Man attempts to grab 14-year-old jogger

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif.

Around 3 p.m. on Jan. 25, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office received a report of a suspicious man in the Fall Creek area of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.

The man had attempted to grab the teen girl as she jogged alone in the park near the Lime Kilns Trail.

The suspect attempted to talk to the jogger, then reached out as if to grab her, according to the sheriff's office. She continued along the trail and did not see the man again.

He was described as a light-skinned white man about 40 years old, standing between 5 feet 8 inches and 6 feet tall with a medium build and shoulder-length brown hair and brown beard. He was wearing a bright blue long-sleeve shirt or sweater, sheriff's officials said.

Investigators have hiked the trail many times since then and worked with the victim to create a sketch of the suspect. State Parks personnel and a nearby school have been notified, and canvassing of the area will continue, according to the sheriff's office.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office investigations unit at (831) 454-2311, dispatch at (831) 471-1121 or State Parks at (831) 649-2810.

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