Dateline: September 25, 2003

Sheriff arrests man who arranged to date minor

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

The Donley County Sheriff’s Office is reminding kids to be wary around strangers following last week’s arrest of an Amarillo man here.

Larry Lee Lincoln, age 39, was arrested and booked into the Donley County Jail on prohibited weapons charges after making advances on two local girls.

According to Sheriff Butch Blackburn, the juveniles came to his office after school last Thursday and reported a man in his 30s was trying to pick them up. The suspect had given his phone number to one of the girls, and Blackburn had the girl call the man.

The subject made several sexual advances during the phone conversation and made arrangements for a date despite the girl’s mentioning that she is a minor.

The sheriff met the subject at 8 p.m. that evening on the Clarendon High School parking lot, discovered prohibited weapons in the man’s possession, and took the man into custody.

Lincoln has a lengthy criminal history and was on parole for delivery of a controlled substance. At press time, he was being held on second-degree felony charges and a Texas Department of Criminal Justice blue warrant, which is not bondable.

“I want to thank the two girls for having the mental fortitude to bring this to my office,” Blackburn said. “I believe this person is a predator of small children. Even though I can’t mention the girls’ names, they did the community and all area communities a service when they came forward.”

Blackburn said the suspect possessed maps of several area towns and said he thought it looked as though the man was preying on small towns.

“The community needs to be aware that there are predators out there; and although we may not have many here, they can come from 60 miles away and be in our school parking lot,” he said. “Kids need to be aware of the old saying, ‘stranger – danger.’”