Attempted Abduction Of Girl In Linden Hills, Minneapolis

If Uptown Minneapolis is ground zero for liberals, urban socialists, alternative lifestylers and other misfits, the Linden Hills area of Minneapolis is not far behind. Because of the areas somewhat difficult access, the residents have historically been fairly immune to crime.

That seems to be changing.

Last year I reported a string of smash and grab burglaries in the area, the savage beating of a man at nearby Lake Harriet (an employee at a Linden Hills hardware store), and other miscellaneous trouble.

Now there is a reported abduction attempt of a girl in Linden Hills, as the Red Star reports: "Girl reports attempted abduction".

Police are investigating the possible attempted kidnapping of a girl last week from her home in Minneapolis' Linden Hills neighborhood.

The girl, whose age was not released, was not abducted or injured in the alleged incident, which was reported to police about 2:40 a.m. Thursday. An investigator, police dogs and the department's crime lab were sent to a home on the 4300 block of Abbott Avenue S., but no suspect was located, said police spokesman Ron Reier.

We ought to reserve judgement on this story until facts can be confirmed, but it is, if true, very disturbing.

Officers went door to door in the neighborhood in search of witnesses, but none were found, said Fifth Precinct Inspector Kris Arneson. The only known witness is the alleged victim, who reported the incident to family members, authorities said.

The girl told her family that the suspect came into her first-floor bedroom through a window, police said.

Since the alleged incident, police have provided extra patrols around the family's home to offer them a sense of comfort and safety, Arneson said.

There have been no other abduction attempts reported to police before or after that incident, authorities said.

According to an alert police issued Friday, the alleged suspect is described as a white man, about 40 years old, with a light build and unshaven facial hair, who was seen wearing gloves, a black hat and a black leather coat.

Unfortunately for true victims, there are many cases where younger children will make up stories of attempted abductions. There is no independent confirmation to this story, but I'll monitor and report on developments.