BOISE, Idaho — A Boise man is in the Ada County Jail, after police say he was acting suspiciously near schools and exposing himself.
On January 15, Boise Police officers received a report of a man acting suspiciously and possibly following children in his vehicle as they walked home from school in the area of Vista Avenue and Overland Roads.
Officers responded but did not locate the suspect.
They increased patrols in the area during the hours that school was let out. Boise Police School Resource Officers also notified Boise School District personnel in watching for the suspect.
On Friday, January 17, several members of the BPD Neighborhood Contact Unit were in the same area conducting surveillance and saw a vehicle matching the suspect’s description drive by an elementary school.
The vehicle was described as a blue Honda CRV with a spare tire on the back and a “Honda” spare tire cover, according to a Boise Police news release. “(The driver) then drove past a child’s home twice before attempting to leave the area. Officers conducted a traffic stop and took the suspect, identified as 62-year-old Steve Roach, into custody. When officers initially stopped Roach, they found that his pants were undone and he was exposing himself,” the release said.
Investigators said they gathered evidence that indicated Roach had on more than one occasion driven by elementary schools as school let out and watched children walk home.
Roach was booked into the Ada County Jail for felony first-degree stalking and misdemeanor indecent exposure.
If anyone has additional information about prior suspicious activity involving Roach, you are asked to call BPD Special Victim’s Unit Detective Griffin at 208-577-4432.
Safety reminders for Parents and Children:
-Make sure your child knows their full name, important contact information for you and their address or school name. This may help ease fear in kids who become lost or scared in an emergency.
-Parents should periodically walk the route their child takes to school and encourage children to not take shortcuts or walk alone.
-Establish a list of trusted adults your child is safe to leave a location with. Discuss this list with your child and form a family password that allows you to utilize a person to pick up your child in an emergency. A code word, with a familiar face, will make your child feel comfortable leaving with them. Periodically review this list with your child.
-Help kids identify safe people who can help them in the event they get lost or scared. Frequently teach kids about safe locations in your neighborhood or near their school they can go to in an emergency.
-Educate and review often with your child about various tactics predators may try to get kids to enter a stranger’s vehicle, open the door at home or meet up after chatting online.
-Encourage your child to trust their gut instincts and share with you anything that makes them feel scared, worried or uncomfortable.
