By Aaron Burgin, The Porterville Recorder
Police vowed not to let their guard down after they announced the Tuesday morning arrest of one of the two men believed to be behind a recent rash of attempted child abductions near local schools.

Officers from the Porterville Police Department arrested Miguel Garcia Fonseca, 43, of Porterville, who they believe was the suspect in Monday's attempted kidnapping, in which a man in a red pickup truck and white camper shell allegedly demanded a 15-year-old female Summit Charter Academy pupil get into the vehicle near the intersection of Olive Avenue and Newcomb Street.

The suspect involved in the first three reported kidnapping attempts remained at large. No additional incidents were reported Tuesday, police said.

“We are not letting down our guard. Our saturation of school zones and search for the other suspect, that will continue,” Sgt. Duanne Griffin said. “This only resolves one isolated incident, so we will continue our efforts and will not stop until these things have been resolved.”

Officers stopped a red pickup truck at 7:10 a.m. at Olive Avenue and A Street that was observed by a volunteer assigned to the abduction detail, according to a joint statement from the Porterville Police Department, Porterville Unified and Burton School districts.

The investigation into the enforcement stop led to Fonseca's arrest. He was booked into the Tulare County Jail on charges of attempted kidnapping as a result of the incident. Fonseca, according to a court records search, has several driving-under-the-influence offenses on his record, including a DUI conviction in February in which he was sentenced to a 50-day county jail term. Griffin said officers are still investigating all leads surrounding the three other alleged incidents, which involved a man driving a brown four-door sedan with dents or primer spots.

“This arrest is related to an isolated incident, however we will maintain our diligence in providing safe routes to and from school for our children,” Griffin said, reading from a prepared statement. “We ask that our community remain aware of our surroundings, and report any suspicious activity to the Police Department.”

Saturation patrols in and around the schools will continue before and after school hours, Griffin said. In the days after Thursday's reported abduction attempt, Griffin said officers have been inundated with tips from watchful residents. “I can't count the number of calls we've received about vehicles that match the description or suspicious persons,” Griffin said. “We ask the public to continue to remain vigilant.”

Burton School District parents said they received notification of the arrest by a mass phone message from superintendent Don Brown. Many expressed relief at the announcement, tempered by the fact that perhaps the most dangerous suspect was still at large.

“I am excited and I hope that this man gets what he deserves,” said Renee Contreras-Luna, who has three children who attend Burton Elementary School. “But it definitely doesn't mean that this is over, because they say that another guy is still out on the loose.

“These are our kids we are talking about, and a lot of parents still don't know what is going on,” Contreras-Luna said. “I think our police and school district are doing a good job.”

Contact Aaron Burgin at 784-5000, Ext. 1047, or aburgin@portervillerecorder.com.

This story was published in The Porterville Recorder on April 25, 2007