SPPD: Viral Facebook claim of attempted abduction untrue
By Brandi Makuski
City police say they’re scrambling to address a Facebook post containing inaccurate information about an alleged attempted sexual assault and abduction near Jefferson and Algoma streets, but it’s tough.
The post has already gone viral.
According to Assistant Police Chief Tom Zenner, a social media post alleging a woman was nearly abducted by half a dozen men while out searching for a lost dog early Sunday morning is not accurate.
The post, made by a third party, claims the woman had split from her husband while the two searched for their dog. Then, the post alleges, the woman was surrounded by several men from a suspicious vehicle, who later ran away after she screamed for help.
“All we really have is a report of the victim identifying that a suspicious vehicle had followed her home,” Zenner said by phone on Sunday. “The individual driving the vehicle did not make contact. We have been unable to confirm whether it was happenstance, or this individual was actually followed.”
According to Sgt. Greg Bean from SPPD, a call for help came at 3:37 a.m. on Aug 12. Initially, the caller stated a woman had been assaulted in an alley just north of the 2600 block of Jefferson St.
Officers from the Portage Co. Sheriffs Office also responded to assist city police, Bean said. Upon arrival, they learned no assault had taken place.
“At this time we have no indication that this incident was anything more than a suspicious vehicle call,” Bean said.
The woman told officers she believed she was being followed by a gray four-door sedan in the alley, and when her husband arrived the car turned around and left the area. The car reportedly traveled north on Welsby Ave. and then turned west on Algoma St.
Zenner urged responsible use of social media, adding that posts to Facebook had real-world consequences for his staff.
“Chasing these Facebook claims is becoming a little concerning,” he said.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Stevens Point Police Department at (715) 346-1500.
