Bedford dad scares away suspected child predator who approached girls

A Bedford family is thankful for their father's watchful eye after a stranger approached his daughters while playing in their front yard.

Police say the incident happened over the weekend. Luckily, the girls’ dad saw what was happening and scared off the suspected child predator.

Chris Garek and his wife were in his truck in the driveway Saturday morning while his 8- and 9-year-old daughters and their friends were in the front yard. He says something didn’t feel right when a man in a Jeep pulled up.

"I saw a dog hanging out the window. It was an old man with a black dog. And I saw him point at the dog like, ‘Come look at my dog,’” he recalled. “They're not quite sure exactly what he said. But as soon as he said that, I knew what he was doing. And as soon as I opened my door and started walking towards him, he took off down the street."

The incident happened on Eagle Drive near Brown Trail and just a few blocks from Bedford Junior High School. It wasn't a school day, but police say they did notify the district.

Other Northeast Tarrant County cities have reported similar suspicious behavior. In Haltom City last week, an older man grabbed a boy right in front of the child's dad. Witnesses say he may have been driving a red truck.

Bedford Police want to identify the man in the red Jeep.

"Anytime that there's a contact, it makes everybody pause, and it makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up,” said Bedford Police Lt. Kirk Roberts. “And until we can identify this individual and find out what his intentions were, we've got to take that there's something not right with that.”

Garek is just thankful his daughters and the two friends with them didn't respond to the man.

"I should have kicked everybody out and hauled ass and chase them down. I almost grabbed my gun,” he said. “Yeah, no. You don't mess with my kids. This is still Texas."

Bedford Police also want to know if anyone around the community has cameras that point out into the street that might’ve caught the red Jeep driving by. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Bedford Police Department.