Oak Park police have charged a man held for questioning last week in connection with an alleged attempted child abduction with disorderly conduct, stating there was insufficient evidence to prove child abduction.
Marcus Boyd, 30, of the first block of Washington, was arrested for disorderly conduct.
According to a police summary report, on the morning of May 26, a 10-year-old female was approached by Boyd, who was driving a 1998 Lincoln Town Car. Boyd then allegedly asked the girl if she was waiting for him to pick her up. The victim ran back into the lobby of her apartment building, and exited again roughly 10 minutes later with two friends. The three juveniles reported seeing the same red vehicle pass three more times as they waited for the school bus.
The initial victim also reported seeing the same man exit the vehicle, and stand behind a tree located on the first block of Washington, motioning for the victim to come over and talk to him.
She did not, and all three juveniles boarded the school bus when it arrived, and reported the incident to school officials when they arrived at William Beye Elementary School, 230 N. Cuyler Ave.
The elementary school principal, Jonathan Ellwanger, sent out notifications to parents about the incident later that evening, stating that the children notified him of the incident as soon as they arrived at school. He said he subsequently called the police to file a report.
“Incidents like this remind us all about the safety precautions children should take when they are walking around Oak Park, whether it is to/from school or on the weekends,” Ellwanger’s letter read.
The letter also included a list of safety precautions compiled for the students, with the assistance of the Oak Park Police Department.
Oak Park Police Commander LaDon Reynolds said that there was insufficient evidence in the investigation to charge Boyd with child abduction, but there was enough evidence for a charge of disorderly conduct, based in part on Boyd’s alleged attempts to alarm and disturb the juveniles.
