Police keep eye on man scaring women

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - Women in Decatur said they have been chased and harassed by a convicted sex offender. Police said they have the man on their radar for several years,

Police said the man went back to jail for a little while, but has been out the past three years and women are getting fed up with him scaring them. Police said they plan to do something about it

Video from a GoPro camera shows Clay Walker was on a bike ride home when he noticed what appeared to him to be a man chasing a woman.

“This is a tragedy in the making,” said Walker.

Walker said he was familiar with the man and claimed he is known in the area for scaring women. The woman in the video said she was trying to get away, but the man kept up and then Walker rode up beside her to help.

“As soon as the guy saw Clay wedge in between me and him. He made an almost complete stop, made a U-turn and went in the opposite direction,” the woman said.

She said she remembered the man from a year ago, occasionally seeing him and hearing stories of him chasing women.

“I think he's getting more assertive, more aggressive about what he does. And it's almost unsafe for a female to be out by herself,” she said.

In this case, Clarkston police responded and said there was nothing they could do. The man didn't break any laws.

The man, who FOX 5 News is not identifying because he is not charged with a crime, is a convicted sex offender and he is known to law enforcement agencies in the metro Atlanta area. Avondale Estates’ police chief worries the man is a danger to himself, but he cannot arrest him for that.

“I think the scary part of this is the fact we are dealing with an individual like this that is existing in no man’s land right now because unfortunately it feels like he's going to have to do something really bad for him to get arrested.”

“There are three or four jurisdictions involved. I know it's hard to coordinate where he is but people need to pay attention. Just saying he has a mental illness isn't enough.”

At least four police agencies said they have multiple reports of the man approaching and scaring women. None of those agencies have filed criminal charges about the incidents. But in Clarkston, police have now advised women to ride in pairs, and stay away from the man if they see him.