The Delphi Police Department released a statement encouraging community members to maintain tabs on their children’s phones, including conversations with strangers, after an incident involving a 24-year-old male from outside of the Delphi area.
– Photo courtesy of Delphi Police Department.
The department encouraged parents to “check your kid’s phone and be actively involved in what they are doing, where they are at and who they are with,” due to a call the department received from a concerned citizen who reported an older male smoking marijuana with two underaged females in a secluded area.
According to the department, officers received a call reporting that a man took two young girls to the woods behind the cabin at Riley Park to smoke marijuana. After investigating the report, officers found that the male, 24, was accompanied by two 15-year-old females. According to officers, the male traveled from outside of Delphi to connect with the two young girls after establishing a relationship with one of the girls on Snapchat.
Police reported that the 24-year-old was unaware that the two girls were 15, and he thought that the girls were 19 based on previous conversations with them.
“Thank you to the observant citizen that saw something and said something,” the department released.
The department did not release any information declaring the man’s actions as “ill-intentioned.” Regardless of the motive and the misunderstanding regarding the ages of the two young girls, officers continued to encourage community members to remain vigilant to protect their children from possible harm from strangers met through social media.