Authorities are looking for a man who they said ran into a hotel and grabbed a hotel clerk by the neck Monday morning.
At about 2 a.m., a man walked into the Sleep Inn and Suites, at 4110 SW 40th Blvd., and began behaving strangely, Gainesville Police said. The clerk at the front desk asked him to leave, and he charged at her, according to a police report.
The man tried to drag her to a secluded area of the hotel and was trying to take the clerk’s clothes off when a hotel guest heard noises, police said. The guest intervened and helped fight the man off.
The man fled northbound. He is described as a black male who is about 5 feet and 10 inches tall. He wore a white T-shirt and gray shorts during the incident, Gainesville Police said.
Officials said the investigation into the attempted sexual battery is ongoing. They said anyone with information can contacted GPD at 352-393-7670 or CrimeStoppers 352-372-STOP.
Contact Robert Lewis at rlewis@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter at @Lewis__Robert.