Reports that an attempted kidnapping occurred at a Morgan Hill
school Tuesday morning were false, police said.
Kidnapping reports false
Reports that an attempted kidnapping occurred at a Morgan Hill school Tuesday morning were false, police said.
All available Morgan Hill officers responded to the reported attempt at P.A. Walsh School on Main Avenue about 8:30 a.m.
Through an immediate and extensive investigation, including interviews with the reported 12-year-old victim, police determined the report to be a “misunderstanding,” according to Detective Ken Howard.
An adult male was seen walking through the enclosed area of the school grounds. When he was leaving after dropping off his child, a kindergarten student at the school, he had a brief interaction with the reported victim who said “Help me,” and then walked around the man inside the school grounds.
The man told police that he asked the child if he was OK, but the child said nothing else and the man left the school, Howard said.
Police did not determine why the child might have been heard pleading for help.
“After thoroughly investigating this incident, it has been concluded that the attempted kidnapping was false and in fact just a misunderstanding,” Howard said.
Police also noted that a rumor circulating about a kidnapping of a 3-year-old girl in Morgan Hill, by a man driving a silver Yukon sport-utility vehicle with New York license plates, is false. Morgan Hill police have not received any reports of such an abduction, and Howard said there is “absolutely no information supporting” the rumors.
Beer snatchers arrested
Police arrested a pair of Morgan Hill teenagers who are accused of stealing beer from a local convenience store.
About 9 p.m. Sunday, a witness at the Chevron gas station and food mart on East Dunne Avenue reported seeing the two suspects back their Toyota Camry up to the store’s front door. The witness watched one of the teenagers get out of the car and go inside the store and approach the beer cooler, while the other teen stayed inside the vehicle with the engine running, according to Morgan Hill Detective Ken Howard.
The teen who went inside the store, later identified as 18-year-old David M. Del Grande of Morgan Hill, grabbed two 18-pack cases of Tecate beer and left without paying, Howard said. The teen put the beer in the back seat of the Camry, entered the passenger’s seat, and the driver sped away, police said.
Witness’ descriptions of the car gave police a “good ID” on the suspects, and led authorities to the teens’ home where they were arrested Monday, Howard said.
Del Grande and a 15-year-old male were both arrested and booked on suspicion of felony burglary charges.
“These guys have clearly done this before, and they had the intent” to leave the store with stolen beer, Howard said.
The case is still under investigation, and Howard said the teens were “possibly involved” in a couple of similar recent grab-and-run beer burglaries in Morgan Hill.
