Ukiah police release sketch of suspect in attempted abduction

Ukiah police have released a sketch of man suspected of trying to kidnap a teenage girl as she walked home from a friend’s house.

The girl, 14, said she was walking on North Oak Street, near Low Gap Road, about 8:30 p.m. June 3 when a man stopped and asked if she wanted a ride, said Ukiah Police Detective Andy Phillips.

When she declined, he got out of his vehicle and tried to grab her, the girl told police. He then took off in his vehicle, apparently spooked by other motorists driving in the area, the girl told police.

The girl described the man as Hispanic, between the ages of 25 and 35 with an average build and a groomed beard, Phillips said. He was driving an older, rusty brown-colored Jeep Cherokee, he said.

It’s the fourth time a girl has reported being grabbed by a stranger in Ukiah since November. Two were in January. One of those was unable to describe her attacker and the other described a man who does not match the suspect in the latest case, police said. Neither has been located.

The man suspected in the November attack of a 17-year-old jogger was apprehended within days.