CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — As of Tuesday night, a man who grabbed a woman while walking her dog in Jennings State Forest is still on the loose. The Clay County Sheriff’s office says it happened Tuesday morning, and they searched the area for hours.
Donna Hamry, a neighbor who lives near the forest, told Action News Jax she usually feels safe in that area. She says it’s normal for people to run in Jennings and walk their dogs on the trail this woman was on.
She says she’s surprised this happened and even more surprised about how much the woman was able to remember about the man who grabbed her.
This is the description the victim gave to Clay County deputies:
- White male in his late 40s
- Approximately 6 feet tall
- Medium build, between 200 and 215 pounds
- Gray salt and pepper beard with little or no mustache
- Scruffy hair
- Yellow teeth
- Strong, musty odor
- Wearing dark long-sleeved shirt that had a small graphic on the chest
- Dark jeans or pants
- Hiking boots
“Fright because people they do go to Jennings Forest a lot,” said Hamry. This was her reaction when she heard about what happened. She’s lived in the area for 35 years.
“She did not know this man, she was not injured and the dog that she had apparently scared the man off,” Sheriff Michelle Cook said in a Facebook live update Tuesday afternoon.
Sheriff Cook says the woman ran and called 911. Deputies searched the area for hours, found the woman’s backpack and sent a K9 that came up with nothing.
“We have all indication that this woman experienced this scary situation,” Sheriff Cook said.
She says the victim is working with them to create a composite picture of the suspect.
Hamry says she hopes the Sheriff’s Office can track the man down.
“Maybe he got frightened so badly from her and her dog that he won’t do it again,” Hamry said.
Neighbors told Action News Jax they saw helicopters and several police cars in the area throughout the day. A spokesperson for the Clay County Sheriff’s Office says they hope that the composite photo will be finished tomorrow.
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