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Shenandoah County | Police investigating attempted abduction at fairgrounds

Crystal Graham
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The Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office beefed up security at the fairgrounds after an alleged kidnapping attempt on Wednesday night.

According to the SCSO, the parent of a 13-year-old boy reported a suspicious incident that occurred at approximately 10 p.m. at the Shenandoah County Fairgrounds in Woodstock.

The juvenile was allegedly approached by a white female, possibly in her 40s, near the main ticket gate. She asked the juvenile for help carrying a crate to her vehicle and led him to a truck near the Masonry gate. The truck had a Tonneau cover over the truck bed and a vertical sliding rear cab window with a silver handle. Two men were inside the truck when the boy reached it. The boy said the two males jumped out of the cab, and the woman grabbed him.

The two men were described as a tall White male with buzzed hair and a shorter Hispanic male who was bald with neatly groomed facial hair.

The juvenile told authorities he was able to free himself from the woman and was chased by the males until he reached another entrance. The juvenile was shouting and located friends before being escorted back to his parents.



Today was the final day of the Shenandoah County Fair. The sheriff’s office had additional staff and resources at the fair as a result of the incident earlier this week. The alert about the incident went out via social media on Friday afternoon. Since then, no additional incidents have been reported by the SCSO.

If anyone has additional information or was in the area at the time the attempted abduction occurred, contact investigators at (540) 459-6100.

This is an ongoing investigation.

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Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, Crystal Graham has worked for 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of "Viewpoints," a weekly TV news show, and co-host of "Virginia Tonight," a nightly TV news show, both broadcast on PBS. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television. You can reach her at [email protected]

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