On Sunday, August 14th, 2016, at 6:19 p.m., Dubuque Police responded to a complaint of suspicious circumstances in the 1000 block of High Bluff Street.
According to the reporting party, an 8-year-old female was riding her bicycle in the area when a man in a vehicle approached her and allegedly attempted to entice her into his vehicle by claiming he had a puppy inside. The girl fled the area, returned home, and alerted her mother, who called police.
Investigators utilized witness information and both private residential security camera footage, as well as city traffic camera footage to locate the vehicle involved on August 15th. The male driver of the vehicle was also located, identified, and interviewed. A second male who was a passenger in the vehicle was also identified and interviewed. No arrests have been made at this time. The investigation remains ongoing and will include consultation with the County Attorney on any potential criminal charge(s). Dubuque Police remind parents/guardians to educate their children on the appropriate, safest response to situations of this nature, as was demonstrated by the child in this incident.
If you have any information on this incident or others, please call the Dubuque Police Department at 563-589-4415 or Crime Stoppers at 800-747-0117 or 563-588-0714 (if the information leads to an arrest, the caller is eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000). You can also submit tips anonymously online at www.cityofdubuque.org/police or through the MyDBQ smartphone app available at www.cityofdubuque.org/MyDBQ.