Update: DCSO says ‘suspicious’ DRW driver got in touch, ‘no evidence’ ride offer was kidnap attempt

(Update: Driver contacts sheriff's office; deputies say 'no evidence' it was kidnap try)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office has called off a public plea for information Saturday about a suspicious car and driver in Deschutes River Woods, saying the involved motorist heard a news report, contacted them and helped investigators determine his offer to a teen girl of a ride a few days ago was not an attempted abduction.

The sheriff’s office had learned Friday of a post on the Deschutes River Woods Community Facebook group about an incident in the area of Cinder Butte and Navajo roads, Sgt. Jayson Janes said in a news release Saturday morning.

A caller Wednesday to the sheriff’s office reported seeing a suspicious vehicle pull up next to a teen girl in that area. The girl shook her head no to the driver and the car sped off, Janes said. The sheriff’s office received no other reports about the incident, he added.

Deputies eventually learned the girl’s identity and got a statement from her, Janes said. She said she had been dropped off by the school bus between 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. When she was in the area, the driver of a black Subaru Forester or similar sedan with a ladder on the roof drove up beside her and asked if she needed a ride. She said she told him no, and he drove away.

Saturday afternoon, the involved driver contacted the sheriff’s office after hearing the report on the news, Janes said. Deputies then met and interviewed the man.

“Based on all of the statements received throughout the investigation, there is no evidence to suggest that this was an attempted abduction,” Janes said in a brief update. “The subject is of no further interest.”