Police: No arrests will be made following incident at Royal Heights Elementary School

Area pools ready for plunge; Schifferdecker opening still to be announced

Though this week’s mild temperatures may not signal swim season, most area pools are ready anyway. And, the mercury should rise a little this weekend to help those anxious to dive in. Highs will be in the low 80s today and Sunday. There is a chance for isolated thunderstorms on Monday, but the thermometer should hit 82 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

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February 6, 2013

Police: No arrests will be made following incident at Royal Heights Elementary School

By Jeff Lehr jlehr@joplinglobe.com The Joplin Globe Wed Feb 06, 2013, 11:33 AM CST

JOPLIN, Mo. — Joplin police have determined that an incident Monday afternoon outside Royal Heights Elementary School entailed no crime.

Information that first surfaced on Facebook had indicated that a man had pulled up to a fence outside the school and tried to coax a 9-year-old girl into his truck.

Lt. Darren Gallup of the Joplin Police Department said today that detectives have completed their investigation of the matter and no arrests will be made.

After interviewing the girl, her parents and other students who witnessed the incident, and identifying and speaking with the man involved, police determined that the man was yelling at an adult female who lives near the school and was not addressing any of the students, Gallup said. But school officials took appropriate action in reporting the matter, he said, since it potentially involved the safety of children.

The man reportedly had gone to a house across the street from the school to pick up some scrap metal.

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