Newton County authorities are investigating a possible attempted abduction that occurred Saturday afternoon in Western Grove, officials said.
Newton County Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said his office received a call at 12:42 P.M. that two girls, in their early to mid-teens, had been approached by a man carrying a large stick. The man reportedly said "let's play" to the girls. The two teenagers said they were afraid of the man and started walking away when he began to chase them.
Officers said the man chased the girls nearly half a mile, grabbing one of them in the process, but the teenager was able to hit the man and get away from him. The girls said they were able to get far enough away from the man to contact family members.
Both girls described the man as appearing like "a total meth head," saying he was slender with sunken cheeks and blond hair that stuck out around the baseball cap he was wearing. They estimated he was in his late twenties or early thirties and said he was wearing jeans and a blue shirt, both of which had holes in them. Both also confirmed he was carrying a large stick.
"At this point, we don't know the identity of the man, but we are taking this very seriously and are asking area kids and parents to be extra vigilant," Wheeler said.