Clay (WSYR-TV) -- The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office say it's received several reports about a man spotted lurking around homes in the town of Clay’s Casual Estates Community.
Neighbors say they’re worried for their children after hearing that a man was spotted knocking on windows and pulling at screens outside a toddler’s room.
Sheriff Kevin Walsh says if there was ever a suspicious person creeping around at Casual Estates, he seems to be gone, but the department remains on high alert, deploying its helicopter, search dogs and patrol teams the instant they get a call or complaint. They’re hoping to put worried homeowners’ minds at ease.
“People are hyper-vigilant, which is a good thing and we do request that if they hear or see something suspicious that they continue to call and we will continue to respond as quick as we can,” Sheriff Walsh said.
“We’re worried about them, you know? You just never know who’s going to be the type of person to come in and take your kid, you know? It’s a scary thing,” said Casual Estates resident Rex Lashua.
Lashua has children of his own and says community watch is top-of-mind.
So far, there’s no concrete evidence of anything suspicious going on after dark, but Sheriff Walsh says he’ll make sure his department remains vigilant.
“It’s an area that certainly somebody could disappear into quickly, but the dogs – if somebody was there – the dogs being there almost immediately would give us a good lead and a scent to follow, but so far again we haven’t come up with anything,” Sheriff Walsh said.
If you live in or around Casual Estates, you’ve likely noticed the Sheriff’s Department helicopter shining its search light in recent nights.
The Sheriff says none of the calls have turned out to be anything suspicious. In most cases, he says homeowners were spooked by a noise outdoors, like a branch coming off of a tree, but of course, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
