No arrests in alleged solicitation

SPRINGFIELD — There will be no arrests in an alleged solicitation of a young girl in Springfield, according to Springfield Police Chief Doug Johnston.

Police interviewed the alleged victim after the incident but the girl could not recall what the man said to her, Johnston said. The police dropped the case based on lack of information.

“The victim didn’t know if he was mumbling or directing something at her, nor did she know whether he was on a phone,” Johnston said. “He is very slow and has a mental health issue on that aspect of things. To our knowledge there is no threat community.”

According to the initial police report, the 12-year-old girl was walking home from Riverside Middle School on Jan. 14 when she saw a man and thought he asked for a sexual favor. The man walked behind her for one-tenth of a mile before the child crossed River Street and headed home, the police report said.

Police investigated the complaint after an off-duty state trooper and a group of youths recognized the man that approached the girl, according to Springfield Police Sergeant Robert Simmons.