MARION COUNTY, IL-(Effingham Radio)- The Marion County Sheriff’s Department is encouraging all citizens to be aware of their surroundings as they are currently investigating a possible attempted sexual assault.
According to WJBD, Marion County Sheriff’s Office investigators are investigating two incidents that occurred on Monday.
The first incident occurred in the extreme northeast portion of Marion County where a woman was involved in a physical altercation with a man.
The man was said to have stopped to help the woman and when she told him that she was not in need of help, he allegedly punched the woman in the face.
Following a physical altercation, the man then allegedly tried to remove the woman’s clothing and presumed to try to sexually assault her.
The woman was able to run away on foot and call 9-1-1 and the man fled in a red Checy S-10 or Ford Ranger truck.
WJBD stated that the man is being described as a male in his 60’s, approximately 6 feet tall, weighing 250-300 pounds, and had a white beard.
Additionally, the Sheriff’s Department was notified that a man in a red Ford Ranger truck was following a Salem High School bus and was watching the kids get off the bus.
The investigators say that there was no apparent attempt to stop any of the students, but the activity was reported as appearing suspicious.
There is no known connection between the two incidents, other than the description of a red truck.
As such, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office is encouraging all citizens to be aware of their surroundings, to keep a special eye on children, and are asking that anyone with information regarding the two incidents on Monday to contact the Sheriff’s Department.
We reached out the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, but no one was available for comment at this time.