Parents Upset About Way School Handled Prowler

Solvang Elementary School parents are upset after finding out about a man asking a little boy to go for ice cream on his way home from school on social media and not from the school.

Stefanie Cooper has a 7-year-old boy who goes to Solvang Elementary School.

Cooper says the school district should have called and emailed parents alerting them of what happened.

“For people to find out on social media instead of the school coming to let them know is just not right,” Cooper told KEYT/KCOY/KKFX’s Cory James.

The Santa Barbara Sherriff’s Office said the incident happened Wednesday afternoon on Atterdag Road while a 6-year-old boy was walking home from school.

They say a man described as dark skinned with black hair and wearing a yellow shirt with black shoes asked the kid if he wanted to go for a ride for some ice cream. The boy said no and ran home.

Candice Villard is a preschool teacher just across street from Solvang Elementary School.

Villard shared the news on her Facebook page after a friend told her about what happened.

“A teacher from Solvang found out from me. It should have been the other way around,” said Villard.

John Karbula is the superintendent and principal of Solvang Elementary School.

Karbula sent home a letter Friday – two days after the incident that states, “Once it became apparent that information was being spread on the Internet, we sent home a factual statement concerning this incident.”

The Santa Barbara Sherriff’s Office said they are actively investigating and will be patrolling the area.