An incident Friday afternoon in Hartland Township involving a student and an unknown white SUV is being described by some as an attempted abduction, although authorities are classifying it merely as a suspicious incident.

According to the Livingston County Sheriff's Office, a deputy was dispatched at approximately 4:30pm to a report of a suspicious vehicle at a residence on Viewcrest Court, located off of M-59, west of Old US-23. Upon arrival, the deputy spoke with a 9-year-old boy who said he had been dropped off by the bus from Farms Intermediate School. As he walked to his house, he said a small, white SUV drove by him slowly and then stopped at the intersection in front of his house. The boy said the driver then waved for him to cross, which he did. As the SUV proceeded, he said the windows were down and described the driver and passenger as two African-American males wearing dark green shirts. The boy said he became alarmed when the SUV turned into his driveway and he ran to the home of a neighbor whose garage door was open. The boy said the driver then got out and stood in front of the vehicle for a moment and then got back in and drove off. He then ran home and told his sister. The boy told the deputy that neither man ever spoke to him and other than waving at him to cross the intersection, did not motion at him either.

Several posts on social media have described the incident as an attempted abduction, with some speculating that it is part of a coordinated human trafficking operation. But Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy says there is nothing to indicate that this latest incident is related to one earlier in the week in Oceola Township in which a girl said she was approached by an African-American woman in a white minivan who flashed what she thought were gang signs and motioned for her to get in the vehicle. She also ran home and told a family member. Sheriff Murphy added that while the Hartland incident is suspicious in nature, they are not classifying it as an attempted abduction, but will continue to investigate. (JK)