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MURRAY -- Murray police are searching for a man they say attacked a female jogger around 7 p.m. Tuesday.
The woman, who is in her 20s, was jogging alone along the Murray Parkway trail near 5400 South when she says a man suddenly came up from behind her, grabbed her shirt and tried to pull her toward him.
"You assume that was the intent of the individual -- there is really no other intent in that kind of attack -- so our assumption is that it was sexually motivated," said Murray police Detective Kenny Bass.
Bass said there was a short struggle as the woman fought to get away. She screamed and yelled until she was able to get free. She then ran until she found a person with a phone and called police.
The woman was able to get a good look at her attacker. She described the man as being in his late-20s to early-30s with thin build, and wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and gray baseball hat.
News of the attack was unnerving to people out using the trail Wednesday morning. Jessica Aiello was out with a friend walking a dog when she heard about the attack.
"That's one of the reasons why when I'm on the trail I always want to walk with someone. There's a lot of places people can hide and jump out," Aiello said.
"It's safest to jog with somebody else, to have one other person with you. Male or female, it doesn't really matter as long as there are a couple of people jogging with you. There is safety in numbers," Bass said.
Police said they haven't had many instances like this, but they are telling joggers and others who use the trail that it's safer to go with a friend.
The woman was not hurt but was emotionally shaken up.
"I'm sure it was extremely scary for her, a horrible experience for anybody to go through," Bass said.
Right now, police don't have any witnesses to the crime. If you were in the area Tuesday night and have information you thing might be helpful to investigators, call the Murray Police Department at 801-840-4000.
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Story compiled with contributions from Anne Forester and Randall Jeppesen.
