A woman reported to Maricopa Police at about 2:45 p.m. Monday near Santa Cruz and Yankee roads in the Villages at Rancho El Dorado that a man in a red Ford pickup had offered her $100 to hop in and take a ride.
The woman, however, refused the cash and called police instead.
Although the woman was able to provide a description of the vehicle, it did not include the license plate, and responding officers were not able to locate it when they arrived, Maricopa Police Spokesman Sgt. Stephen Judd said.
“In cases like this, a license plate would have been helpful,” he said. “If someone does something suspicious, or says something suspicious to you, at least get the license plate so if the vehicle isn’t there when we get there we can go to where the vehicle belongs.”
Judd added that citizens also need to exercise discretion to keep themselves safe from would-be predators.
“Never go with strangers,” he said. “Just use common sense in who you speak to and if you do need to take a ride from somebody, just be careful. It is hard to extrapolate what the motivation was if there was money offered.”
File photo
