A case involving a man who approached a young child in Waupun turned out to be a misundertstanding but raises questions about child safety and approaching strangers. Waupun police chief Dale Heeringa says an elderly man pulled his vehicle over to ask a nine year old girl if she wanted to see a raccoon he had captured. “He took the raccoon to the area of Watertown and Fond du Lac Streets where he was going to show it to some relatives that live in that area. The relatives weren’t around and as he had the trunk open a nine year old girl was walking by,” Heeringa said. “He asked the young girl if he wished to see the raccoon in his trunk. The mother saw this from a distance and hollered at the girl to get away from the car. He jumped in the car and drove off.” Heeringa says police were able to make contact with the driver who admitted he approached the child…but had no ill-intent. Heeringa says the incident initially caused quite a stir in the community… and raises questions about children approaching strangers. “Nowadays you can’t do that. People get a little jumpy with that,” Heeeringa told WFDL news. “When I first heard about it I was concerned was it an abduction attempt? It turned out to be a harmless act.”
