ROY, Wash. — Police are searching for a suspect accused of attempting to kidnap a woman in Roy early in the morning on Thursday, March 30.
At around 6 a.m., a woman was driving on 420th Street South with her 11-year-old son.
The suspect had placed sandbags and a box in the roadway near Harts Valley Road.
The woman stopped and got out of her car to move the items out of the road when the suspect ran out and placed a burlap sack over her head and bear-hugged her.
The woman was able to fight the suspect off. She went home and called 911. The suspect fled through a field.
Police have released a sketch of the man they believe is responsible.
The suspect was described as a Hispanic male in his 20s or 30s, five feet, seven inches tall with a muscular build. He may have scratches on his face and neck.
“It's very unusual to have something like this happen way out there," said Sgt. Darren Moss Jr. with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department. "In addition to not having a lot of crime, this is just a really weird one-off kind of thing. We rarely see predators like this."
The incident put people living nearby on high alert.
“Very, very, unnerving and frightening,” said Jim Wilcox, whose family business, Wilcox Family Farms is close to the road where deputies were investigating.
“No one really knows how this individual got out here," he said. "There were no cars that were obvious that were out of place or anything like that, so it is a real mystery."
The attempted kidnapping prompted Jim Wilcox’s brother, Barrie Wilcox, to fly his plane on Monday as a precaution.
“I got a spotter from the airport, and we flew back and forth, back and forth about five times, and didn’t see any cars that shouldn’t have been there or any tents,” said Barrie Wilcox. “Our children, grandchildren live here. We are frightened about this.”
Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest that results in charges filed against the suspect. Anyone with information can call 1-800-222-TIPS.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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