Last night while at Best Buy I noticed an older man watching my 11 year old daughter. It kinda gave me a creepy feeling, but then after a few minutes he approached me. He asked me if I would be willing to sell my daughter to him for $100. I said no of course, and then he said how about $500. I said no, you could offer me a million dollars and I would still tell you no! I'm sure he was just kidding, but it really creeped me out the way he was constantly watching her. After leaving Best Buy, we ran into him again at Wal-Mart and he literally looked for my daughter again. She was kinda hidden behind my husband, but once he found her he said, "Oh there she is, she is so beautiful."
I was so glad my husband was with us because this really creeped me out! Would this have bothered you at all?
Best Buy & Wal-Mart at 119th & Metcalf, and NO I'm NOT making this up!!!
He did not follow us home because we stopped for ice cream first and he did not show up there. We do not live on a busy street, so I would have known if I had a car behind us. We also live about 25 minutes from where this happened which has a lot of highway, so if he tried I lost him anyway.
To those of you saying that I should have called the police, I talked to a Overland Park police officer and he said there was nothing they could do. The man did not make any attempts to take my daughter, and only made a couple comments. This tells you that our justice system stinks. You have to wait until something actually happens for the police to be involved.
Please tell me you're a troll...
Because I don't know of anyone who would think this was not creepy, and I don't know of any dad, or mom who would've sat by & did nothing while a sexual predator practically begged to buy their daughter.
at all??? more like calling the police!!
noooo that's not cool at all. beyond creepy. so glad hubby was with you. there's no "oh he was just kidding". that's flat out scary.
if you see him again call the police immediately!
PS, which walmart were you at??? (glad i have a 5 year old boy not an 11 year old daughter, but still!)
PSS - thank you for the additional info! seriously, don't try to brush this off. if you see him again, even halfway across the store - call the police!
I would have told him that sex crimes against children are nothing to joke about and then called the police. Sick bastard of a man!
Why in the world did you not call the police??!!!!!
He was NOT kidding. He is a pervert. I hope someone has the sense to call the authorities next time. Seriously, how could you not? Sheesh.
ETA: PLEASE make sure you lock all windows and doors thoroughly. I pray he didn't follow you home.
Your mommy-senses were right on, so that's good. But I agree with Bug, you need a bit of scolding over your inaction.
Call the police now. Even if it's just for them to know and put into the computer - for all the OTHER parents and children in KC, please call.
Ok, you need to contact the police NOW. Let them know what Best Buy and Wal Mart you were at and the times. They can then pull the video tapes. If he approached you he will do it again to some one else. He could even be watching your house. When I was young we had a family friend who was leaving her husband staying at our house. He broke in at night and kidnapped their 6 month old. 3 adults in the house and 6 children and no one heard a thing. I always am on gaurd as an adult now. Paranoid maybe but after having something like that happen you never get over it. This guy has to be off his rocker to come up to a parent and ask that. And then to be at the same store you go to next.
Ditto everyone else. And I would add:
You need to talk to your daughter. She needs to know about this man and that he is NOT a "friend" or in any way "ok" for her to talk to or go with anywhere. It may be that he follows her some time when you are out of sight and says "your mom says... "
Tell her in no uncertain terms that she is to have NOTHING to do with that man, no matter WHAT he says. Ever.
I have an 11 year old girl too and this would indeed have set off my alarms. But unfortunately, though it would be a natural reaction to call the cops, I do not think the police could have done much except warn him "Don't joke like that" if they'd been called. He would have told them he was joking and that he just happened to be in the Wal-Mart and didn't actually follow you there. The cops would not have had any reason to arrest him unless you wanted to claim harassment.
I am from the South, and older (I suspect) than many mamas on here, so I am often saying that older folks in certain culture (like...the south) are often very complimentary about kids, engage kids who are strangers to them in conversation, or get close to and talk with kids in ways that make some younger mamas uncomfortable but which is sometimes just the older generation's way of being nice.
However: The offer to "buy" he could fob off as a joke if someone asked him, but in combination with the staring and the fact he was in two stores where you were -- sounds as if he maybe he followed you -- is just too far. Best interpretation, he's a pathetic, lonely old guy with zero sense of boundaries and appropriateness, but is harmless. Worst interpretation, he's a possible pervert so far gone that he is willing to approach the parents of a kid he's eyeballing.
I would think, honestly, that any real pervert, any seriously deviant person with a real intention of harm, would never talk to the parent of a child he was considering as a victim; he would wait until he could get her alone for a second in some aisle where she had gotten ahead of you and out of your sight.
