PALATKA, Fla. – A 14-year-old Palatka High School student reported Thursday that a man chased her to her school bus stop early Thursday morning.
The student told school officials and Putnam County Sheriff's Office deputies that at about 6:20 a.m. she was walking to her bus stop at Horselanding Road and Clearwater Road in San Mateo when a grown man appeared from a nearby house with a bag and yelled that he "had something" for her.
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The girl told deputies that she ran toward her bus stop and the man briefly chased her before disappearing. She reported the incident to Palatka High officials, who contacted the sheriff's office.
Deputy Diamond Lewis took the student back to her home in San Mateo and the girl pointed out the home from which the man had appeared.
The home is that of Billy Wayne Bentley, who is a registered sexual offender from another state.
Major Crimes Detective Angela Goins was assigned to the case and made contact with Bentley, 63, who denied chasing anyone.
Bentley said he was walking his dog and saw a youngster he thought was a boy. Bentley said he tried to give a bag of candy to the "boy" but
did not chase anyone.
Goins determined that no crime occurred, but gave Bentley a stern warning that his actions could be mistaken for his intent to commit a crime.
Bentley assured Goins that he would no longer prepare bags of candy or speak with children in the neighborhood.