Police searching Dismal Swamp for man who attacked woman

Police are searching parts of the Great Dismal Swamp for a white male who attacked a woman Sunday walking near the visitor center on U.S. 17 north of Elizabeth City.

The man, in his 20s, is 5 foot 8 inches tall, about 175 pounds, wearing dirty camouflage shorts and T-shirt and white high-top sneakers, according to a release from Camden County Sheriff Tony Perry. He was spotted in the area last week wearing the same clothes leading investigators to believe he is camping within the Dismal Swamp State Park, located across the canal from the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center.

The woman, not identified, stopped at the visitor center for a break in her trip from Maryland to Beaufort County, Perry said. She was walking a dirt path in the state park when the man grabbed her arm and demanded money. When she resisted, he cut her arm with a small knife. The woman broke away and ran. The man did not pursue her. The woman was later treated and released, Perry said.

The search continued until dark Sunday. The Camden County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the Suffolk Police and Elizabeth City K-9 units, North Carolina state park rangers and the North Carolina Marine Fisheries are continuing the search.