Virginia Lawmakers Debate Law Banning Attempts To Lure Children Into Cars

Virginia's crime commission is considering making it a crime to try to lure a child into a car.

It is a crime in Virginia to entice a child under age of 15 to enter a car or house to commit sex offenses, or to kidnap a child.

But Del. Rob Bell (R) says real cases show the need for a new law when those motives are not clear. He reads from a Virginia police report:

"A man described as a middle-aged white male with gray hair and driving a blue vehicle attempted to entice children to get into his vehicle at the school bus stops in the morning, and he went back in the afternoon," he says. "And he was offering trips to King's Dominion."

But lawmakers also don't want to criminalize innocent conduct. Bell gives one example:

"It was the soccer mom who sees the child sitting on the bleachers and everybody else is gone," he says. "And you look around and you say, 'Honey, I'll get you home.' Now she does not have permission, she's not related. But, gosh, all of us would want her to."

The Crime Commission has also discussed making the act illegal but carving out exceptions.