By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

Reports from school districts from Salina to Ellis have prompted schools in the area to issue alerts to students to be on the lookout for malicious activity and possible abduction attempts.

Ellis High School sent out a notice following an incident that occurred Friday.

“One of our middle school football players was approached and followed by a person in a gold van on their way to football practice. It was reported that the van had VEV Oil on the side and that the driver was an older gentleman with a beard and mohawk,” said Corey Burton, principal at Ellis High School, in a notice to students and parents in Ellis.

Reports have been filed with the Ellis Police Department, he said.

“Students and parents are reminded to always report suspicious activities as soon as possible to the Ellis Police Department and the USD 388. We would also like to encourage students to ride one of the district buses transporting students from EJH to the football field and Washington Grade School for practice,” Burton said.

A similar report occurred Friday in Russell, along with recent incidents in Salina and Holyrood, but it is unclear if those reports are related.

“We don’t know if these are connected,” said Ellis Police Chief Taft Yates, noting there have been differences in the reports from the other areas, including the vehicle description and the number of people involved.

The suspect’s description from Ellis apparently matches the description in a recent attempted abduction in Salina. Click HERE for that story from Salina Post.

While the incident is under investigation, Yates urges caution.

“We know nothing about them,” he said.

If something suspicious occurs he advises to keeping a safe distance and “please don’t wait to call law enforcement.”

For the time being, the Ellis police will have extra officers in the school area, Yates said.