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Report of suspicious underwear man false
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: October 29, 2015

The suspicious man in his underwear approaching young students in Valley Center was make believe.

Police and school officials said that a group of fifth-grade students in gym glass at Valley Center Intermediate School fabricated a story about a man wearing only underwear approaching them while at the tennis courts in the 700 block of North Meridian Oct. 21.

The report prompted swift action by the students' teacher, school administrators and the local police department.

In the end, police determined that the report was a hoax.

"They admitted it was made up," Valley Center Police Chief Mark Hephner said.

On Oct. 21, the group of students said that during gym class they were approached by a man wearing only underwear while on the tennis courts, Principal Greg Lehr said.

The students said that the man asked them to leave the fenced area and visit him.

Teachers were notified of the situation and brought all students inside the building immediately.

"Our students' safety is a top priority at VCIS and we will be having conversations with our students throughout the coming days about strangers and what to do in these situations," Lehr said in a message to parents.

The school notified the police department.

Authorities had some doubts about the veracity of the students' story, but they investigated the situation anyway.

"Nobody else saw him (the suspect)," Hephner said. "Somebody over there would've had to have seen him. We talked to guys working on a house, and they didn't see anything or match the description."

The call was about 10 a.m. Hephner said police were notified of a second call after lunch. At least one of the students was involved in both reports, he said.

Hephner said Det. Jay Grayson re-interviewed the students on Oct. 23 and determined the report was false.

As far as punishment for making a false report, the police department "decided to leave it to the school to take care of discipline."

Superintendent Cory Gibson said he could not discuss the disciplinary measures taken by the school district.

"However, I do feel that the steps taken were very appropriate," he said.

In a follow-up message to parents, Lehr thanked the police department for its help.

"Please know that we take every report of this nature seriously and we apologize for any worry or stress this may have caused," Lehr said. "Communication is the key in these instances so please let me know if you have any questions."





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