Witness calls Putnam Sheriff’s Office after man in truck follows girl outside school

PUTNAM, Fla. — A local woman said Friday that a suspicious stranger followed a young girl in front of school.

Putnam County deputies confirmed to Action News Jax that they are seeking to contact the driver of a red Toyota Tacoma with a topper.

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Witnesses said the man had done this before in the same truck.

The alleged encounter happened Friday about 10 a.m. in front of Palatka High School.

“She seemed startled by it,” a witness said.

Action News Jax is not showing the license plate, since the man didn’t commit a crime.

The witness called the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. She said that when she pulled up to the man in the truck, he sped away.

“The whole thing just seemed weird to me,” she said. “It did not sit right with me.”

A Facebook post on the alleged encounter is flooded with comments stating that the same man has been doing that for years.

One showed a picture of what witnesses said is the same truck at a Crescent City park, saying the driver was ‘trying to follow girls into the restroom.’

PCSO said the owner of the vehicle with this license plate has not been the subject of any calls in the last year.

“Why would people do that to kids like that?” said Arnetta Hudson, who lives near Putnam High School. “I will make sure that I keep my eye out.”

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