WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas — Law enforcement officials in several Williamson County cities are investigating multiple alleged attempted child abductions over the past month.
Police in Leander, Round Rock and Hutto have all reported recent incidents, though information about each is limited. Here’s what we know so far.
March 13 – Round Rock abduction attempt
On March 13, Round Rock police said they were called to a neighborhood near West Mesa Park Drive around 5 p.m. following reports of an abduction.
Court documents say a man – later identified as 30-year-old Joel Maske – allegedly grabbed a 16-year-old girl from behind while also grabbing her chest and attempting to pull her backward into his vehicle. The girl managed to escape the incident when a neighbor intervened, and police were able to locate Maske at a nearby home.
Maske was initially charged with felony aggravated kidnapping after being arrested on March 13. He also now faces charges of sexual conduct – indecency with a child and two charges of indecent exposure.
April 2 – Leander abduction attempt
Leander police said on April 2, a man allegedly attempted to abduct a 4-year-old child sometime before 9:15 a.m. at the Lakeline Apartments, located at 3000 N. Lakeline Blvd.
Police said the suspect left the complex, heading southbound, after the incident. He was described as a thin man, who is 5 feet, 9 inches tall and has short, dark, curly hair. He was last seen wearing a black shirt, light shorts and no shoes.
April 8 – Round Rock abduction attempt
Round Rock police said on April 8 at around 4:30 p.m., near East Mesa Park Drive and A.W. Grimes Boulevard, a man was reportedly trying to lure children into a van in the area.
Some children told police they were walking nearby and saw two masked suspects pull up beside them. The children allegedly told police that one of them got out of the vehicle, grabbed a child by the arm and offered candy.
One child quickly intervened, allowing the children to run away safely. Police said both suspects also ran away.
April 11 – Leander abduction attempt
Leander police said at around 3 p.m. on April 11, in the 1800 block of Artesian Springs Crossing, a girl was walking when a man in a light-colored vehicle allegedly pulled up next to her and yelled at her to get inside.
The child reportedly ran away immediately, and the vehicle sped off from the scene.
No weapons were displayed or used during the encounter, according to police.
“Recent” Hutto incident
On April 11, Hutto police said they were investigating a report of “an attempted child abduction that recently occurred.”
Police said two men driving a white Ford Transit-style van were reported to have approached a child in the Riverwalk subdivision. One of the men allegedly attempted to grab the child through the open side door of the van.
The child described one of the suspects as a man with tattoos covering both of his arms; multiple piercings, including an eyebrow piercing; three gold teeth; and dark-colored hair with streaks of white or blonde.
KVUE has asked the Hutto Police Department repeatedly for the exact date of this alleged incident, but we have been told police “do not have this information to release” and, as of April 14, the department does not have an update.
While it is unclear at this time if any of these alleged abduction attempts are related, Hutto police said detectives are “coordinating with neighboring jurisdictions to evaluate possible links between similar cases.”