Sheriff’s Office seeks identity of man who tried to lure a juvenile girl into his vehicle in Chalmette; Anyone with information should call the SO at (504) 271-2501

Sheriff’s Office detectives are asking for help in identifying a man who tried to lure a juvenile teen-age girl into his vehicle on the edge of Torres Park in Chalmette on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 2, with the man fleeing in a white sports utility vehicle when the girl called to her mother, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

The man, described as a Hispanic male in his 40s or early 50s, had a scar on the left side of his nose and face, and was driving a smaller model white SUV, with no window tint and factory style wheels, the sheriff said.

Also, the victim said she believed the first two letters of the license plate were WP followed by what she believed were four numbers.

Anyone with information about the man should call the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501.

The man drove up about 5 p.m. as the girl was near the duck lagoon in Torres Park at Jean Lafitte Parkway at Patricia Street, the sheriff said.

She said she didn’t know him but he called to her and asked her to come over and get in the vehicle. She said he spoke in a heavy Spanish accent and had a medium build, with brushed back black hair.

The teen-ager called to her mother, who was near-by, Sheriff Pohlmann said, and when the mother looked toward the daughter she saw a man driving away southbound on Jean Lafitte Parkway.

The woman and daughter got in their vehicle and tried to follow the man but couldn’t catch up, Sheriff Pohlmann said. They then called the Sheriff’s Office, which began an investigation.