HOMOSASSA – A 15-year-old Lecanto High School ninth-grader told a school resource officer on Monday that an unknown white male had tried to lure her into his vehicle while she was waiting at her bus stop.

The teen said the incident happened between 6:45 and 7:15 a.m. at the intersection of W. Green Acres Street and S. Evergreen Avenue.

According to the girl, a man driving an older model maroon four-door sedan drove past her and stopped, putting the vehicle in reverse and pulling up next to her. She told deputies that he motioned for her to get in the vehicle, but she declined. The girl said the driver then opened the passenger-side door and tried to grab her right arm, so she ran back to her guardian’s residence and told her relative what happened.

The teen described the driver as a white male in his mid-50s, weighing between 175 and 200 pounds. The subject has long, frizzy gray hair and a full gray beard. He was last seen wearing a Florida Gators shirt.

The Sheriff’s Office arranged for extra patrol at the bus stop in question and had the ninth-grader come in to work with crime analysts on a composite sketch of the subject.

The agency’s sexual predator unit began looking for any similarities among the area’s known predators and offenders. Contact also was made with the school district’s bus garage to put bus drivers on alert for any vehicle matching the description provided by the girl.

Detectives are looking to speak with the man about the incident and are asking anyone with information about his identity to please call 911 or 726-1121 right away. Or contact Crime Stoppers of Citrus County, Inc. Report your tip by texting CITRUS to 274637 (Crimes), clicking on www.crimestopperscitrus.com or calling 1-888-ANY-TIPS toll-free.

Tipsters may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $1,000.