Deerfield Township — A second woman was assaulted on a Portage County bike trail Monday evening in an incident authorities say is vastly similar to one that occurred at the same location roughly two months ago.
According to County Sheriff David Doak, the male perpetrator stole the victim's bicycle, jewelry, hand-bag, clothing items, and cell phone before she was able to escape. The suspect was wearing dark clothing, a hat, and a mask, and is described as being in his mid-30s to early 40s and weighing between 180 and 200 pounds.
Back on June 14, a woman was "seriously assaulted" on the Deerfield Township trail off of State Route 224 and received help from local hikers. The suspect in that case was described as having some similar features to the one in the second incident, with details including short brown, curly hair and a possible gray Pontiac Bonneville.
Anyone with information on either incident is encouraged to contact the Portage County Sheriff;s Office at (330) 296-5100. Authorities are also reminding those using the trails to "be vigilant paying attention to suspicious individuals hanging around and...never ride, walk or hike alone."