Police: Woman Tried To Pick Up Children At Apple Valley School

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Authorities are investigating after an adult female tried without authorization to pick up two children on Wednesday from a summer youth program at an Apple Valley elementary school.

Police say the incident happened at about 3:30 p.m. at Westview Elementary School.

The YMCA youth program is something Tony Werdick's kids look forward to every summer; a place that's fun for them, and safe. The YMCA follows a strict protocol for dropping kids off and picking them up.

"It's unfortunate that we have to worry about that," Werdick said. "But, I mean, it's [the] day and age that it happens."

A woman, who has not been identified, was attempting to pick up the two children from a YMCA summer youth program.

She approached staff and provided the children's names, and the staff followed procedures to determine the woman wasn't authorized to pick the children up.

"The kids didn't recognize the individual that had come in," said Scott Peterson of the YMCA. "That was just another alert that something wasn't quite right."

She left in a vehicle and had three young children with her at the time.

"This is not something that is a regular thing. This is very rare," Peterson said. "Our staff review that during our training, and we revisit that with them and make sure those steps are being taken each time something doesn't seem right."

Police say the woman is described as a black female with an East African accent who is about 30 to 40 years old. She stands 5-feet-4-inches to 5-feet-7-inches tall with a medium build. She has short or shaved hair on the side of her head, with longer hair on top.

Authorities say she left in a newer black SUV, possibly a Lexus with Minnesota license plates.

Anyone with information or who might know the woman should call Apple Valley Police at 952-953-2873.