Police: Girl Made Up Story About Being Grabbed by Man in Urbandale

A preteen girl told her parents that she was grabbed by a man Tuesday evening on a bike path in Urbandale's Brookview Park neighborhood, prompting an Urbandale police investigation and mass warning emails to parents in two school districts

In an news release emailed shortly before 5 p.m. Wednesday, Urbandale Police information office Jeff Casey wrote:

On Tuesday, May 1, at approximately 6:30 PM, a pre-teen aged girl reported she was grabbed on her arm by a man at Brookview Park. The girl reported that she was able to get away from him and run home.

The male is described as a white male, skinny, in his 50’s with a goatee. He was also described wearing a pink shirt with profanity printed on it. The case is still under investigation at this time.

The email included a composite sketch of the purported assailant (above right).

Say It Isn't So

By 7:18 p.m., Casey sent out another email saying:

Urbandale detectives have worked diligently on this case and discovered through interviews that the incident did not occur. The girl admitted to making up the story.

He added as an aside to news media: "This has been all over the Johnston School District so please put this out that it did not occur."

Indeed, Johnston School District officials sent out an email Wednesday saying:

"The Johnston School administration would like to make you aware that the Urbandale Police Department is investigating a situation that occurred early yesterday evening, May 1. An elementary female student in the Johnston School District was approached and grabbed by an adult male on a bike path in the Brookview Park neighborhood.

The young lady was able to get away and return to her home. A police report was then filed and is being investigated. The district will assist the police departments in communicating any further information in this matter. In the meantime, please take extra caution and time in teaching students to be aware of their surroundings and taking appropriate measures to remain safe."

Urbandale Email Follows

Urbandale School Superintendent Doug Stillwell also sent an email to parents saying:

Dear Urbandale Community Schools Parents and Guardians:

We have received word that the Johnston Community School District sent out the following message to their community. We are not aware that any related incident has occurred in our school community. However, given our proximity to Johnston, we want to bring this to your attention and provide a reminder to help students be aware of their surroundings and take appropriate measures to remain safe.

Brookview Park, at 65th Street and Sutton Avenue, is in Urbandale, but the neighborhood is part of the Johnston school district. Stilwell said that all of Urbandale north of Meredith Drive is in the Johnston district.

The incident may have stirred alarm because it is unusual in the two suburbs. 

"I've been here seven years and I've not been privy to anything like that that's happened. I've not heard of it, where someone was actually grabbed," Stilwell said.