Still, I think I'd have told store security, "This guy said this, and he seemed to be joking -- but I get a really bad vibe from him, and he may have followed us into this store. Please be sure you keep an eye on him. If you see him on your security system anywhere near a kid who seems to be alone, I'd get over to where he is immediately."
If you spot him again: Whip out your cell phone camera or other camera nd start taking photos. That action alone may send him scurrying off -- and will give you pictures of him to give store security and the cops. If he ever speaks to you again, this time call the cops first.
Do you even need to ask??!?!?!? Of course this is creepy!! Not to mention innapropriate, disgusting, and illegal. Why didn't you get somebody right away! Or call the police? I am not trying to be mean, but COMEON!
I would have knocked him out in Wal-Mart and then got security while they called for an ambulance for him....
my husband wouldn't have had a chance to swing first either :)
Yes. It would have bothered me. And here's what I would have done:
I would have taken my phone out and taken his picture- Oh heck - for good measure - I might have even asked for his name and contact information should I decide to change my mind!! :) THEN I would've contacted the store manager(s) as well as the police.
I can't believe the police couldn't do anything - he OFFERED TO BUY YOUR CHILD.
I hope you didn't drive directly home. Especially if he followed you from Best Buy to Wal-Mart.
You should have taken his picture of him and his license plate. Then called the police.
I would call the police NOW and give them a discription of him and what he did and that he followed you.
Are you sure he didn't follow you home?
Stalk much?
Geez!
That is way too creepy, I would call the cops (non-emergency number) and let them know what he did, where he was, and what he looked like. The next child he approaches may not be standing right by mom or dad...
Um - that's not creepy, that's soliciting for prostitution of a minor. Why did you not call 911 right then and there? I would have done that, especially if I saw him in walmart. I may have even found a way to get my husband or someone to follow him and get his license number to report. If you can remember details about this man, call the police now and file some kind of report so they have info in case he tries this on someone else. What happens if he goes from offering to buy to just right out snatching?
i thought you were making this up!
Wow YES it would creep me out. Even if he was a clean cut friendly Mr Rodgers type old man and said it with a twinkle in his eye, it would still Creep me out! not cute, mister, not cute at all.
Your husband did nothing? No judgement, just curious.
Why didn't you call the police? You really should have done that. Something is wrong in his head, and the police should know about him so that he is on their radar.
What you want to do is help another young girl by dealing with the issue instead of walking away. Anyone who would say something like that is a pedophile without his marbles. Goodness knows what he might do next.
Dawn
I absolutely would have photographed him with my phone and reported the incident to the police. Even if it was this guy's idea of a joke you can't be too careful.
And I am NOT one to normally overreact!
Bother?-I would have at least called the police-I went after a guy last year who approached my college age daughter to ask for money-I almost attacked him for asking for bus money! I wish I'd been there-because I would have done something.
Listen to your intuition. Your simple posting of this says to me that you are dead on for feeling creeped out and will only receive validations--especially since he said "oh there she is," which could indicate following!!
So yes, this would have bothered me big time.
Stay alert. Stay safe and god bless.
ETA: OMG. I just reread post and digested the selling part. YES, THIS IS CREEPY!!!!
You should have gone to a manager, taken a picture and reported him. There may be some little girl who is not as lucky as your daughter to have you and your husband nearby to protect them!!! I don't think you reacted at all, never mind overreacted!!
Christine W, I love your response.
In response to your so what happened. Trying to buy a child is not a crime!!! I think the officer you spoke to was incorrect!!! The man was following you and stalking your daughter, then asked to buy her!!! How is that not a crime?????
Your husband was there? If it happened to us, my husband would have been up on him so fast he wouldn't know what hit him...literally!
I'm having a hard time believing this this true. I mean really, this guy asks if he can buy your daughter at one store, then shows up at ANOTHER store and approaches you again? And you don't do anything about it. I call B.S. But good luck in the future if it happens again.
I agree - I would definitely call or go to the nearest police station and make a report. Both Best Buy and Wal-Mart likely have good surveillance systems and besides your description, maybe they can provide a good still photograph. This is not something you should joke about. Even if they can't do anything, at least the report is there.
It all depends on the demeanor of the person. An elderly man observed my son and niece once before and said they look close and kept admiring them. Turns out, he was so fascinated by them that he gave them a fun ticket to a theme park. But, yes ordinarily people don't just outright admire your children repeatedly like that, and your daughter is 11 so that makes it creepy.
