Police: Stranger grabs boy at local park

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ore. - A 7-year-old boy playing a game of hide-and-seek in a Washington County park Monday evening reported that a man in a ski mask tried to grab him, authorities said.

According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, the boy was standing next to some bushes in Melilah Park at 2900 S.W. 182nd Ave. when a man wearing a mask came running toward him about 5:30 p.m., telling the boy to "come here."

The man tried to grab the boy's wrists but the boy was able to run away, the sheriff's office said.

A woman who was supervising the kids at the park, 20-year-old Julie Stanley, told investigators she was looking for the 7-year-old and found him running across the playground while crying, the sheriff's office said. That's when the boy told her what had happened.

Another boy in the park told deputies he saw the man grab the 7-year-old and try to take a gold bracelet the boy was wearing. The suspect then ran into the woods with a group of "kids" who were at the basketball court, the witness told investigators.

Deputies searched the area but did not find the suspect.

Authorities described him as wearing a black mask that covered his face and head, a black T-shirt, black pants and a black watch. The suspect was light-skinned and had a high-pitched voice.

Anyone with information on the case was asked to call the sheriff's office at (503) 846-2700.