Abbeville, Maurice: Reports of White Van Following Woman

According to a Facebook post by Cody Menard, a woman became concerned when men in a white van (similar to the one above) followed her to a gas station.

In his post, Menard says that, while he was pumping gas at a fuel station in Maurice, a woman approached him because she was concerned about her safety.

She said that men in a white van had followed her on Highway 167 from Abbeville and then turned into the filling station behind her, parking just 2 pumps away from her. When she approached Menard to let him know of her concerns, Menard said he approached the van.

As Menard approached the van, he says that he was waving "letting them know I see what they are doing" and, Menard says, that's when the van left.

Some pictures of the van were posted in the story and the one that concerns some most is the one of the rear of the van: notice (what appears to be) a lock installed from the OUTSIDE of the van.

Why would you want a lock on the outside of the vehicle? To keep someone on the inside from getting out? Or to keep someone on the outside from getting in?

I don't know who was in the van, nor what their intentions were/are. I DO know that this woman did the right thing: she felt threatened, so she let someone know.

As much as we want people to be alert, we don't want to cause undue concern. According to Politifact, there is little to no evidence that white vans with locks on the outside are used for sex trafficking.

The locks seen in the pictures above are called "puck locks", and are popular among people who have to leave tools or other expensive items inside their work vehicles.

So, what' the takeaway here? 1) Always be aware of your surroundings and, if you feel like something is "off", alert someone. 2) Not every white van should raise suspicions, as white vans are some of the most popular "work" vehicles for people who want to carry tools/equipment in a secure manner.

In this world in which people no longer want to get involved, Kudos to Menard for helping to protect the woman who felt threatened.