On December 16th the Hays Police Department received a report that a juvenile female had been sexually assaulted near Massey Park, 17th and Allen. The assault reportedly occurred at around 6:15 p.m. that day. The victim reported that she met a young man on social media and agreed to meet him at the park. At the park the young man reportedly physically restrained the victim and then sexually assaulted her. The suspect then fled the park. The victim ran from the scene with another female and then called the police.
The suspect has been described as a white male about 6-foot-tall, medium/athletic build, short brown hair, and a beard. The suspect was reportedly wearing shoes, jeans, and a dark hoodie. A possible blue vehicle may have been driven by the suspect.
The investigation continues into this sexual assault of a child and you are encouraged to contact the Hays Police Department at (785) 625-1011 if you have any information reference this reported crime.
The Hays Police Department would like to remind parents of the importance of speaking with their child about the dangers of social media and meeting people online. The following are safety tips from the FBI.
On-Line Safety Tips for Parents
- Monitor your children’s use of the Internet; keep your Internet computer in an open, common room of the house. Don’t forget cell phones!
- Tell your kids why it’s so important not to disclose personal information online.
- Check your kids’ profiles and what they post online.
- Read and follow the safety tips provided on the sites.
- Report inappropriate activity to the website or law enforcement immediately.
- Only allow your kids to post photos or any type of personally identifying information on websites with your knowledge and consent.
- Instruct your kids to use privacy settings to restrict access to profiles so only the individuals on their contact lists are able to view their profiles.
- Remind kids to only add people they know in real life to their contact lists.
- Encourage kids to choose appropriate screen names or nicknames.
- Talk to your kids about creating strong passwords.
- Visit social networking websites with your kids, and exchange ideas about acceptable versus potentially risky websites.
- Ask your kids about the people they are communicating with online.
- Make it a rule with your kids that they can never give out personal information or meet anyone in person without your prior knowledge and consent. If you agree to a meeting between your child and someone they met online, talk to the parents/guardians of the other individual first and accompany your kids to the meeting in a public place.
- Encourage your kids to consider whether a message is harmful, dangerous, hurtful, or rude before posting or sending it online, and teach your kids not to respond to any rude or harassing remarks or messages that make them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused and to show you the messages instead.
- Educate yourself on the websites, software, and apps that your child uses.
Please contact the Hays Police Department if you have any information reference this, or any other crime.