COURTENAY, B.C – The Comox Valley RCMP are looking into an odd incident near a school in northern Courtenay this week.
The incident took place on Tuesday afternoon, according to Leanne Gray, who wrote about it to a Facebook group for parents of students at Huband Park Elementary.
Gray stated that her two sons and a friend were heading across a nearby boardwalk to go sledding at the school grounds when a younger man approached them. He was wearing black clothing, with a black toque.
Gray indicated that the man greeted the boys, and then began to follow them, taking pictures of them and their faces.
At one point, according to Gray, the man stated he was making a “70’s movie”, but told the boys their faces would not be in it. Scared, the boys headed to the home of a friend’s grandparent.
Gray stated that the man was then seen trying to open doors on a house across the street from the grandparent’s home, while police were being contacted. When that was unsuccessful, he left the area.
Comox Valley RCMP spokesperson Cst. Monika Terragni said investigators are working to identify the suspect.
“We were in the area yesterday, speaking with residents and will be back again today,” Terragni told the MyComoxValleyNow.com newsroom on Thursday afternoon.
Terragni said the description of the man who took the photos is similar to that of a man who allegedly grabbed a child’s backpack earlier this week.
“Investigators are considering a connection between the two incidents,” she said.
However, Terragni noted, the age of the man along with the location and details of the incident are “somewhat different.”
The investigation is ongoing.
