CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – After a woman said she fought off a man who grabbed her while she was walking her dog early Tuesday in Jennings State Forest, Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook issued a public safety alert.
The woman said that around 7:30 a.m., she was walking her dog through Jennings State Forest in northwest Clay County when a man she did not know approached her and forcefully grabbed her arm, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The woman said she fought back, and her dog helped scare off the suspect. She was not hurt.
Deputies returned to the area to search for the man, but only recovered the woman’s backpack. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said it was working with the woman to create a composite sketch of the man.
He is described as a white male in his late 40s, about 6 feet tall, with a salt-and-pepper beard with little to no mustache, scruffy hair, yellow teeth and a strong musty odor. He was last seen wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt, dark jeans and hiking boots.
“This is pretty scary, and I wanted to make sure our community is aware of what happened this morning,” Cook said during a Facebook Live on Tuesday.
Cook urged residents to remain vigilant. Anyone who was in the area and saw something suspicious is asked to contact the CCSO at 904-264-6512 or submit a tip through the SaferWatch app.