By Christina M. Wright
The Herald Bulletin
PENDLETON, Ind. —
Pendleton police are looking for a man from a Monday attack on a 16-year-old girl who claims the suspect attempted to assault her in Falls Park.
“It’s definitely a concern,” said Pendleton police chief Marc Farrer on Wednesday. “I’ve possibly got a wolf inside my bailiwick.”
A news release of the Monday afternoon incident said the teenager reported she was attacked while jogging in the “wooded trail system” at about 3 p.m. The suspect, the release said, grabbed the girl from behind and threatened to stab her if she moved.
“Fortunately, the suspect was interrupted by a person who was simply walking the trail and happened to walk into the area,” the release said.
According to the release, the suspect fled on foot through a neighboring graveyard and is believed to have left in a silver or blue Chevrolet Impala in the North Forty Parking Lot.
The girl, the release said, described her attacker as a “skinny” white male who was about 5-foot-11 to 6-feet tall with short blonde hair. The girl said the man was in his late teens to early 20s, Farrer said.
The teenager was reportedly jogging with other runners from Pendleton Heights High School, but a leg injury slowed her pace.
Farrer said in the release that people in Falls Park or any other park need to be aware of their surroundings and whenever possible stay in pairs.
Farrer said he is not sure whether the suspect is from the area, because Falls Park is advertised on the interstate as a national park.
“We get all kinds of people here, people from all areas,” said Farrer. “To say it’s local or not, I don’t have any idea right now.”
Contact Christina M. Wright, 640-4883, christina.wright@heraldbulletin.com.
