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Woman says she spotted man wanted for Newport News sexual assault

Posted at 6:41 PM, Nov 12, 2014
and last updated 2014-11-13 06:07:30-05

Newport News, Va. - A woman says she spotted the man wanted for the sexual assault of a teenager, but when she called police to report the sighting, she wasn't satisfied with the response.

The sexual assault happened Friday outside of the Kohl's on Bland Boulevard, according to police. A woman, who didn't want to be identified, said she saw a man fitting the description in the same shopping center on the same day.

Police released a very detailed description of the man, saying his teeth were rotted out, except for two that appeared to be fangs. He also smelled bad and was heavy-set, according to police. "I noticed a man in front of Ulta, which is right next to Petco, dressed in black, had small dreads or braids, smoking a cigarette," said the woman.

She didn't get close enough to see the fangs, but when she came back a few hours he was still there. She decided not to walk her dog to nearby woods after it had been to the groomer.

The next day, she heard about the sexual assault and realized it may have been the same man. "It kind of gave me the chills because I noticed him. That's why I didn't walk my dog in the wooded area. When I read that, it all just came back in my mind," she said.

She called police dispatch, telling them she saw a man fitting the description, but she says the dispatcher who answered didn't pay too much attention. "The dispatcher that I got really wasn't very helpful. She didn't really want to hear what I had to say."

A spokesperson for the police department said they can only do so much with sighting reports a day later, but any information would've been given to the detective working the case.