Police Searching for West Richland Luring Suspect
West Richland police and Benton County Sheriff's are keeping an eye out for a pickup that was allegedly part of a Thursday afternoon luring incident.
Around 4:42pm near the intersection of Belmont Boulevard and Diamond Loop, a young male, aged 9-10 was walking. A small white pickup, possibly a Ford Ranger pulled up by the sidewalk, and the boy said the driver asked him to get in the cab. The boy refused. He described the driver as a short haired black man in his 20's with what was described as a "blingy" watch.
The truck had a black truck box, and possibly tools in the bed. The driver repeated his request and asked the boy how far he had to walk. At that time, he also said he thought the car behind him was 'following' him, turns out he was right. The car was a friend of the boy's mother, who was going to pick up the child.
At that point, the truck drove off, the boy got in the car and left. Extra police patrols and surveillance failed to turn up any matching vehicles, but officials say if you see a pickup matching that description and driver, call (509)-628-0333.