Paducah police investigation finds no crime in reported suspicious vehicle incident

FOX23 News at 9 p.m.

PADUCAH, Ky., (KBSI) — Paducah police say a reported incident involving a suspicious vehicle near North 10th Street on Monday has been investigated and determined not to be criminal in nature.

Officers were called to the 1800 block of North 10th Street after a woman reported that her grandson had encountered an RV in the area of North 11th and Palm streets. According to the report, a man exited the RV, prompting the child to run and hide until the vehicle left. The child later told his grandmother, who contacted police.

Responding officers determined the vehicle had already left the area. Additional patrols were assigned to monitor the neighborhood while detectives worked to locate and interview the driver.

After the incident was widely shared on social media, detectives conducted a thorough investigation and learned that the man who exited the RV did not speak to or approach the child. Investigators confirmed through interviews with the driver and his passenger that the vehicle was in the neighborhood to drop off the passenger at his home nearby.

The driver told detectives he was aware of the social media posts and had been confronted several times in public since the incident. A neighborhood resident also verified that the RV was there for the drop-off.

Police concluded that no criminal act occurred.

The Paducah Police Department commended the grandmother for promptly reporting the situation and urged the public to verify information before sharing it online.

“We appreciate community members who stay alert and report suspicious activity,” the department said in a statement. “However, we remind the public to exercise caution when posting unverified information on social media.”