MACCLENNY, Fla. – A Baker County mother is warning all parents about suspicious men following women and children at a popular store.
The woman, who News4Jax has chosen not to name to protect her identity, said a quick trip Wednesday night with her daughter to the Macclenny Walmart, which they go to all the time, quickly turned into a frightening encounter.
"They started to slow down and they commented on how pretty my daughter was, so I smiled politely and paid attention to what direction they went in and they all split in different directions immediately when they got through the doors," she told News4Jax.
The woman said once she walked to a different section of the store, she noticed one of the men following her.
“He turned right off into men’s clothing, but never looked through clothing, never was shopping, was just watching for a good 10 minutes," she said.
Feeling uneasy, the woman said, she went to find an employee to walk her to her car, and before leaving the store, she noticed another one of the men watching her every move.
The woman said as she walking out into the parking lot with a Walmart employee, she saw the same man following her -- standing 10 feet from her car.
About an hour later, the woman she heard from a friend, who said four men also followed her and her daughter in the store, which even caught an employee’s attention.
The woman said it’s obvious the men weren’t there to shop.
“When the man checked out when he was watching me, he had like two small things in his bag," she said. "But when they were watching her, none of them had anything in their carts. It was just all too strange.”
News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said this could happen to anyone, anywhere. He said if you feel like you're being followed, find a way to attract attention to yourself by taking photos or videos in the store because predators don't like being on camera.
The woman said she just hopes more people will be aware of their surroundings.
She also said she's been in contact with the Baker County Sheriff’s Office, and deputies told her they're limited with what they can do since the men did not commit a crime.
But they did tell her more deputies will be patrolling near Walmart.
News4Jax called the Sheriff's Office to see whether security video would be released, but has not yet heard back.
Walmart sent News4Jax the following statement: “After a thorough examination of the video, we cannot verify this customer’s accounts of the events.”