious people on the streets, she was also proud of how her children handled the situation.
“It is important for us to sit down with them and teach them what to do in these situations, even if we think they will never happen. I have had many conversations with them about different scenarios and what they would/should do,” says Sadlowski.
On Nov. 30, St. Paul RCMP released information confirming the incident. It was noted that a man driving a white car, near Lakeshore Drive, reportedly approached the children that afternoon.
“It is alleged that the male rolled down his window and asked the children if they wanted some candy, and then drove away after they did not reply back. The children advised their parents and were not harmed. Police were contacted a short time later and initiated an investigation, but the vehicle was not located in the area,” reads the RCMP release.
The vehicle was described as a larger, white, four-door car with dirt on it.
In response to the incident, St. Paul Education Regional Division increased outdoor supervision for a few days, following the report.
“When something like that comes to our attention, we have to evaluate it,” said SPERD superintendent Glen Brodziak. The division didn’t want to alarm people unnecessarily, but also had to weigh being proactive or reactive.
Brodziak says he was also in contact with RCMP the night the incident occurred, and SPERD takes direction from the police. He added that there were extra patrols being done around St. Paul school, following the report.
Brodziak added that there still is no verification on the vehicle, and he hasn’t seen any public notice from RCMP on the incident. The division believes that “when the adults are OK, the students will be OK,” and so the division makes sure staff members aren’t panicking.
“They’re a little bit more watchful,” he says, but keeping calm and taking care of children is the priority.
In this case, the schools did not relay information to students, but if a case were to arise that required students to be informed, the information would be age-appropriate.
By late last week, Brodziak noted that supervision was back down to normal levels.
For Sadlowski, the situation made the lessons she teachers her children very real.
“They handled this situation in a way I hope all kids would. Growing up in St. Paul, born and raised, it shocked, saddened and angered me that this happened,” says Sadlowski, adding, “This doesn’t happen here. This shouldn’t happen here.
The police commend the children for not speaking with the males in the vehicle and for advising adults about the incident. The RCMP would also like to remind parents and caregivers of the importance of educating children about safety and speaking with strangers.
The male driver who spoke to the children is described as: Caucasian male; possibly 50 years or older; No facial hair.
A male passenger, who did not speak to the children, was described as possibly being the same age as driver, and wearing a baseball cap.
