Red Top Mountain State Park Visitor Center ~~ Photograph by Robert Sutherland

The world has gone nuts and Mayberry is a distant memory.  There has even been a brazen, daylight attack on a woman riding the Iron Hill Trail at Lake Allatoona’s Red Top Mountain State Park.

There is a fine line between reporting the news and trying to make people afraid of life.  When a lunatic tries to Taser a woman biking on the Iron Hill Bike Trail at 10 AM on a Tuesday morning, it is time to sound an alarm and warn others who take that path.

An 18-year-old woman was riding her bicycle when she saw what appeared to be a Taser — a “stun gun” that uses electrical current to incapacitate people — on a tree stump at the side of the trail.

Bartow County Sheriff’s spokesman Jonathan White provided these details for LakeAllatoona.com:

According to the Victim, when she approached a curve on the Iron Hill Trail she observed a yellow square object on top of a tree stump she believed to be a taser and a white male subject approximately forty years of age wearing a green in color baseball cap lying beside the fallen tree. The Victim then heard a sound consistent with a taser being deployed. The Victim was not struck by the taser probes but the connection wires were across her head and helmet.

The Victim quickly freed herself from the connection wires and peddled to safety. The Victim was able to locate other hiker’s on the trail to advise them of the incident and them to call for help.

Red Top Mountain State Park ~~ Photograph by Robert Sutherland

The male subject was possibly wearing camouflage but no further description is available at this time.  Authorities have not yet identified the suspect.  The incident is under investigation.

The Victim was with friends and family but was not riding with them at the time of the incident.  She fled on her bike and asked a passerby to call 911 for help.

Bartow County Sheriff’s spokesman Jonathan White told LakeAllatoona.com on August 7, 2014 that the perpetrator in this incident has not been found.

The Iron Hill Bike Trail is a popular — and usually safe — 3.9 mile gravel path used by hikers and mountain bikers along the banks of Lake Allatoona.

Officer White gave several tips on how to be safe on trails:

• Always let someone know where you are and when you expect to return.
• Greet people courteously on trails so they will remember seeing you.
• Do not stray off trails.
• Know your surroundings and only stop to rest in busy, not secluded, areas.
• Consider keeping a GPS with you, in case you get lost.
• Keep a cell phone with you — even though you might lose coverage temporarily in the woods.
• It’s always best not to walk, hike or bike alone.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office at 770-382-5050.