The warnings started circulating Thursday. It’s easy to believe they’re not true.
“It’s a brown and white van that was just in Atoka,” the poster said on Facebook, warning others about an older white man who allegedly targeted a woman who was alone, tried to pull her out of her vehicle and beat her with a cane.
A photo with a woman in a green tank top, her face bloodied, was with the post. It was taken in front of the Kroger in Atoka, which The Leader has confirmed through the identification of its newspaper rack in the background.
Local law enforcement has confirmed the incident happened as reported.
“We can’t say what his intentions were, but we do know he circled the parking lot a couple of times before this happened,” said Atoka Police Chief Jessie Poole. “We had some good witnesses and we got him, he’s off the road and in jail with no bond until he sees the judge.”
John Hubbard, 60, who goes back and forth between the Mason area and an address in Arkansas, said Poole, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, attempted kidnapping and driving under the influence.
Another person on the scene shot a photo of the victim, whose identity has not been released, and shared the news on social media before she was able to notify her family.
Poole asked for more compassion for victims in situations like this.
“People need to be more mindful of victims,” he said. “Some of her family saw this before she even had the chance to tell them. It’s really upset her and it’d upset me, too.”
The matter remains under investigation.
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