Woman walking her dog assaulted at Grand Mere State Park

LINCOLN TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- A woman was taken to the hospital after she was attacked while walking her dog at Grand Mere State Park, according to Lincoln Township Police.

Around 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, the 28-year-old victim told police she was sitting with her dog on a trail about a quarter mile from the parking lot when a man came up behind her, grabbed her and pushed her back onto the ground.

The suspect then began kicking and punching the woman in the stomach and face. She fought back and her dog bit the man.

“We believe that the bite was on the lower torso, the victim was fighting with the suspect when the dog bit him, so she’s not sure where the dog bit or how bad the bite might have been,” said Chief Garret Soper with the Lincoln Township Police Department.

The assault lasted for 2-3 minutes before the woman was able to get away and run to her vehicle to call 9-1-1 as the suspect ran the opposite direction.

"She did a fantastic job defending herself and I think a big part of it was the dog distracting the suspect," said Chief Soper.

While police spoke with the victim, other officers and a K-9 searched for the suspect, but he was not located.

He is described as 5'10" tall, dark hair, dark sweatshirt or coat, blue jeans and dark shoes.

The victim was taken to the Lakeland Hospital for treatments of cuts and bruises.

If you have any information, please contact Lincoln Township Police at 269-429-2444 or Crime Stoppers at 800-342-STOP.