Social media experiment gone wrong
Police have learned that a group that approached and tried to entice William S. Reyes Elementary School students to follow them after school last week was only doing a social media experiment project for school.
Department of Public Safety acting spokesman Jason Tarkong told Saipan Tribune that as of yesterday afternoon, police were interviewing a female student, who was among the group of students that conducted the experiment without first asking permission from WSR management.
“Basically it was a social media experiment that she’s doing for a school project,” said Tarkong, adding that the student has been cleared of charges.
“We’re getting to the bottom of this,” Tarkong said.
He said the “suspect” found out through the media that police were looking for them so she called on Monday night and turned herself to DPS to explain.
Tarkong said he has no information yet as to how many students are involved and that they are not disclosing from what school they are from.
On Monday, police said there are three suspects: two women and one man. That day, Tarkong said police were still working on getting a description of the suspects.
NMI Crime Stoppers issued a notice on Monday night about two suspicious strangers approaching three minor children at WSR Elementary School last Thursday at 2:30pm.
One “suspect” was enticing the three minor children by the school fence line with candy, ice cream, and video games. The children were asked to follow the “suspect” into a car parked across the street. The students refused to follow and instead notified their teacher.
WRS principal Naomi Nishimura immediately issued a notice on Friday, informing parents of this “stranger” and urged to take precautions for the safety of their children.
DPS Commissioner James C. Deleon Guerrero also issued a statement on Monday night, disclosing, among other things, that investigators had interviewed potential witnesses in an attempt to identify the suspects.
FACT: THANKS TO THE PARENTS WHO TRAINED THEIR
CHILDREN TO SAY “NO” AND REPORT THE MATTER
TO THE TEACHERS. OH HAPPY DAY!
It’s the predatory approach that I find alarming and Kimberly is right: should have been communicated to principals.
You’re right. We were all students once but come on. A topic THIS sensitive in nature. Risking the welfare of the children?! There are projects based on need-to-know basis, yes, but this should have been approved by the instructor of the class so that he/she could provide the support to prevent something crazy like the student having to turn them self in, in the first place. The principal of the school could have been informed and put on a need-to-know basis as well. There was a sensible AND LEGAL way to have done this.