Why would anyone JOKE about that?? They wouldn't! He was obviously being serious, and I would have called the police when he showed up at the second store.
Um YA this would have bothered me alot. What did your husband say or do? Mine would have had a few words with this creep and probably alerted store security.
SUPER creepy!! I would have at least told the store manager. Not sure I would have had the guts to call the police though.
Yes I would have gone up to a manager and documented it with the him and the security guard. Took a picture of the guy and called the police
What a creep! Really glad he didn't cause more trouble for you and yours.
I'd have freaked out the first time he approached me, would have made some noise and hollered for security. My husband, would have probably punched him, and then called security.
Keep an open eye for him next time you go to those areas, if you do see him, take a picture of his with your phone-camera or something, and write to the store manager saying what this person did to you, just telling them to keep a security alert for this man. Hope the creep didn't do anything more dangerous to any other children!
Yes! Would have totally creeped me out!
Yes! That would have creeped me out!
I would think offering money for your Daughter would be against the law and really I wonder if he was kidding. I think you ran across a predator I really do. I'm sure you already do watch your Daughter closely but I'd be extra careful and hopefully he didn't really follow you but people can be so sneaky you have no idea what he may have seen, heard etc while watching you guys.
We have several sex offenders that live in our neighborhood and one was brave enough to stop at the bus stop with me there one day and speak to a neighbor girl and she was freaking out cause she knew he was a sex offender that her parents had told her to avoid. They can be so brazen and bold. I worry with 3 Daughters of my own that they are just waiting for an opportunity you know. My girls are not allowed in the front without an adult and in the back yard we have a fenced yard and they can be out with one another or with an adult but only if an adult is checking on them and they are told if anyone comes to the fence to talk to them etc they are to come inside and get me to come out with them....
It's sad that you can't let your kids out and not worry but sadly there are too many things happening these days. I fear for some of the kids I see out in the neighborhood that the parents either let run or they sneak out on their own. One of these days they may be on the news with people looking for them.
call the police and report him, now! That way if he does act on this, you have a history of proof.
You want to buy my daughter for $100? You have 5 seconds to get away from me or I'm going to kick your balls into the middle of next week for free.
No way would my husband have let this go without at the very least making a scene so everyone in the story would have known what this guy said.
Cops can't arrest people for looking at kids or making weird comments. Unfortunately. And yes, this has happened to me with a creep in Wal Mart. We ran across him there twice in the toy dept. I yelled at him and reported him to store management the first time, and the second time I went and told management the creep I had previously reported was STILL cruising the toy department. He was gone when they got there of course. I described him AGAIN and told them that since he is regularly doing this they should be aware. The guy told me they couldn't call cops unless something actually "happened" I think he read my mind that I wanted them to get the cops in there patrolling.
My kids never leave my side in stores-especially stores with toys!
I am from south MO and we were up there a couple weekends ago and went to that walmart. The grossest, creepiest, place I have ever been. I felt like I needed a bath after I left. I would absolutely keep a tight watch on my daughter and Im a laid back parent. I would explain to her about the whole thing. MAKE HER UNDERSTAND how serious this is. HE was NOT joking. he is waiting for the right kid to take.
OMG, I would have been so freaked out! I am in the camp that I would have notified the manager, and have tried to get a pic of him if I could, then gone to the police. I wonder if he was tweaking on drugs or something?
This is over by Petsmart by the Best Buy there, right? Oh, that's awful and I make it over there once a month or so and now will be on the look out for some strange man if I have the grandkids with me. I would still tell the police although I know they say unless something happens......
Well, it did happen sort of. Always go to the store manager and tell them, those guys at Best Buy at the front door could have done something even.
Warn your daughter to not talk to anyone or be alone ever.
Yes, that would creep me out!
When my daughter was a baby, a lady approached me and told me that she was missing a sock, she then asked me if I wanted her to watch the baby while I went to look for the sock
Since the police could not do anything. I would let the managers of the stores know what happen. The creep could be a frequent shopper there or just hanging out to look at girls. This way the employees could keep an eye out for him and maybe stopping him, before he gets the courage to take a kid. In this day, I am always keeping my eyes open when I go to the store. There have been a couple times, when a guy seems to be following us through the store. I usually go to the manager and mention it, just to let them know. You never know nowadays. Hopefully, you will never see the creep again.
Creepy! If you had complained about him he probably would have said he was shopping for.his grandkids like the guy they kicked out of Barnes and nobles.
This would definitly freak me out. My suggestion would be to find the store manager. I'm really surprise that the police won't do anything unless your daughter was taken from you. What is this world coming to.
