BOUNTIFUL, Utah — The alleged abduction of a 12-year-old Bountiful girl by a teen suspect who is believed to have connected with her online has sparked conversations on how to protect children from predators.
“It is a problem and giving parents that knowledge is one of the biggest things we can do because parents just don’t know," said Det. Dustin Stewart with the Weber County Sheriff's Office.
On Sunday, an Amber Alert was issued after the juvenile suspect allegedly left with the girl in his car. Following a police pursuit on Interstates 80 and 215, the juvenile was taken into custody and the girl was found to be unharmed.
Bountiful resident Jessica Clark is a mother of two girls and a neighbor of the girl at the center of this weekend's incident. She is already talking to her kids about online safety.
“We’re certainly talking about online safety with our kids and making sure that you’re very careful who you trust,” said Clark.
Stewart hosts quarterly presentations for parents on how to keep their children safe online.
“It’s important to look out for those warning signs when they add you on a social media account to ask those questions with your kids," Stewart explained. "If you think your kids are great kids, they follow all the rules, that doesn’t mean someone isn’t going to come in contact with them and try to exploit them.”
Some of the warning signs Stewart suggests parents look out for are whether they are on their phones for a long period of time, if they withdraw from family and friends, or become secretive about their online activities.
