Attempted kidnapping in Benton investigated

Benton police are investigating an attempted kidnapping that occurred Monday near South and Main streets downtown.

Officers responded about 9:40 a.m. to the intersection, where a 16-year-old girl said a Hispanic man had gotten out of a truck and approached her as she walked along the sidewalk, opening his passenger door and trying to get her to enter the truck, Lt. Kevin Russell of the Benton Police Department said.

The girl told him “No,” and he got back into his truck and tried again to get her to get inside before he drove off, Russell said.

The victim told police the man was speaking Spanish while motioning for her to get inside, but she didn’t understand what he said.

The man’s vehicle was described as a single-cab Chevrolet S10 pickup with the upper portion painted purple or dark blue and the lower portion red, police said.

Anyone with information on the case is encouraged to call Benton police at (501) 778-1171 or (501) 315-TIPS. Anonymous tips also can be submitted by texting 274637 with the keyword BNPD in the body of the message.

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