Deputies increase patrols after stranger danger incident

Deputies in Elkhart are conducting extra patrols around school zones after a student was approached by a man in a car.

The student contacted the Elkhart County Sheriff's Department around 8 a.m. Tuesday. The student was walking to a bus stop near CR 45 and CR13 when a man in a Dodge Durango approached the student.

According to deputies, the student described the man on as an Indian male in his twenties with a thin mustache and a turban.

The student says the man never exited the vehicle and left when the student refused the ride.

This is not the first time Elkhart law enforcement officers have been alerted to such a situation.

Last week they received a report of another student being approached on their way to school.

The student was on her way to Hawthorne School when she was approached by what she described as a Hispanic male in his mid-forties. She claims he was on a bicycle and attempted to grab her.

If you see suspicious persons or vehicles near bus stops or any place children may be headed to school, you are encouraged to report it to the Elkhart County Sheriff's department at 574-533-4151.