Police Investigate Attempted Child Abduction in Cleveland County

By Adrianna Iwasinski, NEWS 9

NORMAN, Oklahoma -- Neighbors and deputies in far eastern Cleveland County are on the lookout for two men driving a white extended cab truck after an attempted abduction was reported Monday night.

Undersheriff Rhett Burnett said they received a report that the men tried to lure an 8-year-old girl and her 7-year-old friend into the truck at the intersection of Carrie Lane and Stewart Road. Luckily, the girls' moms were outside watching.

"Obviously they were up to no good," said Amanda Ragland, the mother of the 8-year-old girl. "Otherwise they wouldn't have taken off so quickly."

Ragland said her daughter was walking her friend home and she escorted the two girls down the driveway. She said she was watching them when she saw the truck approach them and stop. She said at first she thought it was a friend or family member of her daughter's friend.

"It was very creepy," Ragland said. "We've lived here 14 years and nothing like this has ever happened."

Ragland said her daughter told her the two men asked if the girls were OK and then asked if they wanted a ride. She said when the girls refused and said their mothers were outside, the truck sped off. Ragland said she tried to get in her car to follow the truck and get the tags but could not catch up with them.

Now the Cleveland County Sheriff's office is asking for the public's help.

"We believe that their intent was to lure those girls into the truck and drive off with them at a high rate of speed. Luckily the parents were vigilant and were watching and noticed something was wrong and that's when the vehicle left," Burnett said.

Burnett described one of the men as wearing a white T-shirt and red ball cap and the other was wearing a white ball cap and both were either of Hispanic or Native American descent and were driving white extended cab Chevy or GMC Z-71 pickup.