At approximately 5:20 p.m. March 12, a Moab City police officer responded to the Grand County High School on a report of an attempted abduction of two 12-year-old males. The Moab City Police Department has since announced that the boys fabricated the story.
When Moab City Police officer Larry Velasquez initially contacted the two boys and their parents, Velasquez said both boys were visibly distraught but provided statements describing the incident.
A press release was later sent by the police department describing the alleged incident.
The boys had said they were walking on a road that leads from the middle school toward the high school on a road when a white or gray van allegedly approached them, the press release said.
Allegedly, a “tall and white” man wearing black gloves exited the van and attempted to lure them into the van by offering to let them play video games. The students allegedly declined the offer and had told Velasquez that they fought the men off and then ran to the high school, where they met with one of the parents and explained what had happened.
Moab City Police Department Assistant Chief of Police Bret Edge said on March 13 that police “positively determined that the two children fabricated the abduction report.”
“We are no longer seeking information about this incident, nor are we looking for the van that was reported to be involved in the incident,” Edge wrote in a press release.
Two children described alleged near-abduction to police
