LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lakeport Police on Thursday followed up on a report that they thought might have been linked to a case last week in which a stranger followed a girl home, but officials said it appears to have been a dead end.

On Jan. 6 police received a report of a suspicious white male adult following a child home from school, as Lake County News reported earlier this week.

The incident wasn't reported until about 40 minutes later, after the girl's mother came home, and police said they weren't able to locate the male subject, who was described as being in his 30s with a medium complexion, average height and weight, with short brown hair, wearing a black sweatshirt, dark-colored jeans and Birkenstock-type sandals.

On Thursday at 10:30 a.m., police – including the department's school resource officer, Stephanie Green, and a detective – responded to a report of a suspicious person at the Terrace Middle School campus, with the person matching the vague description of the subject from the Jan. 6 report, according to Sgt. Dale Stoebe.

Stoebe said the initial report was made by two students to school staff who, in turn, reported it to law enforcement.

He said police conducted a search of the area almost immediately after the initial report but didn't find the subject.

Stoebe said that as police continued to investigate, the reports became conflicting, and they couldn't determine if the subject in question was from adjoining campuses.

He said all leads were exhausted while, at the same time, police avoided interrupting regular school activities.

Acting Chief Brad Rasmussen said police don't believe the two incidents are connected.

“If it had been the same guy, we would have a serious problem,” he said.

Since the report earlier this week of the suspicious subject following the girl, Rasmussen said the department hasn't received any other similar reports that raised any flags until this one.

Rasmussen said district Superintendent Erin Hagberg sent a letter home to parents, which has helped heighten awareness.

Green's job also includes discussing “stranger danger” issues with students, and Rasmussen said the National Child Safety Council provides agencies like Lakeport Police with information to education students.

“We've actually got quite a volume of educational material that we have available for handing out and going over with the kids,” said Rasmussen. “It is a big priority for us.”

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