Deputies looking for man wanted for grabbing woman in Jennings State Forest 

CLAY HILL – The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is asking residents to be weary and to be on the lookout for a man they suspected of attempting to grab a woman early Tuesday morning in Jennings State Forest while she was walking her dog. 

According to Sheriff Michelle Cook, the dog scared the man away, but the agency wants to locate him before anyone else is approached near Powell Ford Road on the Nolan side of the forest. 

The woman regularly walked her dog in the area, Cook said, when she was approached by the man. He grabbed her arm, but the dog scared him and she ran away. 

“Deputies responded and we've been out there all day,” Cook said. “We've done a comprehensive search of the area. We recovered the victim's backpack, and we deployed a canine out there, which proved negative. We have all indications at this point that this woman experienced a scary situation. We are still talking with her, and she's actually working on a composite picture of what the suspect looks like. This is pretty scary and I wanted to make sure our community is aware of what happened this morning in Jennings Forest.” 

Cook said the man is described as a white male in his late 40s, approximately six-foot tall, medium build, between 200 and 215 pounds, gray salt-and-pepper beard with little or no mustache, scruffy hair, yellow teeth, a strong musty odor, wearing dark clothing, a dark long-sleeved shirt that had some sort of small graphic on the chest, dark jeans or pants and hiking boots. 

If anyone has information, Cook asks them to call (904) 264-6512, or they can leave a SaferWatch tip.

Gainesville man charged with ripping off, wrecking woman’s home 

MIDDLEBURG – A Gainesville man was transported from the Putnam County Jail on Monday, June 8, to face charges in Clay County after the sheriff’s office accused him of stealing a woman’s shotgun and other items and causing damage at her house while she was away. 

Julius Smith III, 34, was charged with armed burglary and criminal mischief with property damage after the victim returned home on Dec. 1, 2025, and found her home was flooded because the kitchen sink faucet and both bathroom tubs were running. She also found the interior had been egged, and several items, including a shotgun, MacBook and iPad were missing. 

According to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, she left the home with a house sitter. 

Smith was originally arrested in St. Johns County, but he was taken to Highland County for an outstanding warrant. From there, he was sent to Putnam. The victim’s shotgun was seized inside his car, according to CCSO. 

Smith’s bond was set at $350,006. 

CCSO: Middleburg man charged with 2024 molestation of child 

MIDDLEBURG – Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested a man after it responded to Wolfson Children’s Emergency Room – North in Jacksonville on June 15, 2024, about a child younger than 12 who had apparently been sexually molested. 

Daniel Lee Smith, 37, of Middleburg, was charged with sexual battery and molestation of a child younger than 12 on Thursday, June 11, after investigators determined the child was abused on May 29, 2024. The sheriff’s office served a search warrant on June 11, and Smith was subsequently arrested. 

His bond was set at $500,503. His next court appearance will be on July 14.